Chris Lane’s 5 favorite bass from 2012

The Classic champ reflects on his five most important fish of the year.

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<p> </p> <p>This past year has been a career year for Chris Lane. For starters, he won the first tournament he entered (a Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open on the Harris Chain in Florida), then the following month he won the biggest tournament of the year, the Bassmaster Classic on the Red River in Louisiana. With these wins, he double qualified for the 2013 Classic and earned more than $550,000 in cash and prizes. Not too shabby for two months’ work. Throughout the year, he caught hundreds of fish, but when asked to boil it down to the five most memorable, these are what he came up with. Here are Chris Lane’s five favorite bass from 2012.</p>
 
This past year has been a career year for Chris Lane. For starters, he won the first tournament he entered (a Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open on the Harris Chain in Florida), then the following month he won the biggest tournament of the year, the Bassmaster Classic on the Red River in Louisiana. With these wins, he double qualified for the 2013 Classic and earned more than $550,000 in cash and prizes. Not too shabby for two months’ work. Throughout the year, he caught hundreds of fish, but when asked to boil it down to the five most memorable, these are what he came up with. Here are Chris Lane’s five favorite bass from 2012.
<p> </p> <p>5. “The one that my dad caught off my dock that cost me $15. He came to my house (on Lake Guntersville) and bet me that he could catch a fish. Of course, I took the bet and - again, of course – a 7-pounder smacked the living tar out of his frog on the first cast! I did not expect that, and it cost me.”</p>
 
5. “The one that my dad caught off my dock that cost me $15. He came to my house (on Lake Guntersville) and bet me that he could catch a fish. Of course, I took the bet and – again, of course – a 7-pounder smacked the living tar out of his frog on the first cast! I did not expect that, and it cost me.”
<p> </p> <p>4. “Another good one that I didn’t catch was a 10-pounder that my son, Cal, caught off our dock. It was shortly after the Classic, and I was on the phone doing an interview. He hollered from down at the lake and He was fighting a fish and it looked like a good one. I got down there, helped him land it and it was a giant! I got a scale and it weighted 10-4. He’s in the <em>Bassmaster</em> Lunker Club because of it.”</p>
 
4. “Another good one that I didn’t catch was a 10-pounder that my son, Cal, caught off our dock. It was shortly after the Classic, and I was on the phone doing an interview. He hollered from down at the lake and He was fighting a fish and it looked like a good one. I got down there, helped him land it and it was a giant! I got a scale and it weighted 10-4. He’s in the Bassmaster Lunker Club because of it.”
<p> </p> <p>3. “My three other most memorable fish came at the Bassmaster Classic. The first one was on Day 1 when I caught a 4-pounder right at the end of the day. That fish did two things for me: it put me right around 16 pounds, and I knew that if I had anything over 15, I would have a chance. It also gave me confidence in the area I was fishing. I had caught a god fish in there in practice and that fish gave me confidence going into the next day.”</p>
 
3. “My three other most memorable fish came at the Bassmaster Classic. The first one was on Day 1 when I caught a 4-pounder right at the end of the day. That fish did two things for me: it put me right around 16 pounds, and I knew that if I had anything over 15, I would have a chance. It also gave me confidence in the area I was fishing. I had caught a god fish in there in practice and that fish gave me confidence going into the next day.”
<p> </p> <p>2. “On Day 2 I caught a 5 1/2-pounder that also came right at the end of the day. After I caught that fish I thought, ‘I could win the Bassmaster Classic.’ </p>
 
2. “On Day 2 I caught a 5 1/2-pounder that also came right at the end of the day. After I caught that fish I thought, ‘I could win the Bassmaster Classic.’ 
<p> </p> <p>1. “My most memorable fish I caught all year came about midday one Day 3 at the Classic. It was a 6 pounder, and when I caught it I thought that I might just win the Classic if I fill out my limit. I fished with confidence the rest of the day.”</p>
 
1. “My most memorable fish I caught all year came about midday one Day 3 at the Classic. It was a 6 pounder, and when I caught it I thought that I might just win the Classic if I fill out my limit. I fished with confidence the rest of the day.”