Lane’s reeling in future pros

Bassmaster Elite Series pro Chris Lane has a pet project he calls, ''fish camp''.

Bassmaster Elite Series pro Chris Lane has a pet project he calls, for short, “fish camp.”

Nobody camps, but everyone fishes.

The 2011 edition of Reeling in Future Pros is set for July 9 at Val Monte Lakeside Resort in Guntersville, Ala., where Lane lives.

The purpose is to give kids the rods, reels and terminal tackle they need to go fishing, and to show them how to use it. All the equipment is donated, and volunteers turn out to help Lane with the teaching.

“We put fishing into the hands of children,” Lane said. “If they don’t have anyone in the world to take them fishing, at least they’ve got what they need to go to a pond or creek on their own.”

He’s expecting about 100 kids from the Guntersville area to attend this year, but some come from Florida and Louisiana, he said.

This is the fourth year for the program. The first year, 15 kids attended; then 30 the second year; 60 the third; and more than 100 last year, he said.

“Right now, we’re not equipped to do more than a hundred. Next year, we’re going to try to push it nationwide,” Lane said.