Entry 240-1

Who Will Win the 2008 Classic with Shaw Grigsby

Part 1: Kevin VanDam

Question: Let’s start with Kevin VanDam. How do you think he’ll do in this year’s Classic?

Grigsby: VanDam’s probably the best angler in the world. There’s nothing that can be said about him that hasn’t already been said. I’ve been around a lot of anglers over the years, and there’s not a fisherman who can figure out what the bass are doing and how to catch them faster than VanDam can. We recently had a little competition at the lake at Ray Scott’s place, the founder of BASS, near Montgomery, Alabama. Roland Martin and I were on the same team, and VanDam and Mark Zona, the announcer for the Bassmaster Classic who will be covering the tournament for ESPN, were on the other team. VanDam and Zona are from Michigan, and Martin and I are from Florida.

I watched VanDam and saw how fast he figured out where the bass were holding and how to catch them. He’s an amazing fisherman. VanDam will have to be my number-one pick to win the Classic this year at Lake Hartwell in South Carolina. It’s well known that VanDam adjusts faster to water and weather conditions than any other professional fisherman on the circuit today. He’s the fisherman all the other pros know who can walk out on any lake, on any day and beat you. Betting against VanDam will be hard.

Question: Although VanDam won’t tell anyone how he’ll fish Lake Hartwell, if you had to guess, how will you bet VanDam will fish this Classic?

Grigsby: He’ll probably throw the Strike King Red Eye Shad, since that lure almost won him the 2007 Classic, and he’s been deadly with that Sexy Shad color. VanDam’s trademark is fishing fast. He’ll be deadly fast fishing with the Red Eye Shad. VanDam also most likely will be fishing a shaky-head worm and the Football Head jig. The Football Head jig has a 60-degree bend with the hook close to the lead, which will increase VanDam’s hooking ability. If the bass are on the bottom, VanDam will be fishing the shaky-head worm and the Football Jig.

Another lure VanDam will have in his arsenal is the King Shad. Lake Hartwell has plenty of blue back herring in it, and the King Shad resembles blue back herring. If the bass are busting the surface, or if VanDam thinks he can pull the bass up from deep water, he’ll have a King Shad tied on one of his rods. He can win the Classic with the King Shad. VanDam is versatile. So, more than likely, he’ll have all these lures tied on to various rods. Depending on the water and the weather conditions, VanDam will try all these lures during the 2008 Classic.

These four very-versatile baits will be VanDam’s primary lures. The Red Eye Shad is a fast-moving bait, the Football Head jig and the shaky-head worm are bottom-fishing baits, and the King Shad either can be fished fast or slow. So, depending on the mood of the fish, where VanDam determines the bass are holding, and what baits he thinks the bass will take, VanDam will use any or all of these baits in the Classic. Remember that even though VanDam’s a run-and-gun type of fisherman, he caught a 12-pound largemouth in a Texas tournament fishing riprap with a shaky-head worm.

Often people like to stereotype VanDam. But if there’s one stereotype about VanDam, it’s that he’s extremely versatile. Although he’s known as a power fisherman, don’t ever doubt his ability to finesse fish, because he can. Remember, although VanDam’s often viewed as a flipper, a pitcher and a crankbait and a jerkbait fisherman, he grew up finesse fishing on Lake Michigan. So, there’s no tactic or lure VanDam can’t or won’t fish.

Next: Greg Hackney

Contents:

• Part 1: Kevin VanDam
• Part 2: Greg Hackney
• Part 3: Mike Wurm
• Part 4: The Lures that May Win the 2008 Bassmasters Classic
• Part 5: Two More Lures for Winning the 2008 Classic