Entry 237-1
Kevin VanDam’s 18th Bassmaster Classic
Editor’s Note: The 2008 Bassmaster Classic at Lake Hartwell will be Kevin VanDam’s 18th consecutive Classic. VanDam of Kalamazoo, Michigan, has had a phenomenal 2007, winning two Elite tournaments. He’s one of the most well-respected and hardest-working professional fishermen on the circuit. How does he do it? This week, we’ll take a look at the man and his mission to be one of the best bass fishermen in this sport.
Part 1: Use the Lures That Work
Question: Kevin, what has enabled you to be one of the most-consistent tournament pros in the nation? How have you qualified for 18 Bassmaster Classics and been able to win two of them?
VanDam: Part of it is my work ethic. Not only do I work extremely hard like most professional fishermen, but I also have an extremely-high energy level and body metabolism, as well as a love for competition. Another advantage I have is I don’t go to work every day. Fishing is my passion. I would do it even if I couldn’t earn a living doing it. I’m about fishing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
I never planned to have a career in fishing, but once I started fishing competitively, I couldn’t stop. I didn’t want to quit. Today I fish as intensively as I do because I never want to be out of the sport. I’ve always been an equipment guru. I’m very adamant about keeping all my equipment in top condition. 
I’ve always been very picky about keeping hooks sharpened, fresh skirts on my lures and new lines on my reels.
Question: If there’s one lure you’ve had to depend on all season and that has had the biggest influence on your making the Bassmaster Classic this year, what lure is it?
VanDam: That lure would have to be the Sexy Shad crankbait. I’ve used a lot of lures this year, and many of them have played a role in my success. However, I’ve won two Elite events using the Sexy Shad crankbait. As tough as bass-fishing competition is, winning one event is a major accomplishment, but winning two events on the same lure is phenomenal. So, I’ll have to say that without question, the Strike King Sexy Shad crankbait has played a major role in my success this year.
Question: Kevin, what is it about the Sexy Shad that’s been so powerful for you this year?
VanDam: The Sexy Shad crankbait has proven that it’s an excellent shad color. When you put that color on a really-good series of crankbaits, like the ones Strike King produces, you’ve got the perfect combination. I already have a lot of confidence in Strike King’s crankbaits because I’ve been fishing them for years. 
I really understand how they perform and how to make them perform at their maximum level of efficiency. When you match a lure you’ve mastered with a color you have great confidence in, then you can be very confident that you’ve got the best bait with the best color pattern you can fish. If you don’t have confidence in the lures you fish, you won’t do very well.
For me to perform at my very best, I have to be fishing what I believe to be the very-best lure and color for that particular fishing situation, regardless of who makes it. Strike King makes a lot of excellent lures, but I’ll admit that I occasionally stray to a lure made by a different manufacturer. When I’m fishing to win a tournament, I’ve got to fish with the best lure for that day, on that lake. However, I’m very fortunate that Strike King makes many of those lures that are the best lures for the situations in which I fish. I’m confident that there are no lures better than the ones Strike King makes because if there were, I’d be fishing them.
