At least a portion of Champlain Bassmaster Elite Series leader Chris Lane's primary area is in an off-limits zone, but he will not be penalized for entering that locale during the first 3 days of the tournament.

BASS is taking the blame for the confusion. The organization issued the following statement on Saturday night:



"Due to incomplete information provided to all anglers, Chris Lane unknowingly entered an area that was off limits. The tournament director determined that no rule was broken and has issued updated information to anglers fishing day 4."

The area in question is in Missisiquoi Bay in the northern part of the lake, where signs marking the boundary of the Missisiquoi National Wildlife Refuge are in the water. Champlain is several feet above full-pool, and Lane said he thought the signs were intended to sit on dry land.

He said it was his understanding from the pre-tournament meeting on Wednesday with BASS tournament director Trip Weldon that anglers could fish an area unless there were signs that read "No Boats" or "No Fishing," or unless a fish and wildlife official instructed them to leave.

He departed the launch after Saturday's weigh-in not knowing whether he'd be able to fish his spot on day 4. Later in the evening, he reported that Weldon had rendered the area behind the signs off limits after consulting a fish and wildlife official.

Another Way In?

That isn't the end of the story, though. Lane said he can reach the area via a river, where there are no signs posted. He said Weldon told him that the fish and wildlife official had said that areas that can be accessed off the rivers are not off limits.

"I think I've got a pretty good case," he said. "This is my career and my livelihood, and if I'd really been doing something that was wrong, somebody would have said something before now."

The issue apparently came to light when a local who was chauffeuring a member of the media refused to follow Lane beyond the signs for fear of receiving a ticket.

Weldon could not be reached for comment Saturday night. The communications official who relayed the BASS statement to BassFan said that the entire area that Lane has been fishing might not be off limits.

"It's very confusing because the lake is 4 feet higher than normal, and there are areas that don't normally have water there," the official said.

Water on Fire

Lane found the spot on the final practice day (Wednesday), and it was his first stop on each of the first 3 tournament days. On day 3, it yielded about 40 keepers and a 17-09 bag in under 2 hours. That was his lightest bag of the tournament thus far.

Whether other anglers had fished in areas beyond boundary signs during the first 3 days could not be determined.

Lane said he would speak with Weldon again prior to leaving the launch on day 4.

"I'm hoping I get to fish there, but if I don't, there are other things I can do," he said. "I'm not too worried about it. If I can't go there, then I'll go try to catch a big bag somewhere else, and nobody will be able to say anything.

"I think the problem might be that I'm from Florida," he added with a laugh. "Who else would come to New York in July and try to catch bass out of 2 feet of water?"

More information will be provided when it becomes available.