Entry 143-3
Kevin VanDam's $106,000 Weekend
My Luck Still Held
Editor's Note: Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Michigan, one of the strongest names on the professional bass-fishing circuits for many years, has won a Classic and the title of the Angler of the Year for Bassmasters. He’s long been one of Strike King’s top national pros. In the early summer, VanDam once again proved why he’s one of the best of the best by winning one of the Top 50 Elite BASS Tournaments and going home with $106,000. The tournament was held on Lake Louisville, just outside of Dallas, Texas. To learn what making $106,000 in a week is like, we’ve asked VanDam to tell us the story of the win and the new lake record he set.
VanDam: On the second day of the tournament, I returned to the riprap by the dam and started fishing my shaky-head worm again. I caught a 5-pound 10-ounce bass that day, which anchored my stringer right at 16 pounds. So, I won the big bass for the first two days. Most weekend tournament fishermen don’t fish spinning reels very much, but most of the pros do. We’ve learned that with light lines and light baits, you can cast further and more accurately with spinning tackle than you can with bait-casting tackle. I’ve found I can get a much-better feel for the lure too when I’m using the shaky-worm tactic by putting my finger on the line and keeping it there while I’m retrieving or shaking the worm.
One of the problems with the shaky-head worm bite is that the bass don’t attack the shaky-head worm as violently as they do a spinner bait or a crankbait. With a shaky-head worm, the bass just inhale the bait, which is probably the reason many people miss the bite when they’re using this tactic. Sometimes all I feel is a little pressure. I don’t feel a thump that you normally will feel when a bass takes the bait. Many times the line won’t even jump. Your bait may feel like it has a leaf on it or like it’s caught on a small blade of grass on the bottom. So, being able to recognize that subtle bite is the key to catching bass with this tactic. Even the 5 pounder I caught that day, took the bait really soft and subtle.
The fish on this lake really fight hard. To land a big bass like this, don’t get into a hurry. I took my time, let the bass pull, back reeled when I needed to and didn’t really try to fight the fish too much. There was no obstruction in the water except the rocks on the bottom, so I wasn’t concerned about the bass getting wrapped around any of the structures.
At the scales that day, I weighed in around 15-pounds 13-ounces of bass, just under 16-pounds. My two day total was 40-pounds even. So, my lead now was over 13-pounds, which was the good news. The bad news was that after the second day all the weights went to zero.
Next: From Hero to Zero
Contents:
- Part 1: Game Plan of a Champion
- Part 2: A Day to Remember Forever
- Part 3: My Luck Still Held
- Part 4: From Hero to Zero
- Part 5: I Didn't Really Do That
