“I started throwing a classic (Smithwick) Devil’s Horse when I was a kid,” said Chris Lane. “My daddy and granddaddy taught me, my brothers Bobby and Arnie that was the way to go. I’ve loved topwater ever since, fish it whenever I can.”
Topwater is indeed the way to go this week. In a couple days you’ll see the photo gallery put together by myself and Andy Crawford of the top lures used this week at Lake Chatuge. You will see a topwater bait in every photo.
Lane has a special affinity for topwater, having designed a model for River2Sea that bears his hame. It’s the River2Sea Chris Lane Top Notch, a noisy topwater with a curled lip that emits a giant bubble trail and spitting action. A plastic prop adds sputtering action, and the lure can be worked at variable speeds. The Florida pro also is using a River2Sea Whopper Plopper, originally designed for muskie fishing and embraced by bass fishermen. The soft, pliable tail rotates on the harness and creates bass (and originally muskie) alluring rumbles at variety retrieve speeds and depths.
Lane also is atop the BASSTrakk leaderboard with 43 pounds, 8 ounces.