PARIS, Tenn. - For three days, Bobby Lane seemed destined to take his first BASS victory. The Lakeland, Fla., Bassmaster Elite Series pro opened up a nearly 9-pound advantage, barely scratching the surface of a foolproof spot during the bass fishing tournament on massive Kentucky Lake. The second-year Elite pro and two-time Classic qualifier had it so good he was able to take a nap on the water Friday while defending his area. But on Saturday, the final day of competition at the Tennessee Triumph, things took an unexpected turn.
First, a nerve-wracking fog delay of more than 2 hours demolished Lane's productive early bite. Then, Lane had to contend with an armada of spectator boats - nearly 120 by some counts -that were parked near his money spot. But Lane, a veteran tournament angler, stuck to his guns and held on to accumulate 16 pounds, 15 ounces Saturday for a four-day total of 97 pounds, 9 ounces, which was enough to hold off four-time Angler of the Year Kevin VanDam (92-1) of Kalamazoo, Mich.
With the wire-to-wire victory, Lane earned $100,000 and moved up to 11th in the Angler of the Year standings. That position puts the 35-year-old in fantastic shape to qualify for the 2010 Classic, set for Feb. 19-21 on Lay Lake out of Birmingham, Ala., and advance to the inaugural Elite Series postseason, the Toyota Trucks Championship Week, which will play out Sept. 10-18 on Alabama's Lake Jordan and Alabama River featuring the top 12 anglers in the AOY standings.
"Early this morning, all I wanted to do was get on that spot," said Lane, whose brother younger brother Chris also fishes in the Elite Series. "That was one of the most stressful moments of my life sitting there waiting and was probably about the worst thing that could have happened to me. But I was able to fish clean the whole day and it was my time."
On Saturday, Lane's primary spot - an area filled with heavy shell that generated high numbers of baitfish that bass were feeding on - proved nowhere near as fruitful as it had in the first three days. While he was able to land four keepers in the area during the first hours of competition, the size of the fish couldn't compare to those on Days One through Three. So, Lane made a decision to run elsewhere - a last resort - and was able to fill out his limit with a fifth keeper.
Still, he wasn't satisfied. In the back of his mind, he said he was calculating over and over again to determine if he had blown what was his best chance at a victory. With a little more than two hours remaining in his competition day, he returned to the primary spot he had nicknamed the "promised land" and boated his biggest bass of the day, a 5-9 brute.
That was enough to seal it, as VanDam made a half-hearted charge that wasn't quite enough. Lane used several baits to considerable success, including a Berkley Power Worm and a swimbait, but a crankbait landed the last fish. Doubly satisfying for Lane was that he scored victory fishing a style he doesn't consider a strength. A shallow-water specialist who excels on Florida fisheries, he mastered the art of ledge fishing for one week.
Perhaps lost in the shuffle was Lane's calculated gamble that he executed the first three days. Lane made the interesting decision - a risky one - to scour his productive area for just more than 3 hours through the first three days, leaving nearly 20 hours on the table. It proved to be a key to the victory.
"They didn't pull current today and the wind wasn't blowing early and that was just a terrible combination for me," said Lane, whose daughter, Alexis, graduated from pre-kindergarten Friday back home in Florida. "I love to do it but I'm not a big ledge fisherman. I wasn't happy all day but this victory really means a lot to me."
While VanDam fell short at Kentucky, he will take solace in his lead - albeit a tiny one - in the 2009 Angler of the Year standings. By virtue of jumping over Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., into second place here, VanDam maintained his lead in the season-long standings.
VanDam, the defending champion on Kentucky, said the majority of his bass fell for a Strike King Series 6 extra deep crankbait. He was allowing the bait to hit bottom - usually comprised of shell - where the bass would attack it.
"Kentucky Lake is absolutely awesome," said VanDam, a two-time Classic champion. "While I'm never satisfied with second place, the ultimate goal is the Angler of the Year and I feel good about my chances there."
The Angler of the Year is title is worth $200,000 and it is considered one of the most prestigious awards in the sport. Reese, the 2007 AOY, continued his incredible run in his effort for the AOY, scoring fourth at Kentucky with 90 pounds, 7 ounces. Russ Lane of Prattville, Ala., moved up one spot to third with 90-9. In fifth was Rick Morris of Lake Gaston, Va., with 88-6.
The field was cut to the top 12 anglers for the final day. Up next for the Elite Series is the June 11-14 Genuity River Rumble on the Mississippi River out of Fort Madison, Iowa.
Kentucky Lake has hosted 11 BASS events. Straddling the Kentucky-Tennessee border, Kentucky Lake is 185 miles in length, with 160,000 surface acres and 2,380 miles of shoreline. Lake Barkley, a navigable canal, adds another 80,000 surface acres.
In the 2008 event on Kentucky, VanDam totaled 84 pounds, 13 ounces, courtesy of a variety of lures, including jigs, spinnerbaits and crankbaits. His most productive lure was what would become the trademark in his march to the 2008 Angler of the Year title: a Strike King Series 6 in sexy shad color.
FINAL STANDINGS- KENTUCKY LAKE
2009 6/3-6/6
Kentucky Lake, Paris TN.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Bobby Lane Lakeland, FL 20 97-09 320 $100,000.00
Day 1: 5 29-14 Day 2: 5 24-09 Day 3: 5 26-03 Day 4: 5 16-15
2. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 20 92-01 295 $26,000.00
Day 1: 5 28-11 Day 2: 5 21-09 Day 3: 5 21-03 Day 4: 5 20-10
3. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 20 90-09 290 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 26-02 Day 2: 5 21-02 Day 3: 5 20-11 Day 4: 5 22-10
4. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 20 90-07 285 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 25-15 Day 2: 5 22-10 Day 3: 5 23-05 Day 4: 5 18-09
5. Rick Morris Virginia Beach, VA 20 88-06 280 $14,000.00
Day 1: 5 26-00 Day 2: 5 16-10 Day 3: 5 23-01 Day 4: 5 22-11
6. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 20 87-04 276 $13,500.00
Day 1: 5 17-09 Day 2: 5 26-14 Day 3: 5 18-15 Day 4: 5 23-14
7. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 20 86-09 272 $13,000.00
Day 1: 5 22-00 Day 2: 5 19-15 Day 3: 5 24-07 Day 4: 5 20-03
8. Kelly Jordon Mineola, TX 20 85-03 268 $12,500.00
Day 1: 5 18-03 Day 2: 5 26-05 Day 3: 5 19-12 Day 4: 5 20-15
9. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 20 84-06 264 $12,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-00 Day 2: 5 22-01 Day 3: 5 22-01 Day 4: 5 19-04
10. Byron Velvick Del Rio, TX 19 81-07 260 $11,500.00
Day 1: 5 27-06 Day 2: 5 19-07 Day 3: 5 19-13 Day 4: 4 14-13
11. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 20 80-15 257 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 23-07 Day 2: 5 24-14 Day 3: 5 17-00 Day 4: 5 15-10
12. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 20 79-02 254 $11,500.00
Day 1: 5 23-07 Day 2: 5 23-01 Day 3: 5 19-05 Day 4: 5 13-05
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
BIG BASS
Day
1 Bobby Lane Lakeland, FL 07-15 $0.00
2 Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 08-04 $0.00
3 Michael Iaconelli Runnemede, NJ 06-10 $0.00
4 Byron Velvick Del Rio, TX 07-12 $0.00
BIG BASS OF TOURNAMENT
Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 08-04 $1,000.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 93 479 1720-14
2 86 465 1565-02
3 45 242 851-07
4 11 59 229-07
----------------------------------
235 1245 4366-14
2009 Bassmaster ANGLER OF THE YEAR STANDINGS
2009 Pro Points After Kentucky Lake, Paris, Tenn. Ending 06-06-2009, Day 4
-------------------------------------------
Place Name St Pts
-------------------------------------------
1 Kevin VanDam Mich. 1593
2 Skeet Reese Calif. 1578
3 Alton Jones Texas 1477
4 Aaron Martens Ala. 1465
5 Todd Faircloth Texas 1371
6 Gary Klein Texas 1370
7 Michael Iaconelli N.J. 1364
8 Mark Menendez Ky. 1339
9 Randy Howell Ala. 1318
10 Brent Chapman Kan. 1313
11 Bobby Lane Fla. 1305
12 Cliff Pace Miss. 1291
13 Kelly Jordon Texas 1281
14 Greg Hackney La. 1274
15 Byron Velvick Texas 1258
16 Kevin Wirth Ky. 1253
17 Kevin Short Ark. 1249
18 Bradley Hallman Okla. 1246
19 Russ Lane Ala. 1245
20 Fred Roumbanis Okla. 1244
21 Casey Ashley S.C. 1232
22 Tommy Biffle Okla. 1225
23 Gerald Swindle Ala. 1219
24 John Murray Ariz. 1210
25 Shaw Grigsby Fla. 1206
26 Jeff Kriet Okla. 1196
27 Davy Hite S.C. 1193
28 Matt Herren Ala. 1191
29 Mark Tucker Mo. 1187
29 James Niggemeyer Texas 1187
31 Jami Fralick S.D. 1181
32 Dean Rojas Ariz. 1180
33 Denny Brauer Mo. 1173
34 Steve Kennedy Ala. 1169
35 Timmy Horton Ala. 1168
36 Takahiro Omori Texas 1151
37 Greg Vinson Ala. 1146
38 Matt Reed Texas 1135
39 Mike McClelland Ark. 1130
40 Boyd Duckett Ala. 1129
41 Jason Quinn S.C. 1120
42 Jason Williamson S.C. 1116
43 Rick Morris Va. 1108
44 Bill Lowen Ohio 1088
45 J Todd Tucker Ga. 1086
45 Dave Wolak N.C. 1086
47 Terry Butcher Okla. 1082
48 Stephen Browning Ark. 1073
49 Edwin Evers Okla. 1070
50 Brian Snowden Mo. 1066
51 Matthew Sphar N.Y. 1065
52 Terry Scroggins Fla. 1058
53 Kotaro Kiriyama Ala. 1048
53 Kenyon Hill Okla. 1048
55 Marty Stone N.C. 1047
56 Billy Mccaghren Ark. 1041
57 Pat Golden N.C. 1036
58 Todd Auten S.C. 1032
59 Dustin Wilks N.C. 1028
60 Bernie Schultz Fla. 1026
61 Jeff Connella La. 1019
62 Britt Myers S.C. 1015
63 Jared Lintner Calif. 1011
64 Mark Tyler Okla. 1010
65 Mark Davis Ark. 1006
66 Chris Lane Fla. 999
67 Derek Remitz Ala. 986
68 Brian Clark Texas 981
69 Rick Clunn Mo. 976
70 Marty Robinson S.C. 974
71 Chad Griffin Texas 966
72 Morizo Shimizu Japan 940
73 Paul Elias Miss. 938
74 Jim Murray Ga. 924
75 Wade Grooms S.C. 904
76 Ish Monroe Calif. 888
77 Vince Fulks Okla. 884
78 Guy Eaker N.C. 880
79 Charlie Hartley Ohio 866
80 Jimmy Mize Ark. 860
81 Pete Ponds Miss. 850
82 John Crews Va. 832
83 Peter Thliveros Fla. 810
84 Jeff Reynolds Okla. 800
85 Scott Rook Ark. 798
86 Scott Campbell Mo. 792
87 Ken Cook Okla. 788
88 Grant Goldbeck Md. 773
89 Clark Reehm Ark. 770
90 Mike Wurm Ark. 758
91 Jeremy Starks W.Va. 754
92 Mark Burgess Mass. 742
93 Yusuke Miyazaki Texas 714
94 Luke Gritter Mich. 698
95 David Smith Okla. 688
96 Elton Luce Texas 646
97 Zell Rowland Texas 640
98 Brent Broderick Ohio 550
99 Jon Bondy Canada 495
100 Kevin Langill N.C. 484