In his first Classic, Bobby Lane showed great things to come. Now he’s come full circle, hoping he can finish the deal.
Since the AOY championship, Bobby Lane has had Lake Hartwell on his mind. It was in his thoughts for some time after the 2008 Classic there, but dominates now as the 2015 GEICO Bassmaster Classic approaches.
“It’s where it all started," said the Florida angler. "My first experience at Lake Hartwell was probably one of the most memorable Classics I’ve ever had in my life."
That's saying something, as Lane has never finished worse than 20th in his seven consecutive appearances.
“I don’t recall honestly having a shot to win, although I’ve had some decent finishes and some good runs," he said. “At Hartwell, I really thought I had an opportunity to win the event. I went into it as an absolute nobody. I was a rookie going against the biggest names in the sport. Here we sit seven years later and it still means a lot to me."
Lane, who had fished FLW events before qualifying for that first Classic through the Southern Opens, made an impressive run in 2008. He even held the lead on Day 3 with seven anglers to weigh.
“I don’t remember a thing,” he joked of his 40 minutes on the hot seat. “No, I remember that I really didn’t think I could hold on to win, simply because of the names who were standing in front of me – KVD, Ike, Alton Jones, Scott Rook. I mean I was a rookie. That was one of the first times I ever fished against every one of those guys. It was neat for me.”
After Day 1, Lane stood in 15th place with 15-0. He climbed to eighth with 14-13 on Day 2. He brought in the fourth-best bag of 12-10 on the final day to total 42-7 and finish fourth behind Jones (49-7), Cliff Pace (44-5) and Kevin VanDam (43-8).
“They could not knock me off (the hot seat) forever,” Lane said. “It was unfortunate I was stuck with a 12-incher. I would have finished second, but that’s neither here nor there.”
Because the small fish died in his livewell, Lane couldn’t cull despite catching a half dozen fish in the 3-pound range. With a penalty, the fish only netted him 8 ounces, and he easily would have had the two pounds he needed to finish second. Yet he knew he couldn’t have passed Jones.
“It sucks to know that I couldn’t have won the classic, but it was memorable,” he said. “My attitude and willing to win now has become a lot stronger than it used to be. I would love to have that chance again.”
Lane’s second-best finish in a Classic was ninth in 2011 on the Louisiana Delta. He’s also recorded a 12th-place finish, two 15ths, a 16th and 20th. He comes into his second crack at Hartwell having a lot more experience, knowledge and drive to win.
“The Classic, the ultimate goal is to win the event,” he said. “I try to schedule my practice, my time away from the water, everything I can possibly do to win this tournament … Then if everything goes south, I can I survive and get the best finish I can.
“The Elite Series has made me a pretty versatile fisherman. I really learned lot at FLW, but I really had to bring my 'A' game to the Elite Series. As the series gets stronger, I have to become stronger. It’s made me a versatile fisherman. I feel like I can attack anything at anytime. After you get your butt kicked a few times and had bad finishes, you learn very quickly not to do that.”
Lane began working on that chance in cold conditions that greeted anglers for the weekend practice period. Forecasts are for a frigid final practice day Wednesday, with lows around 12, and temps will begin near freezing each competition day.
“I know it’s going to be cold,” he said. “Being from Florida, it’s not really my style, but this isn’t my first rodeo and it’s definitely not my first miserable cold tournament. I’m excited to get back and see what the fish have transformed since I visited in December. I’m more confident about this Classic than I have been for any Classic.”