Entry 365-5
Expected to Win at Bass Fishing with Kevin VanDam
Editor’s Note: Very-few fishermen have reached the heights in competitive fishing that Strike King’s own Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Michigan, has. Rarely is as much expected of a tournament fisherman as there is of VanDam. We wondered what living in this bubble was like and talked recently with VanDam.
Part 5: Kevin VanDam Looks into His Crystal Ball at Strike King’s Future
Question: Kevin, what’s in the future for Strike King lures?
VanDam: Strike King’s getting ready to introduce the 5XD, which is the 6XD’s little brother. This is a Series 5 crankbait with a newly-designed bill. I’ve tested the prototypes, and this lure will be going into production really soon. This new bill will allow the Series 5XD to dive 4- to 5-feet deeper than the Series 6XD does. Even though it’s diving 4- to 5-feet deeper, it still will have that same fish-catching action as the standard Series 5. It casts really well, and I expect it to be fantastic bait, because it will be able to run to about 15-feet deep.
Another lure Strike King will be coming out with this year is the 3XD. We’ll also come-out with some new shallow-running square-billed crankbaits designed to fish shallow-water cover. Strike King also will have a 1.5 and a 2.5 shallow-running crankbait. All these new lures will be shown at this year’s International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades (ICAST) Show in July. 
Strike King also will be introducing a number of new colors in its Perfect Plastics line of lures. We’ve also got some new jig trailers in the Perfect Plastics line and quite a few other things we’re working on that I just can’t tell you about yet.
Question: What do you think will be the hot lure this coming year?
VanDam: The 5XD will be great this year, because there are a number of fishermen who like to fish that 6- to 15-foot-deep water. Too, the 3XD may be just as popular. At Strike King, we’ve had a lot of success developing new and better lures that help bass fishermen catch more bass. Strike King is always trying to improve even their best lures. As a fisherman, I want more and better tools to work with, and that’s what Strike King gives me. They’ve already started working on products for 2011 that I’ll be testing this year. Strike King plans its lure introductions over the long term, which is another reason I like working with Strike King. Too, I get to help develop the lures I want to fish.
Question: Kevin, I guess you’re on a break from bass fishing for now?
VanDam: No, the Angler-of-the-Year tournaments are at the end of July. I went to Daytona with Jamie McMurray who won the Daytona 500 the same week I won the Bassmaster Classic. I worked with Bass Pro Shop and Daytona Motor Speedway to kick-off their Fourth of July race. So, I was at home for about 30 minutes before I headed to the airport. I’ve still got a lot of filming to do for Strike King’s “Pro Team Journal” TV show and the Bass Pro Shops’ “The Bass Pros” TV show. Then the ICAST show will be in mid-July, and I need to be there for Strike King and some other sponsors. So, even though I’m off the water, I’m not sitting around drinking lemonade. I’ve got plenty to do before the Angler-of-the-Year tournaments.
Contents:
- Part 1: Kevin VanDam Only Worries About the Things He Can Control
- Part 2: Kevin VanDam and His Two-Horse Race on the Bassmaster Elite Circuit
- Part 3: Kevin VanDam's Success with the Strike King 6XD Crankbait
- Part 4: Kevin VanDam Explains Why There Are So-Many Colors of the Red Eye Shad
- Part 5: Kevin VanDam Looks into His Crystal Ball at Strike King's Future
