Entry 252-5

Fishing the Most-Difficult Conditions with Kevin VanDam at Clark’s Hill Lake

Part 5: Final Day of Competition

Question: Kevin, what happened on the final day of competition?

VanDam When I woke up on the last day, the weather was calm and there were clear skies. I knew fishing would be tough. The first point I went to that morning, I fished the Red Eye Shad and the King Shad. I didn’t get a bite. I knew bass were holding on that point, if I could just catch them.

I decided to use the clear-colored Zero with metal flakes. I cast the bait out, twitch it fairly fast as I brought it back in and immediately caught a 4-pound bass. I rigged the Zero Texas style without a sinker on 8-pound-test line and a spinning rod. Then I’d twitch it like it was a jerkbait in hopes of getting bass to react. I felt good about catching a 4-pound bass, but I didn’t get another bite. When I caught a 4 pounder, I thought I had the magic formula. Too, I caught a number of stripers and hybrids because they’ll eat almost anything you cast out.

After I caught that one bass, I kept running points, looking for a ripple on the water or any type of wind that might put some wave action on points, but I struck out. By 9:00 am, I only had one bass in my live well. Then I pulled up on a point and immediately caught five, 2-pound bass on the Red Eye Shad. So, now I had a fair limit. I kept running my point pattern all day trying to find one big fish to move me up in the standings and possibly help me win the tournament.

The King Shad wasn’t working. I could still get bites on the Red Eye Shad by ripping it off the bottom and letting it fall back. I knew I’d have to finesse fish to catch more bass. So, I went back to the Shaky Head jig with the Strike King finesse worm and the Football Jig. I fished the Shadalicious to try and make a big fish bite, but I couldn’t catch the kicker fish I needed.

Question: What did you think on the way to weigh-in?

VanDam I knew that if I’d had a tough day, the other competitors probably did, too. I didn’t believe I had enough fish or big fish to compete with the leaders for the win. At the weigh-in, I moved up to fourth place, and Kenyon Hill won the tournament, bringing in 18 pounds the final day. I had the second-biggest stringer for the day.

Question: If you could fish the tournament over again, what would you do differently?

VanDam I wouldn’t change anything. Well, I would’ve liked to make the wind blow every day, but unfortunately I don’t have any control over the weather.

Question: How much did you earn for your fourth place finish?

VanDam I made $18,000. I also gained more than 60 points in the Angler-of-the-Year race, moving me to eighth place. If I continue to have top-10 finishes, I’ll still be in the hunt for that Angler-of-the-Year title.

Question: What was the winning tactic?

VanDam Kenyon Hill fished the same type of water I did, but he caught the majority of his fish using top-water baits called pencil poppers.

Question: When’s your next tournament?

VanDam It’s May 15-18 at Lake Murray in South Carolina. I’ve fished there quite a few times in the past, but it’s been 8 or 9 years since BASS has held a tournament there. It’s in the same area where the last tournament was held, so the lake has the same type of forage. The lake probably will fish quite similar to Clarks Hill Lake. So, I’ll probably target points with the same baits, and if the wind blows, I’ll have a good chance of winning. In May, the bass will be in post-spawn mode, holding on those points and moving toward their summer houses. So, points will be the best spot to catch bass.

Contents:

• Part 1: What I Knew and What I Learned
• Part 2: The First Day of the Tournament
• Part 3: The Second Day of the Tournament
• Part 4: Third Day of the Tournament
• Part 5: Final Day of Competition