<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=931 bgColor=#ffffff><TBODY><TR><TD width=17></TD><TD vAlign=top width=732><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=732><!-- Inner TAble Start --><TBODY><TR><TD class=header height=20 background=images/hdr_nr_blank.gif width="50%">Pro Tours News </TD><TD class=header background=images/hdr_nr_blank.gif width="50%" colSpan=2 align=right>RETURN TO MENU
</TD></TR><!-- 2nd row of inner table --><TR><TD vAlign=top width=732 colSpan=2><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" bgColor=#ffffff><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD><TD class=bodycopy>
<!-- begin article -->
Kentucky Lake Winning Pattern
Super-Deep Cranking Was The Key For VanDam
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=190 align=right><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD><TD><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 bgColor=#ffffff><TBODY><TR><TD bgColor=#ffffff>
Kevin VanDam now has two wins, a 2nd-place finish and a 3rd at Kentucky Lake since 2006.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Luck will always be a part of fishing, even at the highest competitive levels. But the way Kevin VanDam went about winning the Kentucky Lake Bassmaster Elite Series, he came about as close as possible to taking fortune out of the equation.
During practice, he found several groups of the 4- to 5-pound fish he'd need to claim his second win on the big Tennessee River impoundment in 3 years. Then he figured out how to make them bite for extended periods.
When competition got under way, he managed them beautifully. His weights dropped slightly with each succeeding day, but he never turned in less than 21 1/2 pounds, and one of the two spots he'd saved for the chaotic final day surrendered four fish that made their way to the scale.
The win was the 17th tour-level triumph of his illustrious career (two behind Roland Martin's record). It also put the reigning Bassmaster Classic champion in contention for his third consecutive Angler of the Year (AOY) title and sixth overall.
Here's how he did it.
Practice
VanDam, who has 2nd- and 3rd-place finishes at Kentucky Lake since 2006 to go along with his two wins, said his first order of business when he arrives at the Kentucky-Tennessee border is to figure out which phase the majority of the quality fish are in.
"Everybody's going to be fishing ledges, but there have been times in the past when the fish were still in the creeks or just coming out (after the spawn), and the stuff around the mouths was real good," he said. "I've got spots there to fit just about any situation, whether it's the main lake or the creeks or whatever.
"On the first day of practice I found some fish way out on the main lake – on the actual river channel itself – and that kind of tipped me off that they were further along toward their summer pattern than what we'd seen before. I think most of them had already spawned prior to the big flood they had (earlier this spring), and all that water moved them out on the main river."
He set his Humminbird 1195 unit to side-scan 70 feet in either direction and found several enormous schools.
"The three best spots I found, I just graphed the ledge and I could physically see the bass. Some of those schools, I'd hate to guess how many were in there. There were hundreds of them."
If left to their own devices, such groups of fish will spend most of the day in a non-aggressive state. However, they can be coaxed into biting – worked into a minor feeding frenzy, even – by baits that move right through their midst. A crankbait is often the most effective trigger.
"I threw a football jig, a worm, a (Strike King) Sexy Spoon and a big swimbait, but a crankbait was just the best at getting them to fire. You can be a lot more efficient with it because you can make a precise, pinpoint cast and the sweet spot you have to hit can be really small.
"The biggest factor for was having a Strike King Series 6 XD tied on. That bait runs deeper than any other out there and it allowed me to probe those 18- to 22-foot ledges that other people couldn't get a crankbait down to. They'd have to use a jig or something else."
Competition
> Day 1: 5, 25-00
> Day 2: 5, 24-02
> Day 3: 5, 21-11
> Day 4: 5, 21-08
> Total = 20, 92-05
VanDam caught his best sack of the tournament on day 1 to stake his claim to the top slot on the leaderboard, and he wouldn't relinquish it. He actually would've trailed Rick Morris by about a half-pound, but Morris had a 9-pounder go belly-up on him and incurred an 8-ounce penalty. That circumstance gained VanDam the 5 additional AOY points that are awarded to daily leaders and allowed him to leave Paris, Tenn. with the maximum total possible (320).
He extended his advantage to 6 pounds with another excellent bag on day 2, but then came in almost 2 1/2 pounds lighter on day 3 and surrendered nearly half of that bulge to Kelly Jordon, who was parlaying a few big bites each day into some impressive stringers. That added some drama to the final day, which would play out on a Saturday amongst the huge throng of observers and local competitors that congregate at Kentucky Lake on the weekends.
VanDam has long been the favorite of the local denizens, and he had the immense following he'd anticipated as he headed for his first stop. Anglers from any of the several large local tournaments that had launched earlier that morning were on some of his stuff, but he'd conserved two spots just for this occasion.
His day-4 bag was third-best among the dozen anglers who'd advanced that far, and his margin of victory was a comfortable 6 1/2 pounds over runner-up Edwin Evers (Jordon's big fish had deserted him and he weighed just 10-08).
"I did all I could do this week. People have been asking, 'What's up with KVD, what's Kevin's problem, how come he's not catching them?' Well, nothing's wrong.
"I've been fishing hard and I've been fishing well, but (the lack of) a few key bites each week had kept me out of the hunt. This week I made it happen."
<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=380 align=right><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD><TD><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 bgColor=#ffffff><TBODY><TR><TD bgColor=#ffffff>
VanDam used two versions of the Strike King Series 6 XD in chartreuse sexy shad – one with rattles and one without.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Gear Notes
> Cranking gear: 7'10" medium-heavy Quantum Tour Edition KVD rod, Quantum Tour Edition KVD casting reel (5.3:1 ratio), 12-pound Bass Pro Shops XPS flurocarbon line, Strike King Series 6 XD (chartreuse sexy shad).
> When his action slowed down, he switched to the Silent Stalker version of the Series 6 XD, which is available only through Bass Pro Shops. "I'd throw the one with the rattles first to get them fired up, then follow it up with the silent one, and that's actually the one I caught most of my bigger fish on," he said. "I really discovered the effectiveness of it at Guntersville after I'd been catching them for an hour on the 6 XD, and then they started just bumping the bait and wouldn't take it. I started throwing the Silent Stalker and it was like I'd never even fished for them. They went for another hour and a half on the silent bait."
> He changed out the stock hooks on his baits in favor of No. 1 "That's a big one and it's also a real strong hook. I was able to land a lot of doubles and I didn't have to worry about my hooks being straightened out."
> He caught one weigh-in fish on a 10-inch Strike King Rage Tail Thumper worm (green-pumpkin) fished on a 6/0 with a 1/2-ounce weight.
> He applied FishSticks Lure Enhancer to every bait he threw throughout the week. "I was doing everything I could to get them to bite and hold on a little better, and it seemed to help."
The Bottom Line
> – "I'd just say having the equipment and the lure that allowed me to be efficient in 18 to 22 feet of water."
> – "My Humminbird electronics because you've got to know they're there before you make the cast, but also the rod, reel, line and bait. I could make a 70-yard cast and it was funny to listen to people in the crowd saying, 'Look at how far he's throwing that thing!'''
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD><TD class=bodycopy>
<!-- begin article -->
Kentucky Lake Winning Pattern
Super-Deep Cranking Was The Key For VanDam
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=190 align=right><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD><TD><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 bgColor=#ffffff><TBODY><TR><TD bgColor=#ffffff>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Photo: ESPN Outdoors/Seigo SaitoKevin VanDam now has two wins, a 2nd-place finish and a 3rd at Kentucky Lake since 2006.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Luck will always be a part of fishing, even at the highest competitive levels. But the way Kevin VanDam went about winning the Kentucky Lake Bassmaster Elite Series, he came about as close as possible to taking fortune out of the equation.
During practice, he found several groups of the 4- to 5-pound fish he'd need to claim his second win on the big Tennessee River impoundment in 3 years. Then he figured out how to make them bite for extended periods.
When competition got under way, he managed them beautifully. His weights dropped slightly with each succeeding day, but he never turned in less than 21 1/2 pounds, and one of the two spots he'd saved for the chaotic final day surrendered four fish that made their way to the scale.
The win was the 17th tour-level triumph of his illustrious career (two behind Roland Martin's record). It also put the reigning Bassmaster Classic champion in contention for his third consecutive Angler of the Year (AOY) title and sixth overall.
Here's how he did it.
Practice
VanDam, who has 2nd- and 3rd-place finishes at Kentucky Lake since 2006 to go along with his two wins, said his first order of business when he arrives at the Kentucky-Tennessee border is to figure out which phase the majority of the quality fish are in.
"Everybody's going to be fishing ledges, but there have been times in the past when the fish were still in the creeks or just coming out (after the spawn), and the stuff around the mouths was real good," he said. "I've got spots there to fit just about any situation, whether it's the main lake or the creeks or whatever.
"On the first day of practice I found some fish way out on the main lake – on the actual river channel itself – and that kind of tipped me off that they were further along toward their summer pattern than what we'd seen before. I think most of them had already spawned prior to the big flood they had (earlier this spring), and all that water moved them out on the main river."
He set his Humminbird 1195 unit to side-scan 70 feet in either direction and found several enormous schools.
"The three best spots I found, I just graphed the ledge and I could physically see the bass. Some of those schools, I'd hate to guess how many were in there. There were hundreds of them."
If left to their own devices, such groups of fish will spend most of the day in a non-aggressive state. However, they can be coaxed into biting – worked into a minor feeding frenzy, even – by baits that move right through their midst. A crankbait is often the most effective trigger.
"I threw a football jig, a worm, a (Strike King) Sexy Spoon and a big swimbait, but a crankbait was just the best at getting them to fire. You can be a lot more efficient with it because you can make a precise, pinpoint cast and the sweet spot you have to hit can be really small.
"The biggest factor for was having a Strike King Series 6 XD tied on. That bait runs deeper than any other out there and it allowed me to probe those 18- to 22-foot ledges that other people couldn't get a crankbait down to. They'd have to use a jig or something else."
Competition
> Day 1: 5, 25-00
> Day 2: 5, 24-02
> Day 3: 5, 21-11
> Day 4: 5, 21-08
> Total = 20, 92-05
VanDam caught his best sack of the tournament on day 1 to stake his claim to the top slot on the leaderboard, and he wouldn't relinquish it. He actually would've trailed Rick Morris by about a half-pound, but Morris had a 9-pounder go belly-up on him and incurred an 8-ounce penalty. That circumstance gained VanDam the 5 additional AOY points that are awarded to daily leaders and allowed him to leave Paris, Tenn. with the maximum total possible (320).
He extended his advantage to 6 pounds with another excellent bag on day 2, but then came in almost 2 1/2 pounds lighter on day 3 and surrendered nearly half of that bulge to Kelly Jordon, who was parlaying a few big bites each day into some impressive stringers. That added some drama to the final day, which would play out on a Saturday amongst the huge throng of observers and local competitors that congregate at Kentucky Lake on the weekends.
VanDam has long been the favorite of the local denizens, and he had the immense following he'd anticipated as he headed for his first stop. Anglers from any of the several large local tournaments that had launched earlier that morning were on some of his stuff, but he'd conserved two spots just for this occasion.
His day-4 bag was third-best among the dozen anglers who'd advanced that far, and his margin of victory was a comfortable 6 1/2 pounds over runner-up Edwin Evers (Jordon's big fish had deserted him and he weighed just 10-08).
"I did all I could do this week. People have been asking, 'What's up with KVD, what's Kevin's problem, how come he's not catching them?' Well, nothing's wrong.
"I've been fishing hard and I've been fishing well, but (the lack of) a few key bites each week had kept me out of the hunt. This week I made it happen."
<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=380 align=right><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD><TD><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 bgColor=#ffffff><TBODY><TR><TD bgColor=#ffffff>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Photo: Tackle WarehouseVanDam used two versions of the Strike King Series 6 XD in chartreuse sexy shad – one with rattles and one without.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Gear Notes
> Cranking gear: 7'10" medium-heavy Quantum Tour Edition KVD rod, Quantum Tour Edition KVD casting reel (5.3:1 ratio), 12-pound Bass Pro Shops XPS flurocarbon line, Strike King Series 6 XD (chartreuse sexy shad).
> When his action slowed down, he switched to the Silent Stalker version of the Series 6 XD, which is available only through Bass Pro Shops. "I'd throw the one with the rattles first to get them fired up, then follow it up with the silent one, and that's actually the one I caught most of my bigger fish on," he said. "I really discovered the effectiveness of it at Guntersville after I'd been catching them for an hour on the 6 XD, and then they started just bumping the bait and wouldn't take it. I started throwing the Silent Stalker and it was like I'd never even fished for them. They went for another hour and a half on the silent bait."
> He changed out the stock hooks on his baits in favor of No. 1 "That's a big one and it's also a real strong hook. I was able to land a lot of doubles and I didn't have to worry about my hooks being straightened out."
> He caught one weigh-in fish on a 10-inch Strike King Rage Tail Thumper worm (green-pumpkin) fished on a 6/0 with a 1/2-ounce weight.
> He applied FishSticks Lure Enhancer to every bait he threw throughout the week. "I was doing everything I could to get them to bite and hold on a little better, and it seemed to help."
The Bottom Line
> – "I'd just say having the equipment and the lure that allowed me to be efficient in 18 to 22 feet of water."
> – "My Humminbird electronics because you've got to know they're there before you make the cast, but also the rod, reel, line and bait. I could make a 70-yard cast and it was funny to listen to people in the crowd saying, 'Look at how far he's throwing that thing!'''
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>