Entry 136-3
Kevin VanDam - What to do When Your Fishing Goes to Pot
Let Her Blow
Editor's Note: Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Michigan, has won about every honor an angler can win in professional bass fishing. He must make his fishing count, even when it goes to pot. This week we'll find our how VanDam recovers from a fishing situation like that.
Question: Kevin, let's say you've been fishing in a tournament, you've had great days in practice, and the first day of the tournament you're in the top three. But when you wake up for the second day for competition, the wind is blowing so hard you start wondering if you can even get your boat in the water. Where will you go, and how will you fish in a bad blowing wind, high waves and rough water?
Answer: On these kinds of days, you really have to fly by the seat of your pants. The first thing you have to do is get out on the lake and see how the wind and wave action have affected the areas you're planning to fish. I like to fish where the wind is blowing the most because wind makes bass feed actively, which is what I want the bass to do. However, I also look at my temperature gauge to see if that blowing wind has drastically changed the temperature in the area I'm fishing. If I get a drastic temperature change, the bass may move out of the area where I've been fishing.
On these days, fly by my instincts. I may find an area where the waves look like they are 6-foot tall, but I believe the bass will bite in that region. I'll look at that stretch of bank and see if I can find a spot where the waves may only be 3-foot high. Then I can fish there. Remember that high wind creates a lot of current, and current creates feeding opportunities for the bass. At some place on the lake on those bad blowing days, the bass will be biting. All you have to do is find that spot, and you can catch them.
You have to know your equipment and how to handle it. I've got my boat set up so it can run in really rough water. I'm fishing out of a Nitro boat that's really comfortable in that rough water. Those days are when having a bigger boat and a really stable boat pays off. Really many anglers shouldn't go out and fish on days like that unless they have a good boat and motor and a reliable trolling motor. Too, you need a good deal of experience in fishing in rough weather. So, you may want to consider staying in and not fishing.
However, if you're fishing a tournament and you have to go, one of the biggest advantages you can have is a really-strong trolling motor. I have a 109-pound thrust trolling motor made by Motor Guide that can get me where I want to go when the wind's howling. I wear my 100 mph rainsuit made with Gore-Tex by Bass Pro that blocks the wind and keeps me warm even on the coldest windy days. On these types of days you can forget finesse fishing. These are the kinds of days you have to fish crankbaits and spinner baits. You have to have moving baits that you can cast into the wind and you can retrieve quickly. I like to fish rocky points and grass beds.
Another factor that you have to be conscious of is what the wind's doing to the water. On some lakes when a strong wind blows, the lake will turn a chocolate color from the wind action. However, on other lakes, especially rocky-bank lakes, the lake will stay clear. Then you'll have a great day fishing a Strike King spinner bait. One of the real keys that you are looking for is the place where the wind creates current and develops an ambush point for bass. If you have a wind blowing through two narrow islands, that wind will create a current as it comes through those islands. You'll often catch bass on the downwind side of either one of those islands.
The real key to catching bass on these hard-blowing days is let the wind show you the places where it's creating the most current and then look for the ambush points where a bass will be laying to feed near that current. Also, remember that on bad windy days, Strike King spinner baits and Strike King crankbaits will be your best bets for success.
Next: When the Sun Comes Out
Contents:
- Part 1: The Day the Pattern Changes
- Part 2: When a Cold Front Kills Your Bass Fishing
- Part 3: Let Her Blow
- Part 4: When the Sun Comes Out
- Part 5: When Fame Doesn't Pay
