Entry 35-1

When Strike King Saved the Day for Kevin VanDam

Crankbaits In Shallow Laydowns

Editor's Note: Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Michigan, is one of the most dominant anglers on the bass-fishing circuit. VanDam, a thinking man's fisherman, likes to fish with Strike King lures and particularly Strike King's Wild Thing, a creature bait that he used to win the 2001 BASS Masters Classic in New Orleans, Louisiana. Chosen Angler of the Year on the B.A.S.S. circuit in 1991, 1996 and 1999, VanDam also enjoys spending time with his family and hunting deer.

Question: What do you fish with in shallow water?

VanDam: I was filming a TV show up on the river by where I live in Michigan. This shallow, dingy river system has some grass, docks, laydowns and things like that. These conditions are just perfect for a spinner bait or Flip-N-Tube scenario. It was the post-spawn time of the year, and the bass were real unaggressive.

I caught a few bass with a Flip-N-Tube. I knew there was a lot of fish around. I would pitch up there and spook some, or I would throw a spinner bait up there and would see a little boil. But they were just spooky. I wondered what I could throw around all this shallow cover to make these fish react to it.

They wouldn't react to the spinner bait. I had a few bites on the tube, but they definitely wouldn't bite a jig. I was kind of half frustrated throughout the day. I decided to tie on a Strike King 1XS crankbait, a super-shallow crankbait that ran about a foot deep. I put it on pretty heavy line to keep it real buoyant.

There are a lot of weeds and stuff almost on the surface of this river. This bait has such a wide wobble that it even clears itself from vegetation. I put it on 17-pound-test line and started throwing it around these shallow laydowns, docks and little clumps of grass. The bass couldn't handle it. I think a lot of the bass were guarding fry. There just was something about the rattle and the way that the bait pushes the water and remained real shallow. They just couldn't turn down the bait. They reacted to it just like they'd react to a bluegill that swam too close to them during the spawn.




 

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