Entry 291-3
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 3: I Like to Jerk
Question: Kevin, what’s your third-favorite tactic to fish?
VanDam: I really like to fish jerkbaits, like the Wild Shiner. I spent a lot of time with the Strike King lure designers to create the Wild Shiner. I have a lot of confidence in this bait’s ability to catch numbers of bass. I use the Wild Shiner mostly in northern lakes, even through the summer months. I prefer to fish big flats with the Wild Shiner. There are a number of baits I can use to cover a lot of water, but when I’m properly working a jerkbait, there are very-few baits that will elicit as many strikes as the Wild Shiner. The Wild Shiner has a productive wounded baitfish action that will cause bass to follow it, even if they don’t eat it. Too, I use the Wild Shiner as a search bait. If there are bass in an area, I can locate them with the Wild Shiner.
Question: What kind of action do you give the Wild Shiner?
VanDam: Early in the season when the water’s cold, I’ll fish the suspending version of the Wild Shiner really slowly and use it as a draw bait to attract bass. The bass’ metabolism is much slower in cold water than in the spring and the summer. 
So, I give the bass more time to see the bait and then come to it before I move the bait. I’ll use long pauses between the times I twitch the bait and then not jerk the bait really hard or move it very far in the water. As the water warms-up and gets more clear in the summer, the bass become really aggressive.
Then I’ll use a fast retrieve. I’ll snap the bait with my rod tip hard to make the bait dart and move in an erratic motion, and then move the bait quickly through the water. This way, I can cover a lot of water with the jerkbait. Since smallmouths generally prefer faster-moving baits, I really can turn-on the smallmouth bite by moving the Wild Shiner quickly and erratically. To be effective, I’ll fish the Wild Shiner over the top of grass, gravel flats or points to make sure the bait’s above the bass’ line of sight, so the bass has to look up to see the bait.
Question: What line do you use when fishing the jerkbait?
VanDam: I’ll be using fluorocarbon line because it has low stretch and makes the bait dance. Since I’m making long casts, I want the line to be responsive when I twitch and jerk the Wild Shiner. Most people overlook the Wild Shiner and other jerkbaits for spring and summer fishing and only view them as wintertime baits. However, you’re missing out on catching numbers of bass, if you don’t fish the Wild Shiner during the spring and the summer as well as during the winter. The Wild Shiner can be deadly effective when you’re dead-sticking it during the winter months, but it also can be very productive during the spring, the summer and the fall when you speed-up your retrieve and give it an erratic action.
Next: Why the Red Eye
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
