Entry 59-1

Kevin VanDam - Lures That Got Me To The Classic

Lures That Helped Me

Editor's Note: Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Michigan, never has missed a Bassmaster Classic since beginning his professional bass-fishing career. He hopes to repeat his 2001 Classic win in New Orleans at the 2003 Classic, the 13th Classic in which he has participated. This week VanDam will tell us about the lures that have gotten him to the classic, how he’s fished them, and how they’ve helped him return to the biggest bass- fishing tournament in the world, the Bassmaster Classic.

VanDam: The first lure that helped to win me a berth in this year Bassmaster Classic was the Diamond Shad. The first two tournaments of the year were held in Florida and Georgia on the Harris chain of lakes and on Lake Okeechobee. The weather was cold, and both of these lakes had a lot of vegetation in them. I learned that the lipless crankbaits like the Diamond Shad with flat sides, a tight wiggle and vibration often would trigger strikes from bass that didn’t want to bite, especially when bass were in cold water.

I fished the Diamond Shad crankbait by casting it out, reeling it over the top of the grass and letting it barely tip the top of the grass. When the crankbait came in contact with the grass, I ripped the bait through the grass and allowed it to fall and flutter.

I got decent checks in both these tournaments and began to build points for the Classic. Both tournaments were tough because of the weather conditions and the competition against which I was fishing. I learned that during a tough tournament with cold water and lots of grass, the Diamond Shad was the perfect bait for these conditions.

Next: The Tube

Contents:

• Part 1: Lures That Helped Me
• Part 2: The Tube
• Part 3: Spinning Toward The Classic
• Part 4: Cranking For The Classic
• Part 5: Jigging His Way To The Classic