Entry 303-1

Kevin VanDam’s Shaky Heads $100,000

Part 1: Developing a $100,000 Fishing Game Plan

Question: Kevin, before you went to Smith Mountain Lake, what did you know about the lake?

VanDam: The Elite Series had been there 2-years before, but we fished later in the year than we fished this year. Then we fished post-spawn and early-summer-type patterns. Because I’d fished the lake, I knew what the lake looked like, including where the creeks, the flats, the drop-offs, and where much of the structure was located. I knew the lake was deep and clear, had tons of boat docks and homed a great population of quality largemouths and a fair population of smallmouth bass. When we fished the lake 2-years ago, I learned there was a good top-water bite early in the morning and that the bass related to docks really well.

There also are hundreds of miles of shoreline with numbers of creeks and pockets. When I knew the dates we’d be fishing the lake, I checked the moon phase and learned we’d get a new moon the week we’d be fishing this Elite tournament. On the first competition day, I expected the bass to be spawning, depending on the weather. On the drive to Smith Mountain Lake, I looked at the long-term weather forecast for the practice and the competition days. I knew it would be cool for a couple of days, and then the weather would warm-up on the weekend for the finals of the tournament. So, all signs pointed to this being a major-league bass-spawn tournament.

Question: What did you learn in practice?

VanDam: We had cold temperatures, rain and wind during practice. The first day on the lake, during practice, the water temperature was 59 to 60 degrees But as the week progressed, the water temperature cooled to about 55 degrees. The forecast was for 90-degree weather during the last 2 days of competition on the weekend. Even though the weather was cold, the bass were committed to moving into the shallow water because they wanted to spawn. I could see male bass on the beds, and I thought fishing would improve after practice as we moved into the competition days.

Question: What lures did you use to catch bass during practice?

VanDam: Instead of fishing, I spent most of my time running water and searching for the bass. While looking for the bass, I cast the Strike King Caffeine Shad and the Strike King Shadalicious. Although I didn’t catch a lot of bass on these two lures, I enticed a number of bass to follow them. I wanted these two lures to get the bass to show me where they were holding. While I was trying to pull the bass out where I could see them, I also was searching for bass on the bed.

Question: What lure did you think you’d have to use to catch the bass when practice ended?

VanDam: I knew the bass either would be holding on the beds or cruising shallow water, looking for places to bed. Therefore, I knew there were a number of Strike King lures that I potentially could use to catch the bass, including jerkbaits, swim baits and/or finesse baits. The night before the tournament, I rigged my spinning rods with tubes, drop-shot rigs and shaky-head worms, as well as power baits, such as swim baits, the Caffeine Shad and the Shadalicious. I’d let the conditions on the first day of the tournament dictate which lures I’d use. I decided I’d have to catch bass two ways – while cruising for bedding sites or when the bass were on the bed. The lures I selected should be effective because Smith Mountain Lake is a really-clear lake, and these lures work best on clear lakes.

Next: Deciding to Not Fish Where Everyone Else Was Fishing and Going Smallmouth Instead of Largemouth

Contents:

• Part 1: Developing a $100,000 Fishing Game Plan
• Part 2: Deciding to Not Fish Where Everyone Else Was Fishing and Going Smallmouth Instead of Largemouth
• Part 3: Catching and Cruising
• Part 4: The Shad Spawn Was the Key to Big Bass
• Part 5: Fish the Bass Coming to You and Not the Bass Moving Away from You