Kevin Van Dam

VanDam Worked ‘Shimmy Fall’ And Signaled Schools

March 20, 2008 – bassfan.com

Since the lipless crank was invented, it’s been used to fish the grass, and the traditional method is to “rip” it off the grass when it snags, which often triggers bites. VanDam did a lot of that in the hydrilla, of course, but according to him, there’s a special way the Strike King RedEye shad falls after he kills his retrieve, and that made all the difference.

“The key for me was making that bait fall, and the RedEye Shad’s different than any of the other lipless baits in the way it falls,” he said. “When you’re either ripping it through the grass, or fishing it in the open, you just pull it and stop – you yo-yo it like that.”

He noted that, especially when it was slick-calm, the fish would only bite on the fall. And all his big fish, including a 9-pounder, bit that way too.

“I’d rip that bait up, let it flutter down, and the way it swims to bottom is the deal,” he added. “It shimmies from side to side as it falls. Anyone who’s ever fished a Zero or Senko knows what I’m talking about, and no other lipless bait does that.

“We designed it on purpose to do that,” he added. “It’s pretty amazing. In fact, I’m surprised it took me this long to win a tournament on it – it’s that good of a bait. If you take it and drop it in a pool, you’ll see that it stays horizontal, just the nose tilts down, it swims just a little forward, and wiggles right and left – like a Zero or Senko falls. That’s what we were trying to emulate.”

The Color

VanDam let the secret out on his custom color when he won at Guntersville last year. He calls is “sexy shad” and he threw the RedEye in that color, with the addition of a blue-chrome back.

The color’s not available yet for the RedEye, but should be as early as next week. He said Bass Pro Shops will be the first to receive their shipment (the order page can be found here).

VanDam said the Strike King RedEye shad falls a lot like a Senko-style bait – with a ‘shimmy’ – and that made all the difference.
Also notable is he’s in the process of developing a whole range of sexy shad colors for different water clarities.

VanDam’s Toho Practice, Strategy Explained

March 19, 2008 – bassfan.com

It’s pretty easy to look at Kevin VanDam from afar and think there’s some secret liquid coursing through his veins.

He’s the No. 1 ranked angler in the world. He’s a two-time Bassmaster Classic champ, three-time Angler of the Year, and his win 4 days ago at the Toho Bassmaster Elite Series was the 12th of his career, and his third within the past year.

Not every one of his wins comes down to something “secret.” Many times he just outfishes the crowd. But what was especially notable about Toho was that he did have a secret going. A few of them actually. And no, they weren’t coursing through his veins.

One was tied to the end of his line, the other was in a box on his deck.

In the following story, VanDam explains for the first time in detail what exactly is so different about the Strike King RedEye Shad, and why it triggered bites at Toho even when the fishing turned brutally tough. And alongside that, he reveals an electronics technique he used in the final hours of the last day to trigger the winning fish to bite.

First, though, a look at his practice.

Practice

BASS has visited Toho extensively the past several years. VanDam finished 12th there in 2005, 5th a year later at the 2006 Classic, then 19th last September. About this visit, he said: “Every year you come here it’s different – the grass and things like that. Because we were here in the fall (last season), I had a clearer picture of it this time than any time before.

“In my mind, I knew that there were several patterns that might pan out and have the potential to win,” he added. “The offshore hydrilla is always great, but because there’s so much of it, that makes it hard to pinpoint the fish. But if you can find them out here, you can do real well.”

The two other patterns he anticipated (and which did factor heavily in the event) were bed-fishing and topwater (mainly toads and frogs) in the Kissimmee grass and on the banks.

Based on his experience at the Harris Chain the week before (where he finished 31st), he felt the majority of the fish in Toho and throughout the Kissimmee Chain would be post-spawn. So he spent his first day of practice in Toho exploring the offshore hydrilla.

“It was tough,” he noted. “I found one spot where I caught a 4-pounder, then made another cast right there again with the RedEye Shad and hooked another fish. I tried to shake it off and when I did, another fish immediately bit it. So I knew there was a pretty good school on that spot. And they felt like good fish.”

YES…HE IS THAT GOOD.  EVEN IN FLORIDA

March 16, 2008 – basszone.com

Lake Wales, FL – It seems that with each tournament there’s a potential spoiler. All that you have to do is look back at the annals of BASS and it’s all there for an easy read. While it has be been said too many times to count, there isn’t a more likely spoiler than Kevin VanDam. You do not want him hanging around the top heading into the final day because chances are you’ll be fishing for second.

The Citrus Slam lived up to all expectations with anglers bringing in some giants over the first two days of the contest. As the week wore on though, the need to catch the elusive kicker became all-the-more apparent. If you were successful in nabbing a heavy female, you stood a chance of moving up. If not, you just moved on.
With bedding bass being a factor early on in the week, at the close of the third day it was clear that the sight bite had all but died. Instead of lookers, it was grinders – particularly those who could mount a run-and-gun offense that looked tough to beat. However, as the final day unfolded, the final few hours of fishing was hot and the fishing – as it had in the waning moments of each tournament day all week – began to heat up.

That was the situation that the remaining 12 Elites found themselves in as they departed Camp Mack Sunday morning for the final day of fishing at the second stop of the 2008 Elite Series tour at the Kissimmee Chain. The man in black had a bulls-eye on his back – but it’s a position that he’s comfortable being in on the final day.

KVD Wins No. 3

March 16, 2008 – bassmaster.com

LAKE WALES, Fla. — Kevin VanDam allowed Mike McClelland to be the only three-time winner on the Bassmaster Elite Series tour exactly one week. VanDam, who had never led for one day in a Florida Bassmaster event until Saturday, sealed the deal Sunday in the Citrus Slam, presented by Longhorn.

VanDam edged Ray Sedgewick by 1 pound, 11 ounces to take the $100,000 first-place check on the Kissimmee Chain.

But the 40-year-old, three-time BASS Angler of the Year hardly felt confident Sunday when he came in with a five-bass limit weighing only 10-6. Especially on a warm day, when the final 12 anglers expected the Kissimmee Chain to product its biggest limits of the week.

“I was real disappointed,” VanDam said. “I thought I had let this one slip away.

“I was shocked it was as tough as it was.”

Ray Sedgewick of Cross, S.C., started the day in third place, 2-13, behind VanDam. He caught the Berkley Heavyweight bag Sunday, but it weighed only 11-8. That was enough for him to jump Scott Rook, who finished third — but not enough to overtake VanDam.

“I lost a four-pounder, and I guess it cost me a $100,000,” Sedgewick said. “But with this caliber of fishermen, everything has to be perfect for you. No mistakes.”

KVD tries to close out

March 16, 2008 – bassmaster.com

LAKE WALES, Fla. — It isn’t unusual to find optimistic anglers on the final day of a Bassmaster Elite Series tournament. If an angler is fishing Sunday, there’s at least a chance to take home the $100,000 winner’s prize, and it sure beats watching from the dock or a long drive home.

But the outlook of the 12 finalists in the Citrus Slam, presented by Longhorn, seems to go beyond typical optimism.

Just before take-off Sunday morning on the Kissimmee Chain, the collective point of view was just short of ecstatic.

“This is as good an opportunity as any of us will have all week to really knock out a big sack,” said Oklahoma pro Kenyon Hill. “Today is the day.”

Indeed, today’s conditions appear to be much more conducive to an angler — or several of them — putting up big numbers. The strong winds that wreaked havoc Saturday have decreased, and overnight temperatures stayed near 70 degrees, instead of dropping into the 50s and low 60s.

“It should be the best fishing day we’ve had all week,” said Michigan pro and two-time Bassmaster Classic winner Kevin VanDam, who leads the Citrus Slam with 49 pounds, 1 ounce. “We’re finally in Florida and don’t have a cold front on the final day.”

Shortly before Sunday’s 8 a.m. take-off, water temperature was 70.3 degrees in the canal off Camp Mack’s River Resort. The water has been around 64 degrees at take-off time the first three days.

“Normally it takes until 1 in the afternoon to hit 70 degrees,” said Hill (seventh place, 43 pounds). “It could be a slugfest starting out of the gate.”

It’s not just the favorable conditions that have the finalists fired up. With just more than 8 pounds separating VanDam and Oklahoma pro Jeff Reynolds (12th, 40-13), it’s anybody’s tournament. Several bass above 8 pounds have hit the scale this week, and 7-pounders have been fairly common.

Door Opens For KVD

March 15, 2008 – bassmaster.com

LAKE WALES, Fla. — Day Two leader Kelly Jordon caught a small keeper around 9 Saturday morning, then released it a few minutes later. But he had no regrets when he failed to weigh a fish at the end of the day.

“None, zero,” Jordon said.

That’s because he got slammed about as hard as anyone Saturday in the Bassmaster Elite Series Citrus Slam presented by Longhorn. Jordon had 44 pounds, 3 ounces in total weight and a 7-13 lead when he started the day; he ended it with the same 44-3 but a 4-14 deficit to new Kissimmee Chain leader Kevin VanDam.

That one-pound male bass wouldn’t have helped Jordon much. And he was hoping that its release might help him land the 10-pound female on the spawning bed he went to first thing in the morning. But it didn’t, so he changed tactics

“I was determined not to let my balls-to-the-wall personality kill me in this tournament,” said the Mineola, Texas, angler. “I made a conservative move, for me. With that big lead I knew I just needed to catch about 10 or 12 pounds.”

However, Jordon couldn’t coax another bite the rest of the day. All the Elite Series anglers who made the top 50 cut Friday knew Saturday’s high winds were going to make fishing tough. And they did.

The high winds were even tougher on Byron Velvick. The Day One leader with 25 pounds, which is still the Berkley Heavyweight Bag for this tournament, was in second place Friday. Velvick dropped out of the top 12 for Sunday’s finale and into 15th place with only 3-2, which gave him 39-8 overall.

That allowed VanDam, who started Saturday in third, to walk through an open door, even though he struggled. VanDam’s 13-6 limit, which was boosted by a 7-pounder, gave him 49-1 and the Day Three lead, even though it was his lowest weight of the tournament.

“If the wind blows like that again tomorrow, it will be very hard,” said VanDam, who is concentrating on clumps of hydrilla in an area unprotected from the wind. “You just can’t stay positioned out there. You can’t slow down. It would be nice to be able to cast three or four different baits in each area, but you just can’t keep the boat in position.”

VanDam Now Leads By 2-01

March 15, 2008 – bassfan.com

Yesterday, Toho Elite Series leader Kelly Jordon told Scott Rook he wasn’t sure if he’d catch a fish the next day. The problem? He’d been sight-fishing, and the predicted 20-plus mph winds threatened to envelop that bite.

The worst possible scenario for Jordon unfolded today in Florida, and he came to the scales with zero bass. His 7-13 lead not only evaporated, but the bagel bounced him back four giant spots to 5th, where he trails new leader Kevin VanDam by nearly 5 pounds.

VanDam’s crankbait bite did take a nosedive today, but he again was saved by a big fish, and again, it was his first fish of the day. He weighed an 8-10 yesterday to anchor a 17-11 limit. Today his big fish weighed 6-10, which helped push his day-3 weight to 13-06 – a more than respectable bag given the wind-ravaged conditions.

VanDam, who’s the No. 1 ranked angler in the world, had trouble hugging his offshore grasslines in the wind today, but he might have just the right mix tomorrow. Partly cloudy skies should position the fish where he needs them to be, and the predicted 10 to 12 mph winds might be the right blow to turn the crankbait bite wide open.

Whether those winds will allow more sight-fishing tomorrow is a tossup. Just as critical, though, is water clarity. A lot of areas were destroyed by today’s wind, and may not settle out by tomorrow.

KVD ON DAY THREE IN FLA

March 15, 2008 – basszone.com

Lake Whales, Fla. – Day three of the Bassmaster Elite Series proved to be a difficult day for many of the anglers who had climbed to the top of the peak at the Citrus Slam after the second day of the second stop on the Elite Series schedule.

Kelly Jordon of Mineola, Tex. and another Texan, Byron Velvick of Del Rio who are among the best at targeting bedding bass, dominated the top of the day two leader board. But as the conditions began to change and the amount of pressure on the Kissimmee Chain’s bedding bass population the dynamics of the leader board did as well.

The winds began to blow and the fish began to move, which opened the door for other tactics to play a role. When a tournament is on, Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich. is always a threat to climb any scoreboard. KVD rode the changing wave third place with San Mateo, Florida’s Big Show, Terry Scroggins close behind in fourth place, and Little Rock, Arkansas Scott Rook ended the day in 5th position.

As day three progressed it became evident that the sightfishing bite had blown away with the wind and anglers targeting post spawn fish had taken center stage away from the sight fishermen.

At the end of the weigh-in VanDam rode his offshore pattern to a 13-pound, 6-ounce limit to bring his total weight to 49 pounds, 1-ounce to grab the lead heading into the final day. Should the two-time Bassmaster Classic winner be able to hang on to his lead, he will keep pace with last week’s winner, Mike McClelland, who has won three Elite Series tournaments.

Jordon rules

March 14, 2008 – bassmaster.com

LAKE WALES, Fla. — The Kissimmee Chain produced four 20-pound-plus bags Thursday and three Friday. But Kelly Jordon was the only Bassmaster Elite Series angler to have a 20-pound bag both days. That jumped Jordan into first place on Day Two of the Citrus Slam, presented by Longhorn.

“The weather changed today, and it didn’t affect me at all,” said the Mineola, Texas, angler, who caught 22 pounds, 14 ounces Thursday and 21-5 Friday for a 44-3 total. “I’ve got some areas that have got some really quality fish on them.”

And Jordon, who has relied on sight-fishing spawning beds, saw what he estimates as a 10-pounder move onto a bed Friday afternoon, but didn’t catch it.

“She just came in today,” Jordon said. “I saw her, and she’s huge. She’s as long as your leg.”

Byron Velvick, like everyone else who caught 20-plus on Day One, had to settle for less on Day Two. But the Del Rio, Texas, angler dropped only one place. His limit of 11-6, combined with his Thursday bag of 25-0, gave him a total of 36-6 — almost 8 pounds behind Jordon.

BYRON VELVICK LEADING AFTER DAY ONE

March 14, 2008 – basszone.com

Lake Whales, FL – The fishing at the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, site of the second stop on the 2008 Elite Series crusade, has been good all week in terms of numbers. Size, at least according to our practice notes, would be the issue. Size does matter, and Thursday’s day one weigh-in served noticed that you’d better bring it if you want to fish Sunday.

Unlike last week’s Sunshine Showdown at the Harris Chain, just a short hour’s drive north, fishing at the Citrus Slam on Kissimmee looks to be on the mend. Of all the pros that The BASS ZONE spoke with Wednesday, after their two-and-a-half day practice period had officially concluded, only one of them was actually fired about his chances.

However, almost to a man each said that – as long as the weather holds stable – fishing should get stronger with each day. Most were saying then that 12 pounds a day would be pretty strong. The jury will be out until Sunday, but you have to ask yourself what kind of scales would they be using if a 12-pound average holds true?

Understanding of course that bass fishermen are, by their very nature, prone to exaggeration we took the scuttlebutt with a grain of salt. Thursday’s weigh-in was the true measuring stick, and the obvious Florida trend of the “Have’s” vs. the “Have Not’s” was in full swing as better than five anglers crossed the stage with 20 pounds or better.

At the top of the list of “have’s” was Byron Velvick whose five-fish tournament limit tipped the scales at 25-0. In second place Thursday was Terry “Big Show” Scroggins giving a day one weight of 23-2.