Entry 362-3
Shut Up and Catch Bass – Kevin VanDam Learns that Silence Pays $100,000 on Kentucky Lake
Editor’s Note: Kevin VanDam is back. After winning the 2010 Bassmaster Classic, VanDam of Kalamazoo, Michigan, had had a mediocre year so far by some people’s standards. As one of the elite 200 on the BASS circuit, he surprises people when he doesn’t win tournaments. But on June 12, the “Ledge King” took home first-place prize and a $100,000 check after winning the 2010 Elite Series tournament at Kentucky Lake.
Part 3: Kevin VanDam’s First Competition Day on Kentucky Lake – the Strike King 6 XD Makes the Difference
Q
uestion: Kevin, tell us about the first day of competition.
VanDam: I left the boat ramp and went straight to the spot where I thought I could catch the most and the biggest bass. When I arrived there, another competitor already was fishing that section. So, I started running to some of my other places. I caught a few big bass in the second area I fished.
Question: On what lure did you catch those bass?
VanDam: A Strike King 6XD crankbait. I caught bass on several-different colors, but the Chartreuse Sexy Shad proved to be the best color for this June tournament. The lake had a little more stain than normal. Because the Chartreuse Sexy Shad is brighter than some of the other shad patterns, it will get more bites in stained water. As the tournament continued, this assumption proved to be true.
Question: How many spectators did you have following you the first day?
VanDam: I probably had 12 or 14 spectators following me that morning. But because we had clouds come-in during the day and a little bit of rainfall, they left, allowing me to hit two or three spots without anyone watching me or knowing where I was fishing. 
The first day wasn’t easy. I’d hit a few places and just catch one or two good-sized bass. But at the end of the day, I ended up with five, 5 pounders for a total of 25 pounds of bass and took the lead. But I didn’t just pull-up to one spot, catch five bass that weighed a total of 25 pounds and leave. I had to work hard for those bass.
Question: How did you retrieve the Series 6XD in the Chartreuse Sexy Shad color to get those bass to bite?
VanDam: Because the spots I fished were in 18- to 22-foot-deep water, I had to make really-long casts to get my crankbait down to those depths. I was using a fairly-fast retrieve. I wasn’t burning the bait but reeling it pretty steady to get the bait down on the bottom and keep it there. Because I was fishing deep water, I’m convinced that I was catching bass many other anglers wouldn’t have been able to catch without a deep-running crankbait. 
I don’t know any other crankbait that will run that deep.
That’s why I had a lot of confidence going into the tournament. I knew that if anyone else found the places I wanted to fish, they’d fish it with a worm or a jig. Very-few people have a crankbait that runs as deep as the Series 6XD. By fishing the Strike King Series 6XD crankbait, I had an advantage and could fish a crankbait in water depths most other anglers would never be able to run a crankbait through, unless they also were fishing the 6XD.
Next: Kevin VanDam Shut-Up and Caught More Bass with the Strike King Silent Stalker 6XD at Kentucky Lake
Contents:
- Part 1: How Kevin VanDam Found the Bass That Produced $100,000 at Kentucky Lake
- Part 2: VanDam Explains - Have More Than One Place to Bass Fish
- Part 3: Kevin VanDam's First Competition Day on Kentucky Lake - the Strike King 6 XD Makes the Difference
- Part 4: Kevin VanDam Shut-Up and Caught More Bass with the Strike King Silent Stalker 6XD at Kentucky Lake
- Part 5: Kevin VanDam's Last Two Days of the BASS Kentucky Lake Tournament
