Chris Lane Wins 2012 Bassmaster Classic
Mike Bolton 02.26.12
A tearful Chris Lane hoisted the Bassmaster Classic Championship trophy over his head Sunday afternoon after winning the 2012 Bassmaster Classic on the Red River in Louisiana. Lane, of Guntersville, Ala., led a 1-2-3 sweep of the top spots by Alabamians.
Lane caught 15 bass weighing 51 pounds, 6 ounces over the three-day tournament. That weight was almost four pounds heavier than the catch of second-place angler Greg Vinson of Wetumpka, Ala. Keith Poche of Troy, Ala. finished third with 45 pounds, 15 ounces. Lane’s brother, Bobby, finished 20th in the tournament.
Chris Lane took the lead on Saturday when he brought 19 pounds, 4 ounces to the scales and the day’s heaviest weight jumped him from sixth place into first.
Lane gets $500,000 for the win.
Mike Bolton, 56, served as the outdoors writer for the Birmingham News for 25 years until his retirement in 2009. He won the AP Sweepstakes Award for best sports story in Alabama on eight occasions and his stories on the Cahaba River were nominated for a Pulitizer Prize. He has also contributed to Sporting Classics, Bassmaster Magazine, Buckmasters Magazine and other national pubications.
