Entry 105-4
Five Critical Keys For Making The Classic by Kevin VanDam
One of the Worst Tournaments I've Ever Fished
Editor's Note: Kevin VanDam, another of those Strike King Pros who consistently finds a way to earn a berth in the Bassmaster's Classic, looks back on this past year this week. The top point earner in the Elite 50 anglers for 2004, VanDam will tell us about the five defining moments in tournaments that have helped him earn the right to compete in the biggest fishing tournament of the season, the Bassmaster's Classic.
VanDam: The Smith Lake tournament, north of Birmingham, Alabama, was one of the worst tournaments I'd ever fished. The bass were biting slow, we had a lot of rain, and the water was real cold. I had had a really good practice and caught a lot of bass in that shallow water, so I was expecting to have a good tournament.
The bass were biting a Series 1 crankbait, and while everyone else was struggling, I felt I was doing pretty well to get ready for the tournament. I also went down to the main lake points and started fishing the Strike King Wild Shiner, which is a suspend bait that I like to fish during the colder months. So, I had two patterns that I felt confident with and had planned to do well in this tournament. But, the night before the tournament started, there was a huge rain.
Knowing that there was probably going to be flood conditions, the people who control the lake started letting water out of the lake, in anticipation of the heavy flood. The draw-down lowered the entire lake by about 6 inches and pulled the bass away from the bank and out into deep water where I hadn't been fishing for them. But I did salvage the day by catching two good bass on the Wild Shiner. That afternoon the rain started falling again, and the lake had a 6-foot rise. That day I only caught one good keeper. I just couldn't catch the bass.
The lake was being yo-yoed up and down so much that the bass didn't know where they were supposed to be and what they were supposed to bite. Even though I only finished in 49th place, I didn't feel terrible going to Guntersville. There were a lot of guys who caught very few fish, so although I wasn't elated about the way I finished Smith Lake, I couldn't get too down on myself because two-thirds of the group finished worse than I did.
Contents:
- Part 1: Lake Guntersville
- Part 2: Alabama's Lake Eufaula Was Good To Me
- Part 3: I Almost Lost the Classic at Santee Cooper
- Part 4: One of the Worst Tournaments I've Ever Fished
- Part 5: Don't Push the Panic Button
