Defending Bassmaster Classic champ Chris Lane bows out despite big day
By ERIC BAILEY World Sports Writer on Feb 24, 2013, at 1:41 AM Updated on 2/24/13 at 5:58 AM
Chris Lane holds up fish as emcee Dave Mercer announces during the weigh-in on the second day of the Bassmaster Classic. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World
Watch videos and view slideshows: Watch a timelapse video of the launch. See a slideshow from the first day, and much more.
Follow along during the event: See unofficial estimates throughout Saturday
and Sunday.
Tour the lake: Using Google Earth, World outdoors writer Kelly Bostian gives you a tour of Grand Lake.
Anatomy of a bass boat: We have an interactive map detailing the equipment on a bass boat.
The life of a professional bass angler can be a humbling experience.
Chris Lane was the defending world champion entering the 43rd Bassmaster Classic presented by Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa. Many had him as an angler to watch during the 2013 competition on Grand Lake O' the Cherokees.
Then Friday's opening day came and he didn't catch a fish. He was the only angler out of 53 to get zeroed.
Lane made an amazing turnaround Saturday with five bass totaling 18 pounds, 13 ounces. But it wasn't enough to advance to Sunday's final round of competition.
Lane said his strategy did not change from the opening day.
"I didn't do anything different," Lane said following his Saturday performance. "I stuck to my game plan and stuck to my areas."
Lane said he fished the same lures, same rods and same reels. The colder water, he said in a
Bassmaster.com blog, may have affected him mentally on the first day. After that, he just fished.
Lane reflected on the past 12 months, saying, "this has been one amazing ride for the past year, one that I will never forget."
After spending Sunday at his family's LB3 Brothers booth at the Bassmaster Expo inside the Convention Center, he will pass his title to the 2013 victor.
"I know it's going to change somebody's life like it did mine," Lane said.
Eric Bailey 918-581-8391
eric.bailey@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: Defending champ Lane bows out despite big day
