Kevin Van Dam

Raise an eyebrow toward KVD

June 27, 2007 – espnoutdoors.com

Bass fishing is not the next NASCAR because we don’t get 100,000 people to our weigh-ins. Kevin VanDam is not exactly the Tiger Woods of the sport. No disrespect to Tiger, but KVD dominates more, in a more demanding sport.

Wow! Here we go. Kevin VanDam is the point of this outburst.

Why isn’t KVD ever in that “breaking news” box on ESPNNews?

Actually, I know. It’s because it’s just not on anyone’s radar.

But why isn’t it?

I know that answer as well. Most people just don’t understand what KVD is accomplishing. In the world of professional bass fishing, most competitors strive for good finishes and maybe one win every 5 years. I’m betting that professional golf is about the same.

VanDam details his Grand plan

June 26, 2007 – espnoutdoors.com

GROVE, Okla. — When Kevin VanDam was finished, resulting in one more victory for the biggest name in bass fishing, he wasn’t shy about disclosing the details of his first-place formula for the Sooner Run presented by Longhorn Tobacco.

Every fish he weighed-in at Grand Lake came on a Strike King Series 5 or Series 6 crankbait in a new “Sexy Shad” color pattern that he developed.

“I was confident that crankbait bite would hold up,” VanDam said. “I made a decision before the tournament ever started that I was going to crank from start to finish and not get caught up in slowing down and trying to finesse fish.

“There are two ways to catch them when they are inactive. You’ve got to fish real slow and throw finesse-type baits, or you’ve got to trigger them with a reaction bait. That’s just my style anyway.”

VanDam makes point he’s bass fishing’s best

June 25, 2007 – espnoutdoors.com

GROVE, Okla. — A seven-ounce lead over the Tiger Woods of bass fishing going into Sunday simply wasn’t enough for Jeff Kriet. And once again Kevin VanDam proved why it’s appropriate to associate his name with the dominant golfer on the PGA tour.

VanDam weighed a five-bass limit of 18 pounds, 12 ounces Sunday to jump past Kriet and win the $100,000 first-place prize in the Bassmaster Elite Series Sooner Run presented by Longhorn Moist Snuff.

Grand Lake wasn’t nearly as productive for Kriet as it had been Saturday when he caught the biggest bag of the tournament, 24-11, and knocked VanDam off the top of the leaderboard for the first time in two days. But the Ardmore, Okla., angler managed only 14-8 Sunday to finish second, almost four pounds behind VanDam.

VanDam Slams, Second Win In 2 Months

June 24, 2007 – bassfan.com

BassFans who read Kevin VanDam’s comments last night didn’t need a crystal ball. The world’s most dangerous angler stumbled yesterday with a 16-pound bag at the Grand Lake Bassmaster Elite Series in Oklahoma, and as all BassFans know, he seldom has 2 bad days in a row.

So he put on the mad mask, attacked Grand Lake today, and walloped 18-12 for a 4-day total of 78-02. It wasn’t the largest sack of the day – two others weighed 20-plus – but it was more than he needed.

KVD cranks out another victory

June 24, 2007 – espnoutdoors.com

GROVE, Okla. — A seven-ounce lead over the Tiger Woods of bass fishing going into Sunday simply wasn’t enough for Jeff Kriet. And once again Kevin VanDam proved why it’s appropriate to associate his name with the dominant golfer on the PGA tour.

VanDam weighed a five-bass limit of 18 pounds, 12 ounces Sunday to jump past Kriet and win the $100,000 first-place prize in the Bassmaster Elite Series Sooner Run presented by Longhorn Moist Snuff.

“Jeff’s a good guy,” said VanDam, the 39-year-old Kalamazoo, Mich., native who has compiled over $2 million in winnings and three BASS Angler of the Year titles in his career. “Deep down I really kind of wanted him to win.

“I wanted to win bad. But if I couldn’t win, I sure would have liked to see him do it.”

A Grand Shootout

June 23, 2007 – espnoutdoors.com

GROVE, Okla. — With tongue firmly in cheek, Kevin VanDam came to the Bassmaster Elite Series Sooner Run weigh-in stand Saturday and explained how he did some sandbagging so his friend, Jeff Kreit, would finally have a chance to beat him.

“Jeff Kriet is a pretty good friend of mine,” said VanDam, who caught 21-plus pounds the first two days of the Grand Lake tournament, presented by Longhorn Moist Snuff. “He’s always on this kick about trying to beat me. I just wanted to slump off a little bit.”

It wasn’t on purpose, but VanDam slumped to 16 pounds, 3 ounces Saturday. Meanwhile his buddy Kriet jumped to the biggest five-bass-limit of the tournament, 24-11. Going into Sunday’s final, Kriet leads VanDam by seven ounces, 59-13 to 59-6. Rookie Marty Robinson, who was second each of the first two days, has 58-1.

“It’s going to be a shootout,” said VanDam, the three-time BASS Angler of the Year. “It’s going to be fun. I’m looking forward to competing against my buddy.”

VAN DAMINATOR

June 23, 2007 – basszone.com

KVD Crushes Back to Back 20+ Pound Limits – Leads By 2-14

Grove, Okla. – As day one weigh-in concluded, many of the Bassmaster Elite Series competitors had found out that the fishing at Grand Lake had been better than advertised. Many of the Elite Series pros realized that the shallow bite created by Grand Lake’s recent high water was good, however, fishing deep was going to be a better pattern to have a chance to dominate in Oklahoma at the Sooner Run presented by Longhorn.

Kevin Van Dam has a penchant for dominating the best anglers in the world. After crushing a 21-pound, 8-ounce limit on the second day of the Sooner Run, he is in position to make a wire-to-wire run for his second Elite Series victory. The Kalamazoo, Mich. Pro’s two-day total of 43 pounds, 3 ounces puts him just ahead of rookie Marty Robinson.

VanDam appears tough to beat

June 23, 2007 – espnoutdoors.com

Kevin VanDam has his sights set on winning Angler of the Year, and he could a huge step in that direction if he keeps it going on Grand Lake.

Scott Rook jumped from 47th place Thursday to eighth place Friday in the Bassmaster Elite Series Sooner Run by catching a five-bass limit weighing 20 pounds, 12 ounces. And his day could have been better.

The Little Rock, Ark., angler caught two fish on one crankbait – a 6-pounder and a 3-plus-pounder. He had them right at the boat, seemingly worn out, when one fish flipped it’s head and came unhooked, then the other did the same.

The bigger fish could have given Rook a bag close to 25 pounds. But even knowing those kind of fish are plentiful in Grand Lake, Rook has no illusions about jumping to the top of the leaderboard in the next two days.

“Realistically, I’m fishing for third or fourth place,” said Rook, noting that leader Kevin VanDam and runnerup Marty Robinson had both caught 20-pound bags each of the first two days.

So is this a two-horse race for the $100,000 first place prize? VanDam has 43-3 to Robinson’s 40-5. Edwin Evers is third with 37-13.

“I think it’s a one horse race,” said Rook with a smile. “Kevin smells blood in the water. He’s really got ‘em patterned. He’s hard to beat in this situation.

“But you never know. He’s human.”

VanDam?

“Well, sometimes he is,” Rook said.

Smack down from KVD

June 23, 2007 – espnoutdoors

GROVE, Okla. — Kevin VanDam thinks Grand Lake is simply grand. Not only did he bring another 21-pound, five-bass limit to the weigh-in stand on the second day of the Bassmaster Elite Series Sooner Run, unofficially, he zoomed past Skeet Reese in the Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year standings.

The three-time BASS Angler of the Year from Kalamazoo, Mich., has a two-day total of 43 pounds, 3 ounces. Rookie Marty Robinson of Landrum, S.C., remained in second place with another 20-pound bag Friday, giving him 40-5 for the tournament. Edwin Evers of Mannsville, Okla., made a big move, from 10th to third with 19-9 Friday to give him 37-13 overall.

Evers was just one of a handful of anglers making similar jumps up the leaderboard Friday. Although VanDam is the all-time BASS money leader with over $2 million in career earnings and known for being tough to overtake in a tournament, Grand Lake has proved productive enough to keep this race wide open.

VanDam’s 21-11 Leads Big-Weight Parade

June 21, 2007 – bassfan.com

Things sure changed this week at Oklahoma’s Grand Lake. Practice for today’s Bassmaster Elite Series was laced with uncertainty as pros questioned the deep bite, and dreaded what the falling water would do to the bush bite. But the water settled out and the lake’s turned into a slaughter-barn.

Kevin VanDam, the No. 1 ranked angler in the world, wielded the biggest cleaver today and chopped of a 21-11 limit to lead by 1-01.

Right behind him is South Carolina rookie Marty Robinson with 20-00. He’s followed by Mike Iaconelli and Ben Matsubu, both with 19-08, then fellow rookie Derek Remitz with 19-01.