Entry 343-1
Getting Ready for the 2010 Bassmaster Classic with Kevin VanDam
Editor’s Note: Kevin VanDam has had a great year on the BASS circuit winning the Angler-of-the-Year title in 2009. Now he’ll participate in his 20th Classic in mid-February, 2010. He’s won two Classics before and has been in the hunt in every one he’s entered. We recently talked with VanDam about how he physically and mentally prepares for fishing the Classic – the World Series of bass fishing.
Part 1: I Take All My Tackle to the Classic
Question: How are you preparing for the Bassmaster Classic in mid-February on Lay Lake near Birmingham, Alabama?
VanDam: Well, I didn’t go and pre-practice in December before BASS made Lay Lake off-limits for the Classic competitors.
Question: Why not, Kevin?
VanDam: I’ve been to Lay Lake enough times in the past, so that I know the lake and the structure there. I feel that I know how to navigate the lake and find the places I want to fish. I prefer to fish a tournament by just showing-up before the tournament and using the practice days just prior to the tournament to become current with water, weather and fishing conditions. I don’t like to go into a tournament with any idea of how I’m going to fish, or where I’m planning to fish. I feel that those two elements of the tournament need to be determined based on the water, weather and other fishing conditions currently occurring at the lake just before and during the time I’ll be fishing there.
A fishing report is past history of what has happened under different water and weather conditions and time of year. 
The best, most-accurate and most-current information on how and where to fish comes from actually being on the water and evaluating the conditions, not only that day but for that moment. I don’t want to pre-determine where I’ll be fishing based on old information.
Question: Kevin, are you seeing more and more anglers not practicing on a lake before the official cutoff time?
VanDam: No. Most of the competitors who will be fishing in the 2010 Classic went to Lay Lake and fished before the lake was take off-limits. And, that’s fine. Bass fishermen are all different, and each angler has a system that he feels works best for him.
Question: Why did you decide not to practice for the Lay Lake Classic?
VanDam: I have a basic understanding of the lake, and I know how the lake is laid-out. We fished Lay Lake a few years ago when Boyd Duckett won the Classic there. That Classic was held on Lay Lake at the same time of the year as this year’s Classic. So, I decided that I’d make the most of the practice days that we had just prior to the Classic and felt that practice then would provide with me the best information I needed to be competitive.
Question: Kevin, what tackle are you taking to the Classic?
VanDam: All of it. I don’t know what to expect based on the water clarity, the temperature and the character of the lake. Lay Lake is really diverse. There’s a river on the upper end, the mid-lake area has numbers of creeks in it, and then the lower end of the lake is where the water tends to be clear and fishes more like a highland reservoir. So, there are a lot of various techniques and lures that will produce bass at Lay Lake. I carry all my lures in Plano No. 37 tackle boxes, and I take all the rods, reels and tackle I own to the Classic.
Once I fish the practice days, then I’ll narrow-down my tackle to the lures and rods with which I plan to fish. After practice I’ll know I probably won’t be fishing with certain lures, and more than likely I’ll add some back-up lures that I’ve brought along, especially extra colors, to the ones I’ll be fishing. I’ve already called Chris Brown at Strike King to make sure I have the inventory of lures that I think I may need to fish this year’s Bassmaster Classic. My preparation for the Classic has started January 1st. After the Christmas holidays with my family, my focus has been on the Bassmaster Classic and the tournament season that will follow the Classic.
Question: How much tackle can you carry with you during the Classic?
VanDam: There is no limit on tackle, and we do get to fish out of our own boat. 
But we are limited to 10 rods and reels.
Question: What 10 rods and reels will you take to fish with in the Classic?
VanDam: I’ll carry a bunch of rods with me to the Classic. But after the 3-day practice period, I’ll narrow my rod and reel selection down to the 10 I think I’ll use depending on the conditions that I’ll probably find.
