Entry 75-1

Life With Kevin VanDam

Daddy, When Are You Coming Home?

Editor's Note: Thirty-five-year-old Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Michigan, has had a whirlwind career and has made over $1,173,000 on just the BASS Circuit. VanDam has fished in 13 Bassmasters Classics and won the 2001 Bassmaster Classic. This three-time BASS Angler-of-the-Year has had seven first-place finishes, four second-place finishes and 45 top-10 finishes. VanDam is very intense and very focused on being a tournament bass fisherman. But this week, we’ll look at the man behind the machine, and learn who Kevin VanDam really is.

VanDam: I enjoy visiting all regions of the country, plus, being on the road gives me plenty of time to concentrate on my fishing and get mentally prepared for a tournament before I arrive there. However, traveling as much as I do can also have its disadvantages. Those endless drives between tournaments create long days and nights on the road. I also enjoy home-cooked meals, which are hard to come by when you travel 250 days or more out of the year. I’ve had XM Satellite Radio put in my vehicle so being a road warrior isn’t as bad. I listen to NASCAR, ESPN and keep up with current events even when I’m out in the middle of nowhere, which helps to pass the time. If I have a bad tournament, the trip even seems longer and more difficult, like this past year at the Bassmaster Classic when I didn’t win. The trip from New Orleans to Kalamazoo seemed to take forever.

Another tough part of being a tournament fisherman is when I talk to my twins every night. It tears my heart out when Jackson and Nicholas ask the forever question, “Daddy, when are you coming home?” I know they really miss me, and I really miss them. There are many times when I’m gone several days at a time, and that’s tough. Being gone so much is really hard, not only on me, but for all the tournament anglers. But we all enjoy what we do for a living.

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