Angler of the Week: Bobby Lane
Major League Fishing wants you to get to know your favorite anglers! That’s why we’re putting together a new angler profile every week in 2018. Check our site regularly for the latest and send us your questions for the anglers.
Lane at the 2018 Summit Cup
This week we got in touch with MLF’s reigning World Champion, Bobby Lane, right after he returned home from the 2018 Bassmaster Classic, where he competed against 51 of the best anglers in the world on Lake Hartwell in South Carolina.
“When you’re there you cherish every moment of it because you never know when your next one’s going to be,” he said. “It wasn’t my best performance by no means at all. But to have all the friends and family there was wonderful.”
More than 70 members of the Lane family came from South Carolina, Alabama and Florida to cheer for Bobby including his wife, their 8-year-old daughter, 10-year-old son, and 14-year-old daughter.
“We got a great big family, and couldn’t be more proud of all of them,” Lane said.
Lane didn’t do as well as he hoped in the Classic, but he started the year off strong with a win in his home state on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes in February.
“I won a B.A.S.S. Eastern Open, down here in Florida. I won the very first tournament of the year so that was neat, that was one I’ve been wanting to get off my bucket list for sure. That one has eluded me for years.”
In Lane’s mind, there’s really no such thing as a “hometown advantage”.
“A lot of times, that hometown advantage, it can take advantage of you,” he said. “You’ll want to fish too much or you’ll think you know the water better than anybody else.”
Right now Lane is getting ready for the next competition in the Elite Series, where he’ll fish the Sabine River in Orange, Texas. He’s hoping his setup will help him succeed.
“I couldn’t ask for a better setup on my boat. I am so excited to be with Phoenix Boats, and the relationship I’ve had with them over the years has just gotten stronger and stronger,” he said.
Another one of Lane’s biggest sponsors is Pure Fishing, a leading global provider of fishing tackle, lures, rods and reels with a large portfolio of brands, including Abu Garcia, Berkley, and SpiderWire. Pure Fishing is also one of Major League Fishing’s newest partners.
“They just make awesome product and there’s no shortage of it,” Lane explained. “I cannot be where I’m at today without that SpiderWire braid.”
Lane says he’s been with Pure Fishing for much of his career, and their future is bright because they’re always one step ahead of the competitors.
The Lane Family
“We’re going to launch some new stuff in ‘18 for Powerbait and it’s really pro-driven. They’ve taken our insight on it,” Lane explained.
Of course, Lane said he is also looking forward to fishing the MLF Cup events this year.
“The format is completely different. I love the way they’ve structured everything,” he said. “It puts you in a whole different place. You’re so much more on-edge because you never know if you’re going to advance.”
When it comes to fishing with MLF, Lane has no idea where he’ll be competing this year. MLF gives the anglers as little information as possible before events. Lane says as of now, the event he’s most excited to compete in is a stop in South Dakota this summer with the B.A.S.S. Elite Series because his family is coming with.
“They’re going to go see a lot of the cool sights that are out there, and I think that’ll be wonderful for them. A little history,” he said, “Making that trip out there should be a sight that I’ll never forget.”
You can watch Lane compete in the 2018 Summit Cup Championship on Saturday, March 24 from 2-4pm EST on Outdoor Channel.