Entry 144-3
Kevin VanDam and his Confidence Baits
You've Got to Play the Mental Game to Win
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, how do you get your head right to fish in the Elite 50 Tournament? After fishing for two days, you had a 7-pound lead, but on the start of the third day, your lead was wiped out, and you had to fish water you’d never fished before. How did you handle that mentally?
VanDam: I knew going into the tournament that that was the way the tournament would be run. Although I don’t like those rules, if I’m going to fish in that tournament, I’ll have to fish by those rules. So, I just tried to carry the momentum I had in the first two days for the rest of the tournament.
Question: On the third day of the tournament, you were in third place instead of first. How did you get yourself mentally up for the last day of the tournament?
VanDam: I’ve been in a position to win a lot of times, especially lately. In the last four events, I’ve made the final cut and haven’t been able to win. I was really getting frustrated with not winning. So I had to talk to myself and make myself do everything that I could possibly do to fish as smart as I could possibly fish that day. I had to make sure that I didn’t waste any time or have any wasted effort. I tried to keep my lure in the strike zone of the bass as long as I possibly could on every cast. When I had to move from spot to spot, I’d use the big engine instead of the trolling motor to get to my fishing position as fast as I could. I just stayed as mentally focused as I could to try and win.
Question: Out of the last 10 events, how many have you been in position to win?
VanDam: I’ve been in a position to win six of the last 10, and I finally came through in this last one. I believe that the real key to winning tournaments is to do all that you can to keep yourself in a position to win. Then if luck goes with you and you get a few breaks, you’re in the position to take advantage of them. I feel like if I keep knocking on the door, then sooner or later someone is going to open it.
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
