Entry 144-1
Kevin VanDam and his Confidence Baits
Confidence Baits
Editor's Note: Thirty-three-year-old Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Michigan, likes to fish with Strike King lures. He has had many tournament wins, including the 2001 Bassmasters Classic in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Angler of the Year in 1991, 1996 and 1999. VanDam also enjoys being with his family and hunting deer.
Question: Kevin, last year you were the point’s leader on BASS Elite 50 Circuit. This year you’re the point’s leader again. What’s the difference between last year and this year?
VanDam: Last year the big prize money went to the point’s leader of the series. This year there’s no money for the contestant who wins on points, and all the money goes to the individual event winners. Even though there’s no money in winning the points championship, I still want to win it. There’s a lot of bragging rights when you win the point’s championship.
Question: Kevin, winning the point’s championship last year and being the leader now in this series, you can fish any manufacturer’s lures that you want to fish and get good endorsement money for doing that. Why have you stayed with Strike King for so long?
VanDam: The answer is simple, Strike King Lures are the best. Strike King has a really-strong pro staff, consisting of very-good fishermen using a wide variety of techniques. For instance, Denny Brauer is one of the best jig fishermen in the world. He knows what one jig does better then the other jig and which ones to use. So when Denny Brauer designs a jig that he’ll fish with, you know if you use that same jig, you’re fishing a jig made by one of the best jig fishermen in the world.
I create a lot of spinner baits and jerkbaits for Strike King. They build the baits that I depend on in tournaments. Why would I fish baits that I didn’t build? I also fish a lot of George Cochran’s designs because he’s as good a shallow-crankbait fisherman and top-water bait fisherman as there is. He’s won two Classics. I choose the baits that are designed by the people I believe to be the best fishermen in the world. Strike King makes the baits designed by these fishermen. The Strike King Pros design baits for the Strike King Lure Company and add the features that they think are important for catching more fish.
I have a tremendous amount of confidence when I’m fishing a lure that I’ve created or a lure that’s been designed or created by other Strike King Pros I respect. I also know that Strike King baits have all the component parts made to stand up to tough fishing conditions. If I’m not confident in the lures I’m fishing, I won’t catch as many bass as I can. I’ve got confidence in Strike King Lures and the Strike King pro fishermen’s ability to create and develop lures.
Question: Kevin, you won an Elite 50 Tournament in Texas this year with a Strike King spinner bait. Did you help design that spinner bait?
VanDam: Absolutely, and the other Strike King pros had input in the development of the bait such as the head, the weight and blade combinations, and even the spacing of the beads on the wire. I helped pick the colors in the skirt that I used.
Question: You were using the new Bleeding Bait series of spinner baits from Strike King. How important was the red color in the bait?
VanDam: I don’t know how much difference the Bleeding Bait color makes to the bass but it sure makes a lot of difference to me. I’ve got a lot of confidence in those red hooks, and I won’t throw a spinner bait that doesn’t have red hooks. I believe with a red head and red skirt the Bleeding Bait series of spinner baits really notifies the bass that this bait is bleeding. Because I had confidence in the bait in that tournament, I made more-accurate casts, and I was able to work the bait more intensely than I would have if I hadn’t had confidence in it. Since I have confidence that the bait will catch fish, I’ll make more repeated casts to the same target than I will with a bait I don’t have confidence in since I know if a bass is holding on that log, he’ll eat it if I keep holding it there.
Contents:
- Part 1: Confidence Baits
- Part 2: Fun Fishing vs. Money Fishing
- Part 3: You’ve Got to Play the Mental Game to Win
- Part 4: From the Dumps to the Mountaintop
- Part 5: The Next Tournament
