Entry 306-2
Top Angler Kevin VanDam Goes Soft with Strike King Lures
Editors Note: Four-time BASS Angler-of-the-Year and 2-time Bassmaster Classic winner Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Michigan, has helped Strike King design its new line of soft plastics. This week, VanDam will tell us what makes the new Strike King Perfect Plastics perfect, and how they can help you catch more bass.
Part 2: The Game Hawg
Question: Kevin, what makes the Game Hawg in the Perfect Plastic different?
VanDam: The Game Hawg, a 5-inch-long creature bait, is really effective when it’s made of the Perfect Plastic. The bait has two swimming-action tails in the back and two swimming-action legs on the side. The super-soft plastic (Perfect Plastic) makes the bait move at even the slowest speeds.
The Game Hawg is a compact, bulky bait I pitch a lot around cover and docks. It’s also my favorite bait when I’m fishing a Carolina rig. The Game Hawg almost has replaced the lizard in my Carolina-rig fishing. With the Game Hawg, we’ve increased the diameter of the body. So, so you can put a large flipping hook in it. Many times I want to cast a small, compact creature bait like this, but I want to fish it on 25-pound-test line. 
So, we’ve built this bait big enough to hold a No. 4/0 hook.
Question: Why would you pick the Game Hawg over another creature bait to flip?
VanDam: This bait really shines when I want to swim a bait through marsh grass or around shallow bushes or boat docks. The Game Hawg is an excellent lure to use in the post-spawn when the bass are suspended underneath docks or in the tops of bushes. During this time of year, the bass want a bait that’s swimming up off the bottom. The Game Hawg meets that need. Also, in the fall, when the bass start chasing shad in the backs of creeks, you need a bait that can swim up off the bottom. The Game Hawg is a productivet lure for these situations and any time of year you want to swim a soft-plastic lure.
Question: What’s the difference between the Game Hawg and the Wild Thang?
VanDam: They’re very similar. However, the Wild Thang is a hollowed-bodied lure, while the Game Hawg is a solid-bodied lure. The Perfect Plastic Game Hawg is so soft that I can bury the hook deep in the lure. Then when the bass takes the bait, the hook will come out of that Perfect Plastic and into the bass’s jaw.
Next: The Rodent
Contents:
- Part 1: The Super-Buoyant Perfect Plastic
- Part 2: The Game Hawg
- Part 3: The Rodent
- Part 4: The Caffeine Shad
- Part 5: The Coffee Tube and the Rage Craw
