Entry 144-2

Kevin VanDam and his Confidence Baits

Fun Fishing vs. Money Fishing

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, what’s the difference when you’re fishing for fun and when you’re fishing for money?

VanDam: When I’m fishing for fun, the fishing doesn’t mean anything. If I’m fishing for money, it means a house payment, college educations for my kids and buying groceries for my family. I’m a very-competitive person, and I always take my fishing very seriously, even when I’m fishing for fun.

Question: Kevin, what are you doing when you’re fishing for money that maybe most of the weekend fishermen aren’t doing?

VanDam: I’m extremely detail oriented. I try and look for all the minute changes in weather, water, wind and cover. I make sure my hooks and my lines are in good shape, and I’m much more meticulous about my equipment than many weekend fishermen are.

Question: Kevin, when you’re on the water fishing for what are you looking?

VanDam: I’m looking for any clues that may tip me off to a fishing pattern or any type of indicator that will let me know that I need to change baits or locations, including. schooling baitfish, diving birds, new water coming into the lake, a change in water color, water depth, the wind or cloud cover.

One thing that I’ve noticed about the great fishermen I’ve known is that they’re very perceptive of the changes around them when they’re on the water. They’ll pick up the slightest change in water color, they’ll know when there’s a 1- or 2-degree change of temperature in the water. When they’re watching their depth finders they notice when the bottom has changed from flat to rocks. They’re looking for those subtle changes that many times most fishermen won’t look for or see. If they’re not seeing any baitfish in the area, they’ll notice that also. If they decide they’re fishing an area that doesn’t have baitfish, they may quickly leave that region and find one that does.

Question: Speaking of being married to a tactic, you’re primarily known as a spinner bait, jerkbait, flipping and pitching fanatic. But in this last tournament you won, you were fishing spinning tackle and a shaky-head worm, which most people don’t even think you know how to fish. Why did you go to the shaky-head worm?

VanDam: I let the conditions dictate what lures I fish. I don’t try to tell the bass what baits they need to be biting. Here’s what I mean. At that tournament, we were about a month after the spawn was over, the weather was hot, and there wasn’t a lot of wind. The bass were lethargic, and they didn’t want to chase baits. I knew if I was going to have a chance to win, I would have to fish slow, use a subtle tactic and try to make the fish bite. I have a lot of confidence in the shaky-head worm. This bait has a lot of action, and I can keep it in front of the bass for a long time while he’s trying to decide whether or not he’s going to eat it.

Question: Do you think shaking the worm rather than just dragging it is what actually makes the bass bite?

VanDam: I certainly do. But what makes the Strike King finesse worm so much better than other worms is the 3X material. Because that worm is so soft when you shake your line, the worm quivers and shakes a lot more than it will if it’s made of another material. For the shaky-head worm to be effective, it has to dance in the same spot. The more it wiggles and shakes, the more attention it will get from the bass, and the more bites it will get from the bass.

Kevin VanDam and his Confidence Baits

Fun Fishing vs. Money Fishing

Next: You’ve Got to Play the Mental Game to Win

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