Entry 257-5

Kevin VanDam on Fishing the BASS Elite at Wheeler Lake in June, 2008

Part 5: The Last Day of the Wheeler Lake Tournament

Question: What did you do on the last day of the tournament?

VanDam: I ran to my big-fish spot where I’d caught the majority of my bass. I used all the same baits I’d used the previous day. Bass seemed inactive the fifth day, and I had a hard time getting one to bite. I hooked quite a few big fish that I lost. I’m convinced I had the opportunity to win that tournament, but I just had too many fish get off my hook. I lost this tournament because of 8 ounces.

Question: Kevin, what were you doing to make the fish bite?

VanDam: Most people have a difficult time making bass bite when they don’t want to bite. Because I knew where the bass were holding, I made multiple casts to this spot using different baits. The secret is to use multiple casts to the same spot with different lures in hopes that one of the lures convinces the bass to bite. Also, I worked my baits in different ways to get that reaction strike I knew I needed. I fished the Carolina-rigged worm and the Football Head jig, hopped the Sexy Spoon and cast a 3/4 –ounce spinner bait. Every now and then, one of the fish would react and bite a lure.

Question: Is that what you usually do in an area where you know bass are holding but won’t bite?

VanDam: I throw them everything including the kitchen sink to get them to bite.

Question: On the last day, on what did you catch your bass?

VanDam: Two of the fish I weighed in were caught on a Football Head jig, two were caught on a crankbait, and two were caught on a Sexy Spoon.

Question: What kind of Football Head jig were you fishing, and what kind of trailer were you using?

VanDam: I was fishing a 1/2-ounce black, brown and chartreuse Football Head jig. The color is called Texas Craw. I was using a green-pumpkin Rage Craw trailer on the back of the jig. I cast the lure out and dragged it on the bottom to get the bass to bite. I kept the crawfish bouncing on the shells on the bottom, slowly and steadily, just like a crawfish would move on that shell bottom.

Question: Kevin, did you think you’d won the tournament?

VanDam: No, but I knew it would be close. I didn’t know what the first-place winner caught, but I knew he was on a good school of fish. So, you never know whether or not you’ve won until you get to the scales and weigh in. Remember, any person in the Elite Series can win a tournament. You aren’t fishing against guys you think you can beat, but you are fishing against the best fishermen in the nation. I’m never convinced until I get my weigh ticket and see what the other guys have caught about who’s won. All these guys have beat me earlier in tournaments through the years. Really, the Elite Series isn’t a competition between fishermen but a competition between bass and the fishermen. The person with the most big bass wins.

Jeremy Stark had been saving fish every day. He’d catch the number of bass he thought he’d need to do well and then back off. He was doing the same thing I was: milking our spots and trying not to catch more bass than we needed from our spot to have bass there to catch on this spot the next day of competition. On that last day, Jeremy caught one bass that weighed 8-ounces more than my bass. However, that’s the way competition fishing is. The tournament’s not over until it’s over. I lost the fish that could have won the tournament for me.

Question: How did you lose the winning bass?

VanDam: The bass were taking the crankbait, which had treble hooks. Often when they jumped, they’d throw the bait. You’re always going to lose some fish on a crankbait. To prevent losing bass, I use a crankbait rod that has soft action and really-sharp hooks, changing them several times throughout the day. I keep my hooks perfectly sharp and try to keep the bass from jumping, but sometimes there’s nothing you can do to keep the bass from jumping off.

Question: With this second-place finish you’re in second place for the Angler-of-the-Year title. Who’s ahead of you?

VanDam: Todd Faircloth.

Question: Kevin, you’re now at Kentucky’s Lake Barkley. What is fishing like there?

VanDam: Fishing on Lake Barkley is similar to fishing Wheeler. We’ll be fishing ledges, and the bite’s really happening. So, there should be some good weights coming from this tournament.

Question: Will you be using the Sexy Shad and the Sexy Spoon?

VanDam: I’ll be fishing all the same baits that I fished at Wheeler. I haven’t changed the lures or rigs on any of my rods. I’m set up to fish the same way I did last week.

Question: What have you learned the past couple days as you’ve pre-fished Lake Barkley?

VanDam: I’ve found several areas with big bass holding on them. I’m not sure how-many bass are on each spot, but I feel pretty good about the tournament. If the bass on these spots are big enough to win, my chances are good. There are many 3- and 4-pounders on the spots I’ve found.

Contents:

• Part 1: What I Knew Vs. What I Thought
• Part 2: My Plan for the First Day of Competition
• Part 3: The Second Day of Competition
• Part 4: The Third Day of Competition
• Part 5: The Last Day of the Wheeler Lake Tournament