When Chris Lane was 8 years old, his older brothers, Bobby and Arnie Lane held him down and pushed hot peppers and maybe even dead insects into the younger Lane’s mouth.
“It made me so mad I couldn’t see straight,’’ Chris Lane said.
Bobby Lane remembers it well.
“I knew he was going to bring that up,’’ Bobby Lane said. “We held him down and put live flies in his mouth and held his nose until he swallowed them.”
The episode is so well known it’s the only instance any of the family can recall when the brothers were ever at odds.
The youngest Lane exacted some revenge, though. Days earlier, Bobby Lane had completed putting together a model of a naval battleship. Bobby Lane’s first boat was dismantled and destroyed on his bedroom floor.
The anger shifted to Bobby Lane. But it stayed with Chris Lane.
“I got in so much trouble,’’ Chris Lane said. “He didn’t get in trouble for assaulting me.”
Old wounds still ache apparently. Next Monday, Dec. 8, the two Elite Anglers will settle the dispute once and for all in a Family Feud edition of B.A.S.S. Brawl.
“You want a brawl?’’ Bobby Lane asked. “We are going to bring you a brawl, I’m out to beat his a@%.”
See photos of the Lane brothers through their years in B.A.S.S.
The Lane brothers have been at the top of the Elite Series field for almost a decade, taking out their frustrations on the rest of the Elite field. Bobby has won one Bassmaster event, has fished seven Classics and has earned more than $900,000 in B.A.S.S. earnings. Chris has won six Bassmaster events (including the 2012 Classic) and has racked up $1.6 million in B.A.S.S. earnings. This B.A.S.S. Brawl, though, will be mano-a-mano, a civil war of sorts pitting brother against brother to see who can wear the crown for a year, while the other eats crow, or even insects.
On Monday, Dec. 8, at 10 a.m. EST, the two anglers will fish side-by-side for a live audience on Bassmaster.com, casting into the waters of the famed Lake X near Orlando, Fla. This renowned trophy largemouth factory will turn a front-yard scuffle into a cage match, as both brothers have reputations as big-fish specialists. The winner will be decided by the age-old fishing contest standard of first, biggest and most fish caught.
Competition will take place in two, one-hour periods, with a break between each period. The two anglers will fish from the same boat, but they will switch boats at halftime. A coin toss will determine which angler’s personal bass boat will be used in the first one-hour period. At the half, anglers will switch boats.
The owner of the boat in use will decide the fishing location within the confines of the set fishing water for the event. The owner will be in control of the boat and run the trolling motor; the other angler can run the boat only if the owner gives permission or if the boat owner incurs a penalty. Each angler will get to spend one period in control of his or her own boat.
Viewers will be able to watch the monumental brawl on Bassmaster.com. The B.A.S.S. Brawl event will have two cameras on the water at all times. One camera will be in the boat with the anglers, and one will be capturing the action from a short distance away. For the special B.A.S.S. Brawl: Family Feud edition, the oldest Lane brother, Arnie, will serve as the camera boat driver and on-the-water commentator on all of the Lane action.
An additional live camera will stream from the Bassmaster studio where Tommy Sanders and Elite Series pro Mike McClelland will be standing by for play-by-play commentary, analysis and color.
Six weeks ago, the first B.A.S.S. Brawl took place on the Tennessee River, pitting Randy Howell against David Walker. That contest had the backdrop of the Alabama/Tennessee Football game. This contest will be scored in similar fashion.
First bass = 7 points.
Each additional bass (any size) caught after the first fish = 3 points.
Biggest bass = 7 points.
To watch the B.A.S.S. Brawl live, fans can visit Bassmaster.com or go directly to this link.