Entry 105-1
Five Critical Keys For Making The Classic by Kevin VanDam
Lake Guntersville
Editor's Note: Kevin VanDam, another of those Strike King Pros who consistently finds a way to earn a berth in the Bassmaster's Classic, looks back on this past year this week. The top point earner in the Elite 50 anglers for 2004, VanDam will tell us about the five defining moments in tournaments that have helped him earn the right to compete in the biggest fishing tournament of the season, the Bassmaster's Classic.
VanDam: The Lake Guntersville Tournament in Guntersville, Alabama, in the spring of 2004 was really the turning point for my season. Although George Cochran, another Strike King Pro, won that tournament with over 100 pounds of bass, I came in third with almost 90 pounds of bass. I had a really good tournament. Catching that many big bass in that tournament really boosted my confidence and made me feel good about the rest of the year.
I had a poor tournament in Florida, and I didn't do that much better at the Smith Lake tournament in Alabama, I just needed a big confidence boost to get my fishing attitude right. When you are only fishing in six tournaments to qualify for the Classic, and you bomb the first two, you know that you have got to have a good win to place in the Top 10 if you are going to make it to the Classic.
Guntersville is a power fishing lake, and that's the kind of fishing that I like to do. Like George, I caught my bass ripping a 1/2-ounce Diamond Shad through the grass. The water temperature was in the mid-40s, and when the water is that cold, the bass usually don't bite real well. So, instead of reeling the Diamond Shad along and ripping it out of the grass, I was ripping it up and letting it flutter down with a yo-yo type technique. I was fishing it much slower and much deeper than most people would fish a lipless crankbait. I was fishing the bait on 17-pound Flourocarbon line in 5- to 7-foot-deep water. When I let the bait flutter down on the taut line, the bass would really hammer the Diamond Shad. I was fishing the Diamond Shad in the Texas red and golden crawfish colors.
When I caught all those big bass at that tournament, I really felt like I could continue my streak and make the Classic. Many fishermen really underestimate the power and momentum that you can pull out of doing well in one tournament. But I can definitely say the Guntersville tournament was the turning point towards the Classic for me.
Contents:
- Part 1: Lake Guntersville
- Part 2: Alabama's Lake Eufaula Was Good To Me
- Part 3: I Almost Lost the Classic at Santee Cooper
- Part 4: One of the Worst Tournaments I've Ever Fished
- Part 5: Don't Push the Panic Button
