By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor
Chris Lane will oversee a big family gathering this weekend in conjunction with his 6th annual Reeling in Future Pros Fishing Camp at Lake Guntersville. Then it'll be time for the 2012 Bassmaster Classic champion to get down to business.
He sits at No. 40 in the Toyota Tundra B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year (AOY) race, which is several spots higher than where the cutoff for the 2014 Classic at Guntersville will eventually fall. He doesn't want to take on the role of full-time ambassador/cheerleader when his adopted hometown hosts the sport's premier event next February.
"I need two good finishes, and these two upcoming tournaments (at the St. Lawrence River in New York and Lake St. Clair in Michigan) have probably weighed heavier on me than any others I've ever fished before," he said. "It's important to the town and it's important to me and my family.
"If it turns out that I don't make (the Classic), I'll put my work hat on and give 100 percent to the town, all my sponsors and everybody who shows up. At the end of the day, it's not like it's the end of my career or anything like that, but I really don't want to have to do that.
"As badly as I want to win tournaments and make the Top 12 and any of that, my focus for these next two is solely on making the Classic," he continued. "Even if I'm the last guy to make it, we're going to have one heck of a party here in Guntersville."
Gored by Bull Shoals
Lane is in this precarious position basically because of one hideous outing – an 86th-place finish at Bull Shoals in mid-April. He's cashed checks (Top 50) in four of the other five events, with a 59th at Falcon the lone exception.
"My problem at Bull Shoals was just fishing way too fast and not being 100 percent confident in what I was doing," he said. "I had a deal going that I thought was going to put me in the Top 12, if not give me a shot to win. Then when the cold weather came in, it messed with my mind. I was still fine physically, but I wasn't mentally prepared for it.
"I had a frog bite going and I knew that wouldn't work (under the altered weather conditions), but I still pulled into my first area and caught two or three good ones. Why I blew that out, I don't know. What I needed to do was stay focused and put 14 or 15 pounds in the livewell instead of going and doing something else and coming in with 8."
He's posted three finishes in the teens on Northern smallmouth venues over the course of his 8-year career, and two more would certainly get him where he wants to be. Despite his Florida roots, he loves catching brown fish and welcomes the challenge.
"I love catching aggressive fish, whether they're largemouths in Florida on a frog or at Guntersville on topwater or reaction-style baits," he said. "Smallmouth are also very aggressive and when you catch one, there's usually some more around."
The big key will be putting himself around bronzebacks in the 4-pound class, as 3-pounders will be a dime a dozen at either venue.
Lane loves to pursue aggressive bass, no matter their species.
"I know I need to catch 4-pounders to do well. If you do that, you might finish 30th or you might make the Top 12. But I know what I have to do, and I'll have 3 days of practice at each place to figure it out."
Entrenched in the Community
Lane and his family (he and wife Holly have four children) have embraced the Guntersville community since their arrival 4 years ago, and in turn they've been warmly received. They're involved with numerous activities around town that aren't directly tied to fishing and both Chris and Holly have served stints as coaches of youth sports programs.
"We've tried to get involved in anything and everything we can just to try to help out the community that's so greatly helped me out, and that help started even before I won the Classic," he said. "We moved to a whole new town in a new state, but everyone from the doctors who've taken care of our kids to the school system to the chamber of commerce and the (convention and visitors bureau) have been great. It's just a great place to raise a family.
"My parents (who still reside in Florida, as does older brother Bobby) just built a big vacation/rental-type place, so now there's plenty of room for our whole family to get together. Life in Guntersville is awesome!"
He badly wants to avoid the feeling that he's let anybody down.
"I just want to get going with these next two events and get them out of the way," he concluded. "Then when somebody on the street comes up and asks, 'Hey, you're in the Classic, aren't you?' I can answer yes or no.
"I'm just praying that I'll be able to say yes."
