The relentless Chris Lane

On Friday, Chris Lane didn't have a Marshal, so early in the afternoon when his cameraman headed in I got to spend an hour in the boat with him.

 

Chris had led Day 1, and at this point on Day 2 he had five nice keepers in the livewell. But he still had two hours left in the day and he was working hard to find bigger fish.

 

Despite leading the tournament, or maybe because of that, Chris was a driven man. We were in a small canal, and he was searching for a new spot that held keepers. He'd try four or five casts and if there was no bite he was moving on. He'd yank up the trolling motor and jump into the driver's seat with the kind of energy you see in a NASCAR pit crew. Then he'd bust it over to the next location, just 200 yards away, driving like he was being chased by the sheriff on Dukes of Hazard.

 

Then it hit me, part of why Chris Lane has been so successful on the Elite Series is the man is relentless. He's dogged and driven. And at his best he can sustain it for four days. In my mind winning a four-day fishing tournament is one of the most impressive accomplishments in all of sports, particularly when you consider the changing elements and the physical and mental demands that presents.

 

Take a look at the photo and you'll see the words he tries to live by during a tournament, taped to the inside of his windshield: "Focus. Find. Figure out. Enjoy."

 

Chris, congrats on winning your third Elite Series tournament!