Russ Lane calls himself “The great, old hope.”
By a wide gap, Lane is the oldest angler among the top 10 in the Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers, which includes a 19-year-old and six anglers in their 20s.
“It’s crazy to look at that,” the 53-year-old from Prattville, Ala., said. “When I was in the Top 10 at Champlain, I looked around, and I was like, ‘I’m old enough to be all these guys’ dad.’ Actually, my kids are older than most of them.”
One of the original Elites, Lane, a Bassmaster millionaire, fished his first of seven Classics before several EQ hopefuls were born. With one event remaining, Lane is positioned for a return Elite engagement, and that’s fired up many from his generation.
“I get texts and messages from people my age that are definitely pulling for me,” he said. “I guess it pumps them up too, knowing that we can still be competitive.”
The average age of the others in the EQ Top 10 is 25.3. Adding Lane bumps it to 28.1. Last year, the nine EQ qualifiers averaged 27.1 years old, up from 2023’s class of 24.8, which was six years younger than the 2022 qualifiers.
“Heck, I really don’t feel old. I’m in as good shape now as I’ve ever been,” Lane said, before adding, “It hurts sometimes.”
Yeah, fishing does that. So can age. Lane said he had to have a leg issue fixed recently, and it’s a good bet he’s the only one in the EQ hunt who’s undergone Lasik eye surgery after poor vision cost him this year.
“I couldn’t even cast anymore around targets on the bank. I didn’t realize how bad until the Open on Sam Rayburn,” he said. “It was one of the darkest days of just thick clouds. I couldn’t see at all. I was flipping bushes and coming a foot short or hitting the top of the bush. I just couldn’t see. It was nothing but a blur.”
After discussing the issue and his 187th-place finish with Randall Tharp, Lane went with the suggestion of an eye exam. He tested so poorly he was told he wouldn’t pass a driver’s exam. Lasik, a laser surgery to correct vision, was dialed in at his requested distance.
“I still need readers for up close, but 60 feet away, I think I see better than I’ve ever been able to see,” he said. “I think that’s helped a tremendous amount.”
Eyesight, along with building a house and work on a Christmas tree farm on his new property, contributed to his poor performance in the 2024 EQs. Lane finished the nine events 103rd out of 152 anglers.
“All that took a toll on my fishing last year,” he said. “I hate that for my sponsors, but please bear with me, I’m going to get out of this.”
Boy, has he. This year, Lane fished both four-event Divisions of the St. Croix Opens, finishing 106th in Division 2 before advancing to the EQ series with a sixth-place finish in Division 1. He’s the only one of the dozen or so former Elites competing who still has a chance.
“I am excited and I’m going to do everything I can to make it,” he said. “I want to fish more Classics. I’m nowhere near ready to be done tournament fishing.”
After placing 10th in the first EQ at Lake Champlain, Lane took 20th at Wheeler Lake to stand fifth with 164 points. He goes into the final event at Lake Okeechobee, Nov. 13-15, needing to gain about 60 points to qualify for the 2026 Progressive Elite Series. But Lane wants more.
“I think anything within check range gets it done,” he said. “I’m really not even thinking about that at all. What I’m really thinking about is what I need to do to win Angler of the Year. I want to win AOY and that big check. I’m only 11 points behind.”
The EQ AOY receives $45,000, the lion’s share of the $110,000 slated for the Top 10. Kentucky’s Matt Messer leads the EQ standings with 175 points and Michigan’s Aaron Jagdfeld is one point back. Alabama’s Fisher Anaya, 19, is tied with Pennsylvania’s Grae Buck, 36, with 170 points.
“Obviously, a couple have to not finish in the Top 10, and I’d need a top five,” Lane said. “We do our thinking on these drives — try not to overthink everything between events. I know on the 10-hour drive I’ll be thinking about things I need to do to give me an opportunity to win the points.”
Lane said he expects the field to shrink for the finale, which favors those near the top as volatility decreases. Another positive for Lane is his experience on Okeechobee. Six of his 186 B.A.S.S. entries have been on Big O, including a fourth-place finish in the Wild Card in December of 2013.
That event was about two weeks later than this EQ, but Lane said it’s his favorite time.
“Every time I launch a boat there, I have this feeling, it’s just one of the most interesting, most fun places to go to,” he said. “You’re just in this big swamp, and you’re hunting giants. I’ve been there several times in November, and that seems to be better than any other time.”
Recent Bassmaster tournaments there have been won from spawning flats to the river and rim canals. Water levels are low on the 640-square-mile fishery, which could be somewhat of an equalizer and create a shakeup in points.
“The younger guys like to go in the canals and use their electronics. There’s going to be some who catch them good,” Lane said. “It just depends on what shape the lake is in. If the lake is firing off, I’m sure it will get won in the lake.”
There’s been talk that some bass might be spawning in mid-November, but Lane squashed that, saying it holds off until December.
“They mimic a spawn. Buck bass will be setting on something they want to spawn, and females will come in and they’ll just kind of pair up,” he said. “To me, it’s kind of like a false spawn. Females just swim around, but nothing ever transpires.”
Lane said he’ll finalize his approach during practice. About a decade ago, Lane was among the first anglers to preview Panoptix. Becoming well-versed in forward-facing sonar since, he foresaw how much it would change the sport. Younger anglers have embraced the technology and are performing well.
“I’m not against forward facing. I hate to take it away from the kids that have gotten this far. That’s their game. That’s what they’ve done,” he said. “It’d almost be like if Denny (Brauer) couldn’t have a flipping stick anymore. It’s just a tool.
“For the older class of guys, I think I’m pretty good at it. I’ve had it longer than most everybody. I’ve just been kind of using it some and going back to keeping things a little more simple, like I used to earlier in my career … and noticing some opportunities that come into play.”
Lane wouldn’t divulge much more on that, other than he might zig when he sees others zag. He’s out to prove an old dog can still hunt, but he hasn’t put the cart before the horse, glancing at but not digging into the 2026 Elite schedule.
“I didn’t look at the breakdown at which were forward facing and which were not,” he said. “It’s not that I don’t care, it’s something I would deal with when it’s time.”
It could soon be time for the great, old hope.
