Entry 35-3
When Strike King Saved the Day for Kevin VanDam
Subtle Baits Catch The Bass
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 baits do you rely on in the fall?
VanDam:While fishing in a tournament in the fall, I noticed that the bass were moving into the backs of the creeks. The water was a little clearer than I liked, and the bass were starting to chase shad. You could see some schooling activity. They were roaming around chasing shad. There wasn't a lot of cover. I'd spot an occasional stump or a little bit of brush here and there. I tried shallow crankbaits and spinner baits, but I only caught a couple of fish.
I noticed that the shad were real small. I tried the small spinner bait, which should have been the best choice to imitate those shad. But the bass just wouldn't bite it. So, I pulled out my little Rocket Shad, a small-profile bait that was designed just for this scenario. It had a small double hook on it so you still could fish it around cover. This bait is just so much subtler than even a small spinner bait is. I used a little 3/8-ounce bait so I could slow it down a little bit more. I started casting it around.
You can cast these baits a long way, and you can cover a lot of water with them. If the Rocket Shad moves by a piece of cover, you can let it flutter down because it only has a single spin. It really saved the day because I would have only had a couple of little fish that I caught in the morning without it. I ended up catching a decent limit of good, solid keeper fish. I ended up with a top-10 finish in that tournament just because of the Rocket Shad. You could use this bait every afternoon when the sun came up, the shad held near the surface and the bite got tough. They would still eat the Rocket Shad.
Contents:
- Part 1: Crankbaits In Shallow Laydowns
- Part 2: Fishing Inaccessible Docks
- Part 3: Subtle Baits Catch The Bass
- Part 4: VanDam's Spinner Bait Secrets
- Part 5: VanDam's Favorite Bait Flipping Bait
