John's Journal...

Kevin VanDam Wins Fishing Tournaments by Letting Bass Tell Him What They Want

Day 2: Kevin VanDam Quit His Run-and-Gun Bass Fishing Tactics to Fish the Ocho Slow and Steady

Editor’s Note: In the world of bass fishing, Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Michigan, has set the bass-fishing world ablaze with his winning efforts. He was crowned the 2010 BASS Angler of the Year and the winner of the 2011 Bassmaster Classic, besides finishing in the top-12 cuts in a couple of BASS Elite tournaments, in this spring of 2011. But until he fished the BASS Elite Series Tournament on the St. Johns River in March, 2011, his three primary baits since the summer of 2011 had been the Strike King KVD 1.5 and 2.5 and the Strike King Premier Pro-Model spinner bait. However, at this tournament, VanDam’s best efforts came by fishing the Strike King Perfect Plastic lures. VanDam has learned over the years not to argue with the bass. He feeds the bass the lures they’ll eat, not just the lures he thinks they should eat, which is a critical element to his success.

Click for Larger ViewQuestion: The Ocho isn’t a new lure. It was introduced several years ago, and some people may have forgotten about it. Kevin, why did you decide to pick-up the Ocho and use it at the St. Johns River BASS Elite Tournament?

VanDam: Soft-plastic stick worms, like the Ocho, have been catching bass all over the nation, ever since their inception. For some reason, those big stick worms just work to catch bass. These types of worms really shine and show-off their fish-catching ability, especially when you fish them without a weight, during the bass’ spawn. Many-other competitors at this tournament fished the same style of bait as the Ocho. Click for Larger ViewHowever, I prefer the Ocho, because unlike many other stick worms, it has an octagonal shape, which enhances the action of the Ocho as it falls. The Ocho also has an extremely-high salt content. So, if you put it on a hook without any type of sinker, it still sinks horizontally. It also quivers as it falls, because those eight sides move through the water in a different way than a round worm does. The octagonal shape of the Ocho causes this particular stick worm to shimmy as it falls. That shimmy makes the bass to bite. I’ve learned that if the bass see that Ocho shimmying from the surface to the bottom, most of the time the bass will come to where the Ocho’s falling and eat it.

Click for Larger ViewQuestion: You’re known as a power-bait fisherman – crankbaits, spinner baits, buzzbaits and lipless crankbaits. Fast-moving baits are your stock and trade. You’ve built your reputation as a run-and-gun tournament fisherman. How did you decide to fish as slowly as you needed to fish the Ocho to effectively catch bass?

VanDam: During practice, I ran through a number of different areas on the St. Johns River. Because the water’s clear, I could see the bass on the spawning flats. Click for Larger ViewIn practice, I found certain areas where I saw plenty of bass cruising. Casting the Ocho in regions where I’d seen the bass in sunny weather was a great way to catch spawning bass I couldn’t see early in the morning. But the real secret to this technique is knowing where those bass are holding. I’d done my scouting, so I knew where the bass were concentrated. But in those early-morning hours, before the sun rose, when I couldn’t see the bass, I had confidence that I could catch them by fishing an Ocho slow and steady. Knowing that the bass were in the area was the reason I had the confidence to abandon my run-and-gun tactics, slow-down and let that Ocho sink to the bottom. Then when I caught a big bass using this tactic, I had even-more confidence in the bait and the technique for fishing those first hours before daylight. The section where I’d seen all the bass wasn’t that big, so I felt that if I saturated the area with the Ocho, I stood a good chance of catching some big bass.

Tomorrow: Kevin VanDam Explains the Importance of Sunglasses When He’s Sight-Fishing


Check back each day this week for more about "Kevin VanDam Wins Fishing Tournaments by Letting Bass Tell Him What They Want "

Day 1: What Lure to Fish When You Can’t See the Bass Going to the Bed with Kevin VanDam
Day 2: Kevin VanDam Quit His Run-and-Gun Bass Fishing Tactics to Fish the Ocho Slow and Steady
Day 3: Kevin VanDam Explains the Importance of Sunglasses When He’s Sight-Fishing
Day 4: Strike King’s Perfect Plastics Catch Bass with Kevin VanDam
Day 5: The Rodent for Bass with Kevin VanDam

ALL CONTENT PROTECTED UNDER THE DIGITAL MILLENIUM COPYRIGHT ACT. Content theft, either printed or electronic is a federal offense.

 

Entry 606, Day 2