Chris Lane Wins BASS St. Johns River

Chris Lane took one look at Lake George during practice for the St. Johns River Elite Series and decided it wasn't the place for him. Sure, he knew the potential tournament-winning fish were likely swimming in those waters, but there were a few factors that influenced him to steer clear of the second-largest freshwater lake in Florida. First of all, sight-fishing or various forms of it, isn't among his strengths. Secondly, fishing in a massive crowd isn't his cup of tea. And lastly, he knew there had to be other locales outside of George that held winning quality bass, especially since it appeared the fish were a bit behind in their spawning rituals, meaning there were loads of fish up shallow or holed up in the grass flats. It took the 2012 Bassmaster Classic champion all of one day to locate such a place in Lake Dexter, a small lake south of Lake George. He didn't make a single cast or pitch in George during competition. Instead, he opted to cast to clumps of lily pads with a worm or pitch to them with a big jig. His decision to bypass the crowds proved to be a sound one as he had Dexter mostly to himself all week and averaged better than 22 1/2 pounds a day to post his second win in the last three regular-season Elite Series events dating back to last season. His 90-13 total included a massive haul of 37-09 caught on day 2 and was more than 14 pounds better than runner-up Dean Rojas. The win earned him $102,000 and an automatic berth in next year's Bassmaster Classic at Lake Hartwell. "I prayed all week to stay calm and stay focused," he said. "On Thursday and Saturday, I didn't fish good. On (Sunday), 15 pounds was really my goal and that's what I got." Lane opted to start his practice in Lake Dexter amid the heavy downpour and thunderstorms that greeted the field last Monday. He said there were big fish literally everywhere and they were biting. "I found them in the monsoon with thunder and lightning," he said. "I debated whether I should even be out there. I just stuck with it and the bites I got I wish I could've set the hook. I had fish literally ripping the lily pads in half and I didn't even have a hook on. I tried to stay focused the whole time because I knew what Lake George could produce and I didn't want to get overexcited too early." He set the hook once that first day and landed a 12-pounder, which would've dwarfed the biggest fish he caught during the event, even the ones that made up his day-2 stringer. "It would've been another day I wouldn't have forgotten, but I had to shake those fish off because if I'd caught them, I knew I probably wouldn't be able to catch them again," he said. "From that aspect, it was a normal practice day, but man I wish I could've set the hook on all of them." He was convinced that day that George would be an afterthought for him. "I did it because of the sheer fact that I'm not a big sight-fisherman," he said. "I went in there on the second day of practice and saw the amount of boats in one area. I said, 'There's no way I'd be able to do that.' Hats off to the guys who did. That takes some serious brain strength and I don't have that."

Competition:

Despite bringing in a respectable 18-11 to start the tournament, a total that put him in 15th place, Lane wasn't satisfied with his level of focus on day 1. He more than made up for it on day 2, when he weighed 37-09, the heaviest bag of his pro career. "I caught a 6 and a 7 on that jig and I really got dialed in on where those big fish were setting up," he said. "It didn't matter where I went on the lake, I'd get that big bite. I didn't want to come back for weigh-in because the big fish were just chomping. I had a 3 1/2-pounder sitting next to a 9 and I said, 'Man, that thing looks small.' All of my other ones were about 6 1/2. I said, 'I want to get that thing out of there,' but I don't have much time left so I hit one last stretch of pads on my way out and I caught that 9-15. "When I look back to day 2, not quitting was a big factor, especially when you're dialed in like I was in. I was dialed in that day. I would've loved to have stayed out and fished the last three or four hours of that day because you only have those days once in a great while." The pads he was fishing were small clusters with less than 3 feet of murky water under them. "I didn't look at one fish I caught all week," he said. There were several pad clusters that produced multiple fish for him, but Dexter is a fraction the size that George is and he feared the supply of big fish was going to start to run thin as the tournament wore on. He returned to Dexter on day 3, this time as the tournament leader by nearly 9 pounds, and came away with a stout 19-09 to extend his lead to 12 1/2 pounds. His key fish that day was another 9-pounder that ate his jig in a backwater lake off of Dexter. "On day 3, catching that 9-10 when I thought I may have pulled on her too hard," he said, reciting one of his memorable moments from the event. "When I set the hook, she started heading hard back to the pads and I pulled on her hard not to go back that way. I figured I was going to lose her so for that Stren (braided) line not to break was huge. That was 10:40 a.m. and it was my second bite of the day. That was a big moment and it just got me to slow down and concentrate more once I realized there were still plenty of fish in there." Leaving the dock on the final day with a sizable lead, Lane said he was gunning for the 100-pound mark, but in reality he was more concerned about keeping his focus and reading the situations like he did on day 2. He had a small limit by mid morning and several upgrades later on to get to 15 pounds. Entry to the century club will have to wait. He was more than satisfied with the victory.

Winning Pattern:

Lane said the reasoning for what pads he fished is embedded in his DNA and he followed his instincts mostly. "It's just something you learn from living in Florida," he said. "I can't really explain it. When I found the right ones, I'd just put my Power-Poles down and pick them apart pretty good."

Winning Gear:

Worm gear: 7' medium-heavy All Star ASMicro casting rod, Abu Garcia Revo Rocket casting reel (9.0:1 gear ratio), 15-pound Stren Brute Strength monofilament line, 1/8-oz. Reins Tungsten worm weight, unnamed 5/0 worm hook, 7.5" Luck E Strike original ringer worm (black blue shad).

Jig gear: 7'6" heavy-action All Star ASMicro casting rod, Abu Garcia Revo SX (6.4:1 gear ratio), 65-pound Stren Sonic Braid line, 1-oz. homemade jig (black/blue), unnamed chunk trailer (black/blue).

Lane also threw a Texas-rigged 7" soft stickbait that's being developed by Luck E Strike. He caught a 9-pounder on day 2 on it, while the majority of his other big fish came on the jig.

Main factor: "Staying focused. It was a hard thing to do. It was one of those deals where being able to mentally stay in the game was a big thing for me."

Performance edge: "My rod, reel and line. These new All-Star rods are great. I've never had people ask me so much about my rods. I don't know if it's the color or what, but they work. I'm really happy with those rods. The Revo Rocket was also key because when you're having to make 50-yard casts and I have 2 yards to get a bite, I could reel it back the other 48 yards much faster and was able to make more casts that way. The Stren Sonic Braid held up well, too. I caught 37 pounds on that on day 2 and I was pitching into the heaviest, strongest pads I could find. Getting them out of there was a big key."

St. Johns River Winning Pattern Bassfan 3/25/14 (Todd Ceisner)

"Coming down here and going through it a third time, those are the easy ones," he added, referring to the fish that were bunched up in the grass flats in the southwest corner of the lake. "I want to win and the best chance to do that here is to find areas off the beaten path. I did that and felt like I could manage the area and the fish and hope to have enough to overcome everyone else. I felt like I did that and was able to be consistent." While he did target eelgrass, his fish also came off lily pads, matted vegetation and out of hydrilla. The majority of his weigh-in fish fell for a 3 1/2-inch Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog. "I keyed on everything and everything was good," he said. "You had to fish it all. It wasn't one specific thing. It was a combination of things and as long as it had the right depth range and was facing the right bank, it was good."

Flipping gear: 7'6" Duckett Fishing White Ice and Macro Magic casting rods, unnamed casting reel, 20-pound Sunline Shooter fluorocarbon line, 3/16-oz. unnamed tungsten flipping weight, 3/0 Gamakatsu Superline EWG worm hook, 3.5" Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog (hematoma). When he could get a visual on a bedding fish, he'd flip a Big Bite Baits Warmouth (war party) rigged on a 4/0 Gamakatsu Superline EWG worm hook tied to 22-pound Sunline Shooter fluorocarbon. The Warmouth was responsible for his bigger catches. "Those fish on beds can't stand that bait," he said.

Main factor: "Being consistent was a big key. It wasn't for lack of trying, but I tried to catch big bag each day. I tried to catch good limit and I knew guys would move up and down the standings. After all, it's Florida and that's what happens with big fish being caught. I wanted to put myself in position for the final day and I was able to do that."

Performance edge: "My MotorGuide trolling motor and Power-Poles and my Skeeter/Yamaha. Those four are so important to what I do and they allow me to do the best job I can."

St. Johns River 2-5 Patterns Bassfan 3/26/14 (Todd Ceisner)

Mark Davis was pretty well spent after finishing 3rd at Lake Seminole in the season opener. Little did he know the fishing at the St. Johns River would be just as good. He reported getting 40 to 50 bites on the second day of practice, which tipped him off that the fishing quality was much better than he'd expected. "I'd never had that many bites on George before," he said. "I knew then the fish were up and the fishing would be good." He was part of the throng of boats that crowded into the clear water in the southwest corner of Lake George on day 1 and came away with 18-03. "I expected that would be a one-day deal and I never back over there after day 1," he said. "I had another area on the east side of the lake that I shared with Paul Elias." Davis stuck 26-07 on day 2 and worked his way up to 4th place. "The majority of fish I caught came where I'd see a bright spot in the grass or just pitching to holes," he said. "It was a typical St. Johns River/Lake George pattern. It was all about trying to get your bait around a bed this week." Even though his weights tailed off on the weekend, he came away with a second straight 3rd-place effort and the quarter-pole lead in thee Angler of the Year points chase. "I'm really happy to get through here," he added. "Some of us when you go on a Florida swing, it's so iffy. You just want to survive those two tournaments points wise. I actually love to fish Seminole. The St. Johns River not so much. This is the best start I've had in a long time and it'll be fun to see if I can keep it going."

Flipping/pitching gear: 7'4" heavy-action Lew's Team Lew's casting rod, Lew's BB1 Pro Speed Spool casting reel (6.4:1 gear ration), 15-pound Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon line, 1/8-oz. Strike King Tour Grade tungsten weight, 4/0 Gamakatsu offset round bend worm hook, 5" Strike King KVD Perfect Plastics Shim E Stick (watermelon red flake), 4" Strike King Rage Tail Bug (green-pumpkin), unnamed cut tail worm (green-pumpkin). Davis said the majority of his fish bit the Shim E Stick, including a 5-pounder on the final day, but the bigger fish fell for the Rage Bug, a new bait in the Rage Tail series that will be introduced at ICAST in July. To check out the Rage Bug, click here.

Main factor: "Making the right moves at the right time as far as areas. The other factor that helped me was I wasn't seeing the fish I was catching. Only a couple did I actually see and when you're not seeing them and you're not sure if one's there, you have to maintain a lot of confidence. You have to stay with it and fish real slow. Having the confidence it takes to keep it down in that grandma gear and grind it out when you're not seeing them. That was the key more than anything."

Performance edge: "Nothing out of the ordinary. I didn't use a push pole any. I stayed on my trolling motor and moved real slow, which is real important down here. Two things I'm always thinking about down here are wind and sun angle. What you'd like is to have the sun behind you so it's lighting the bottom of the lake and a gentle breeze to push you along. That way you don't need a push pole and you barely use your trolling motor and you can just glide around."

St. Johns River 2-5 Patterns Bassfan 3/26/14 (Todd Ceisner)

As much as Alton Jones wanted to sight-fish last week, the conditions just weren't conducive for looking at spawning bass like how he won at the St. Johns 2 years ago. After the big rainstorm on the first day of practice, he began preparing for the conditions that would be prevalent come tournament time. "I practiced for a spawning event," he said. "I wanted to catch them sight-fishing. The water was a good, clean tannic color, but the water was too deep to see the beds or the fish. They were definitely spawning in holes in the grass, though. The combination of mud and wind made it difficult to be efficient in putting baits where they needed to be." All of the fish he weighed came out of Lake George with most coming on what's grown into his signature bait - the 6-inch YUM Dinger soft stickbait. "On day 1, we were all beating around on literally one big grass flat," he said. "I felt fortunate to get 18 pounds, but I didn't see that area holding up. I went to my back-up water the rest of the week. "It's the first time I've ever seen half of the field go to one spot. We were all piled in a 25-acre area. It was an amazing sight. What was more amazing was seeing everyone catch a limit there and some catch huge limits. I've fished in crowded places before, but nothing like that." He said he could catch a small limit early in the morning swimming a worm, but culled everything later on with the Dinger.

Flipping/pitching gear: 6'10" medium-heavy Kistler Z-Bone casting rod, unnamed casting reel, 50-pound PowerPro braided line, 20-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader material, 1/8-oz. unnamed tungsten worm weight (pegged), 4/0 Gambler KO Hook, 6" YUM Dinger (junebug). He used a 1/4-oz. weight to reach deeper holes or when the wind picked up. He said when he'd find a place where he thought there was a bed, he'd pitch his bait out and let it sit for 30 seconds to a minute before lifting his rod tip. The tournament caused him to miss the wedding of his nephew Trevor Smith to his wife Kellen. "One of the hardest parts of the job of being a pro fisherman is all the time we spend away from home," he said. "I hope they're as happy in their marriage as I have been in my marriage to Jimmy Sue."

Main factor: "One thing about Florida fishing is you need to learn to fish slow - just put your Power-Poles down and go through an area real slow. If you go through with your trolling motor, you'll go over fish and not maximize an area's potential."

Performance edge: "It was a long run from Palatka to Lake George and my Skeeter and Yamaha are tools that help me ride in comfort. I'm very grateful to have good a quality ride under me that I can count on."

St. Johns River 2-5 Patterns Bassfan 3/26/14 (Todd Ceisner)

Missing the last two Bassmaster Classics didn't sit well with Davy Hite, so he devoted himself to getting into better all-around shape to make a push toward earning a ticket to his 15th Classic next February at Lake Hartwell in his home state of South Carolina. "I got mentally and physically more prepared than I have in a long time," he said. "I was on a strict workout regimen for the last 3 months and I feel better physically than I have in a long time." Another matter he refocused his efforts on was paring down his tackle choices for the season-opening Florida swing. "I've always had a tendency to make things more complicated," he said. "I had less tackle in my boat and truck the last two weeks than I've had in the last 15 years. I only brought baits that I knew were traditionally good in Florida. I scaled down and fished baits and patterns I knew are prevalent in Florida. I just made things more simple than I have in the past." He came with a game plan, too, that wound up paying off. "My practice was good," he said. "I fished way up north on the first day and had a good day. I didn't go back there during the tournament. I checked out other areas and by the end of the day Wednesday, I had a plan and I decided I was going to stick with it no matter what. "When I think of a good Florida fisherman, I think of someone who fishes with patience and confidence and fishes slow. That's not who I am in most situations, but I think my lack of confidence here is based on my previous tournament finishes in Florida. It's easy to be patient when you've done well in the past. I just needed to have confidence in my ability and also in the baits I know how to use in spawning situations." That plan called for him to stay in Lake George. He did some "straight up" sight-fishing, but also pitched a worm and threw a bladed jig, mostly in 3 to 4 feet of water. The highlight of the week for him was catching a 10-03 on day 1 that anchored his 24-01 stringer. "I found that fish on a bed Wednesday afternoon and I thought about it a bunch during the night," he said. "I had a good boat draw and with my boat and a good draw, no one was going to beat me to a fish like that. I caught it pretty quick and to start Thursday with a 10-pound was pretty awesome. That helped the patience thing a lot. "I had confidence in a few areas. I didn't go running around when I didn't get bites for a few hours."

Worm gear: 7' medium-heavy All Star ASMicro casting rod, Pflueger Patriarch casting reel, 10-pound Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon line, 1/8-oz. unnamed tungsten worm weight, 5/0 VMC flipping hook, 6" Trigger X Flutter Worm (black/blue).

Bladed jig gear: Same as worm rod, same reel, 20-pound Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon line, 3/8-oz. Shakin' Shad (golden shiner pattern). Hite said he fished the bladed jig like a crankbait, adjusting the retrieve every day depending on the movement of the fish. For example, he went with a fast retrieve on day 3 since the fish were more aggressive. When Hite opted to sight-fish, he used 65-pound Spider Wire braid and switched between various creature baits depending on how the fish were acting.

Main factor: "My state of mind and being patient and having confidence. I needed a different mindset for Florida. I really think my big problem is trying to fish too fast and cover too much water."

Performance edge: "When I left the dock second today, when I got to Lake George, there was not another competitor in sight of me. It didn't really matter today, but on Thursday, to get to a 10-02 on a bed, it mattered. I'm really excited about the Phoenix boat I'm running."

St. Johns River 2-5 Patterns Bassfan 3/26/14 (Todd Ceisner)