After a 3-day getaway to the beach with his family, Russ Lane is recharged and ready to lock in on preparations for the final Bassmaster Elite Series event at Oneida Lake, which gets underway in a little more than 2 weeks.
“It’s the first and probably only time this year that we were able to get away with the kids for 3 days and get some rest. It was a good trip,” he said.
Now, his focus shifts back to fishing and the central New York lake that’s going to determine the Toyota Tundra B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year (AOY) and a majority of the field for next year’s Bassmaster Classic.
“Oneida’s definitely on my mind,” he told BassFan today. “I’ve started to write down notes and do the things I always do when I’m preparing for a tournament. It’s really good that we have a couple weeks to prepare. I really like these stand-alone events where they’re not back-to-back. This is the perfect setup. I can take my time and tinker with my tackle and keep an eye on the weather.”
Having fished Oneida a handful of times previously, he has the luxury to either fish memories or go at it like he’s never been there before.
“Earlier in my career, I think memories may have influenced my decisions a lot more,” he said. “Now, I’m older and hopefully a bit wiser and I try to really get focused in on the current conditions. It’s good to know when you figure a little something out on a body of water like Oneida where I’ve fished five or six times that there’s another little place that I hadn’t checked yet.”
While it looks nothing like the Coosa River lakes round his Alabama home, Oneida fits right in Lane’s wheelhouse because it offers so many options in terms of where and how to fish, not to mention the choice of largemouth or smallmouth.
“I love to fish lakes where you can win with either species or a combination and I love lakes that are small that fish big,” he said. “A lot of the lakes around home (Coosa River) are small lakes, but they fish big and that’s because they have spotted bass that you can catch offshore on humps or ledges or timber. Oneida’s a totally different fishery, but tournament-wise, it’s still very similar to the lakes I grew up fishing and I think that’s why I’m comfortable there.”
He’s currently 28th in AOY points, so he’s on the proverbial bubble, but isn’t letting that consume him as he figures out how to attack Oneida. He has three Top-32 finishes there in the past so another quality result should take care of the Classic berth. He’s more concerned with winning.
“I’m not even thinking about the points,” he said. “I’m going to keep fishing the way I’ve been fishing for the last year. I’ve not had that great of a year in my eyes. I’m going into this tournament just like I have the rest of them – I’m trying to figure out how to win. That’s my ultimate goal. I’ve been out here long enough, it’s time to start putting together a win. If I’m thinking about points or the Classic, that’s never going to happen. I’m not going to change my thinking.
“If I go up there and do my job and stay focused and put the odds in my favor where I might have a chance to win, I’ll end up making the Classic anyway.”
