Bobby Lane Raw Part 2

Glenn: If you could fish with anyone, dead or alive, who might that be?

Bobby: I'd love to fish with my grandfather again. He was the one that taught me how to fish, between him and my dad. He passed away years ago, actually during a Christmas.

He taught me about the outdoors. He didn't have a lot of techniques. All he did was throw a Devil Horse and a blue Rapala, but he was very patient with me and my two brothers. Taught us.

It'd be my grandfather for sure.

Glenn: Speaking of family, do you think it's a help or a hindrance to be fishing against family in a tournament?

Bobby: I love it. I'm all about the competition. I don't care if it's my son; we're going to go at it one way or the other. You don't come into this sport making friends with everybody.

My brother's my brother, he's blood and tried and true, and we'll always be brothers. It comes down to, he's got to feed his family like I've got to feed mine. I spent my money just like he did.

It's cool having him on tour, for sure. When you suck it gives you somebody to talk to. When the money's on the line, I'm after everybody.

Glenn: In all the years of working hard to become a better angler and learning all kinds of new things, have you learned anything that you've been able to apply to your life outside of bass fishing?

Bobby: Yeah. This sport, it definitely humbles you, which I think is an awesome trait to have. When you have a bad tournament and people think you should do good, it humbles you. You can take that through life, when people think you're good at doing something and you're not so good at it, it makes it a little easier to adapt to.

This also builds tremendous patience. Waiting for that one bite, or waiting for that fifth fish, or stuff like that. When the kids get wound up and want to know what's going on all the time, or screaming or yelling, or just one of those days, it can take you . . .

Sitting on a ledge or slow-rolling a jig or a swimbait out there in open water somewhere, begging for a bite, that requires a lot of patience. You can take that back to your home also and say, wow, I'm glad I can handle this.

You can handle it better than what you used to be able to handle it, basically.

All kinds of little things like that. Diligence and responsibility.

Glenn: Okay, Bobby. Tell me about JJ's Magic.

Bobby: JJ's Magic. That is probably the best dye to use on a bait. One of my favorites, of course, is chartreuse. I think if I ever use any, that's the one I like to use.

It has a different smell to it than any other dye. Number one, the whole JJ's Magic group is a heck of a nice group of people to work with. They're easy to work with. They're always there for you, even when you don't need anything or do bad, they're still there to root you on. That's opposed to most sponsors.

I catch more fish when I've got a little JJ's Magic on my bait. Doesn't matter if it's a spinnerbait, a jig, a flipping bait, a worm, anything. JJ's Magic just goes a long way with bass.

Glenn: What would you say is your favorite lake or river?

Bobby: Guntersville.

Glenn: Why is that?

Bobby: It's loaded with grass. My absolute favorite grass lake is Potomac. It has a tide like this place, and I love tidal waters. When you figure out the tide, you figure out the bass. There's a little period in them every single day that those big ones turn on, and you can figure that out in the grass.

It's a win-win situation. You might not win every tournament, but you definitely have a shot at it. Guys seem to struggle a little more on tidal water, just because they're not so much worried about the tide. They like to just go out there and fish.

Glenn: What lures do you always have tied on?

Bobby: Spinnerbait. Usually I've got three or four different kinds of flipping sticks tied on. I really like a big old ten inch Berkley Power Worm. It's one of my favorite things to throw around. If I had it on in here I'd probably catch some.

I'm becoming more of a Rat-L-Trap fisherman. I love throwing them.

Every since the Elites, it's just kind of, wow. These fish, you can catch them on so many different things. You've got to learn different . . . we fish for all different times of the year. All different weather conditions.

I'd rather be ready than not ready. I hate throwing a Rat-L-Trap, or I hate throwing a spinnerbait, or stuff like that. I'd rather be ready for these fish when they show up.

Glenn: Are you partial to any colors or particular lure sizes?

Bobby: I'm simple. I like black-blue, black-red. Green pumpkin candy. I get in that clear water, like the Potomac, Guntersville, I like green pumpkin candy, green pumpkin, watermelon candy.

When I'm in Florida or places like this, little stained water, black-blue, black-red. Stuff like that.

Glenn: If they could bring back one old, discontinued lure, what would you want that to be?

Bobby: Boy. Probably some of them old paddle tail worms. They just started getting a few back out, but they're not quite right.

You can do so much with a paddle tail worm. You can cut the tail and use it like a swimming bait. You can flip it, you can cast it, you can do all kinds of things with it. It was just an all-around great worm to catch fish with, not only the little ones, but you'd catch some big ones, too.

Glenn: What would you say is generally the first technique you use when you first hit the water?

Bobby: That depends on time of year. If it's spring time, I'll hit the back of the pockets with some sort of a swimming frog or buzzbait or something like that. If it's spawning, I'll take out old trusty flipping stick, go to work with that.

If it's a Kentucky Lake deal, I'll pick up a crankbait and go hit the ledges.

There's not one bait that I pick up every time I go to a new lake. I'll mix it up a little bit, depending on the lake and what time of the year it is.

Glenn: Well, what's your favorite soft plastic bait?

Bobby: Chigger craw.

Glenn: Being a Florida guy, what's your favorite Florida lake to fish?

Bobby: Lake Kissimmee. Just grew up there, had a cabin there, it's where my grandfather raised us, kind of. Got more knowledge in that place than I probably do anywhere I know.

Glenn: What's your favorite time of year to fish that lake? What would be your favorite technique?

Bobby: I love to sight fish, but just taking an old ten inch worm, throwing it around lily pads. Early January to February.