Kevin VanDam

BASS STRATEGIES Revised

August 09, 2010 – by Kevin VanDam

I mentioned before that my book, BASS STRATEGIES, was being revised. Thanks to a lot of hard work by The National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame and BASS senior writer, Louie Stout, it’s now complete and on the market.

First published in 1995, this new edition is full of up-to-the-minute tips and techniques that’ll help you catch bass regardless of whether you’re a casual recreational angler or an accomplished professional. We put a lot of work into making it the best bass book available anywhere — in my opinion anyway.

Section IV is brand-new. It’s titled Power Fish for Success. In it I cover the importance of employing good practice techniques as well as refining your approach with every bass you catch. Topics such as What the Strike Tells You, Match Techniques to the Lake Conditions and Power Up with Finesse Tactics are covered in detail.

Here’s the deal: Catching bass isn’t about just fishing hard. If that were the case most serious — and hardworking — anglers would carry heavy sacks to the scales at the end of the day. We know that isn’t the case so what is it that allows one angler to consistently catch more and bigger bass than his or her competitors?

It’s because they fish smart. They learn every minute they’re on the water, every cast is more productive than the one before it. Bass fishing is about combinations. Things like water and weather conditions, tackle, lures, techniques and electronics all play a part.

Let me give you an example of what I mean from Chapter 23, What the Strike Tells You. In it I point out that simply getting a strike isn’t enough. I want one that gets the bait deep in the bass’ mouth and I want him to stay hooked all the way to the boat. Several pages are devoted to telling you exactly how to do that, or at least how I do it. Things like where and when the strike happened are often more important than what lure I was throwing.

You get the idea. In BASS STRATEGIES I’ve tried to detail how I approach a body of water on a given day, and how I try to catch as much weight from it as is possible.

The book also goes beyond the usual topics and includes practical information about modern electronics. Those boxes are a technological marvel. They’ll tell you things about the bottom and what’s on it that we couldn’t even dream of knowing a few years ago, but only if you know how to use them.

I don’t want this blog to read like an advertisement. At the same time, however, I’m passionate about the sport of bass fishing and a part of that passion is helping other anglers catch bass. This book will do that. That’s why I wrote it and why I’m so proud of it.

Remember, it’s all about the attitude.

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