By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor
Russ Lane is a keen observer of the pro fishing ranks just as much as he is a part of the professional scene as an Elite Series competitor. He pays attention to trends and the ebbs and flows of the tournament world and works to adjust his repertoire accordingly. As a result, he’s constantly analyzing his skill set and trying to fill in gaps to make himself a better all-around angler.
This past season, he found himself with a spinning rod in his hand more than he can remember in recent years, not out of preference – he still prefers to punch and crank – but because that’s what the situation called for more often than not. The end result was five checks cashed, a Top-12 finish at Chesapeake Bay, a berth in the Angler of the Year Championship and, ultimately, a spot in the upcoming Bassmaster Classic after failing to qualify for the event the last two seasons.
“One thing I’ve struggled with is getting around fishing pressure,” Lane said recently while he fun-fished Lake Jordan in Alabama with an old tournament partner. “I seem to figure them out in practice really fast, but the fishing pressure is what changes that. I’m a power fisherman and as many have seen in the last few years, some big name power-fishermen have been off their game. The field is getting more and more effective at covering water and the finesse guys are having better showings on a consistent basis.
“I’m doing that more and getting confidence in it. There’s a bell curve to the game and it’s constantly changing, especially in the way the field approaches events and prepares. If you get behind that curve you fall behind, so I’m trying to be conscious to stay on the front end of that curve now.”
His conscious effort to stay in tune with the current conditions was a contrast to his last two Elite Series campaigns, particularly the 2013 season when he cashed two checks and was buried in 84th place in points.
“The year before last (2013), I was in one of those deals that everybody dreads,” he said. “It seemed that no matter what I did, nothing worked. I started to press and about a third of the way through year I found myself trying to make stuff happen and it didn’t. It was just one of those years. It was so bad. It didn’t even compare to any other off year I’ve had.
“That year, I probably wasn’t as prepared as I should’ve been. We went to lakes that I’d been to before and had some decent finishes at so I showed up and figured I’d catch them and it didn’t happen that way. I might’ve gotten a little lazy, not meaning to, but it just happened.”
Didn’t Try to Force Things
Lane said his 2014 and 2015 seasons were fairly similar in that he was pleased with how he got settled in at most venues and didn’t try to do too much. His best two finishes in ’14 (3rd at the Toyota Texas Bass Classic and 10th at the Lake Chickamauga BASSFest) didn’t earn him any points in the Elite Series standings and he wound up 60th in the AOY chase, well off the Classic pace.
This year, he tried to follow the same script and got much more favorable results.
“The main thing was settling down and not stressing over trying to win,” he said. “I guess you could say I fished for checks and tried to earn as many points as I could.”
His best showing came at the Chesapeake, where conditions changed pretty significantly during the tournament week. He came to the tidal fishery 43rd in points and after placing 7th, he shot up to 31st.
“Over my career, I’ve always liked tournaments where you’ve had drastic changes through the week,” he said. “You can’t get locked into what worked in practice. I went there just before it went off limits and I thought it was the best tidal place I’d been to. I had confidence if the weather and water stabilized and if you were around fish you’d be able to catch them.”
He started the event in 22nd place and rose to 3rd place after day 3. A 9-09 limit, his smallest of the event, capped off his week as he settled for 7th.
“I had a chance to win there and I had a chance to win the Southern Open at the Alabama River,” he added. “It felt good to get back to the point where I had opportunities to win. I’ve have had opportunities before, I just haven’t pulled it off yet. I still think it’s possible.”
Second Shot at Grand
While Lane qualified for and competed in the 2013 Classic at Grand Lake, he was never a factor due to an untimely bout of pneumonia followed by an allergic reaction to the medication he’d been prescribed during Classic week. He spent media day in his hotel room, but gutted out two tournament days in chilly conditions, ultimately finishing 53rd. With a second chance at Grand looming in March, he’s hopeful his sole focus will be on fishing this time around.
“It’s great to be back in it,” he said. “It’s gotten to be where nobody is a shoo-in for that event so you can’t take these chances for granted. I’m going to practice and fish to win. I badly want to have a high finish.
“The last time was just a miserable experience and I want to do everything to make this one the opposite experience. I just want to go there and catch them. The last time, I could hardly hold my head up before that event. I was so far behind because I was so physically drained. I was just too far behind from everything that had happened.”
He’s also hoping northeastern Oklahoma doesn’t turn into an Arctic outpost like it did in the days leading up to the 2013 Classic, when sleet and snow flew and water temperatures plunged into the 30s. A mild winter that keeps water temps in the 40s and 50s would be his preference.
“I don’t have much experience in high 30- to 40-degree water,” he said, “but over the years, I’ve won a tremendous amount of tournaments with the water in the high 40s to low 50s. There are a couple different temperature ranges where fish on those types of lakes do things that I have a lot of confidence in. I’m hoping the temperatures get into the 40s and stay there. I’m confident as long as the water doesn’t plummet into the 30s like it did last time.”
