Entry 291-2
Kevin VanDam’s Five-Favorite Bass-Fishing Techniques
Editor’s Note: Two of the odds-on favorites to win the 2009 Bassmaster Classic, based on this year’s tournament performances, are Strike King Pros Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Greg Hackney of Gonzales, Louisiana. But with more spectators following VanDam and Hackney during the Classic, the winning odds increase for Shaw Grigsby of Gainesville, Florida, and Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Arkansas, two other Strike King pros also competing this year. Although all the Strike King pros are highly versatile, they generally always fish to their strengths when possible. This week, VanDam will tell us his five-favorite fishing techniques, which we’re sure he’ll be using in this year’s Classic.
Part 2: Bet on the Big Crankbaits
Question: Kevin, what’s another way you like to fish?
VanDam: I really enjoy fishing deep-diving crankbaits like the Strike King Series 5 or Series 6 on ledges and drop-offs in the summertime. The tops of the ledges may be from 5- to 15-feet deep, and I try to find these ledges on points where there’s some type of current flowing. The Tennessee River lakes are some of my favorite lakes for this style of fishing. I’ve had tournament wins on these lakes fishing with this style of lure.
Cranking is a productive way to locate big schools of bass. When I find concentrations of bass on deep ledges in the summertime, I often can catch a bass on every cast, with many of those schools holding 3 to 6 pounders. You may have to fish for 1 or 2 hours before you find a concentration of 3- to 6-pound bass, but when you identify those schools of good-sized fish, those are fishermen’s dream days.
Question: What rod and reel do you use when you’re deep cranking?
VanDam: I’ve developed my own series of rods for Quantum – the Tour KVD rods. 
These composite rods made of fiberglass and graphite and built for casting big crankbaits long distances come in various lengths. They have the sensitivity needed in a good crankbait rod to allow the angler to feel the behavior of the Strike King crankbait when working the ledges. I want to know when the lure hits the bottom and the type of structure through which the bait is running. The fiberglass component in the rod helps give the bait to the bass and allows me to play the bass down better before I bring the bass to the boat. Strike King has great crankbaits designed to not only get down deep but to produce the action that turns on bass. They run true and may only need tuning occasionally. In the summertime, cranking deep ledges produces plenty of nice-sized bass.
Next: I Like to Jerk
Contents:
- Part 1: Speed's What You Need
- Part 2: Bet on the Big Crankbaits
- Part 3: I Like to Jerk
- Part 4: Why the Red Eye
- Part 5: I've Learned to Like Dropshotting
