MY FIVE FAVORITE OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER PATTERNS WITH
KEVIN VANDAM
Bet On The Baitfish
Editor’s Note: Longtime, nationally-known bass-fishing
pro Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Michigan, has proved
to everyone in the bass-fishing world that he can catch
bass year-round. VanDam's many wins and his title of
Bassmasters Classic Champion attest to his ability to
catch fish. VanDam says that during October and November,
bass are keying in on baitfish, and in the South, bass
are primarily feeding on shad. In the North in October
and November, bass may be feeding on shad, perch or
LYs. Because VanDam understands this, he fishes with
baitfish-imitating lures these months. This week VanDam
shares with us his five-favorite October and November
bass patterns.
My number-one lure for this time of the year is the
spinner bait. In the South, the spinner bait is just
kicking in as a great tactic in October. In the North,
the spinner bait is already good. Water clarity dictates
how you should fish your Strike King spinner bait. If
I'm fishing in a clear-water lake with 3 feet of visibility
or more, I'll be fishing the new Bleeding Bait Series
of spinner baits from Strike King. I like the shad pattern,
and I like to fish these baits fast. I  like
to fish the 1/2-ounce tandem willow-leaf spinner bait
fast. Windy banks, the tops of lay-down trees, underwater
grass and submerged rocks are my primary targets. I
also use this spinner bait to fish a lot of flats because
I can fish these flats fast and find bass quickly with
this new spinner bait
.In the South in the fall, the shad will be moving
to the backs of creeks, and the bass will follow the
shad there. On the northern lakes, for instance where
I live in Michigan, the bass will be moving onto the
flats and feeding up for winter. Right now's the beginning
of the glory time of fall bass fishing. These next couple
of weeks can be as great a bass fishing time as you'll
ever have in the fall.
One of the reasons more people don't catch more bass
on a spinner bait in clear water is because they don't
fish spinner baits fast enough. I use the Quantum PT
Series Bait Casting Reel in the high-speed series with
the 6-3-1 gear ratio, and I'll be smoking the reel.
When I'm retrieving a spinner bait in clear water, I'm
cranking that reel from 3/4 to as fast as I can possibly
turn the handle on the reel. Now, fishing a spinner
bait that fast all day long is hard.
Therefore, not many people use this technique to catch
bass in clear-water lakes, which is one of the reasons
I fish this way. Most bass in clear-water lakes haven't
seen a spinner bait swimming at breakneck speed just
under the surface before. They haven't seen that type
lure moving that fast that they will attack. My favorite
color is Strike King’s Bleeding White spinner
bait.
I fished this new bait for five days here in Michigan
while filming a TV Show, and I really smashed the fish.
I couldn't believe how many bass I caught on this lure.
This new lure had a red wire arm and a little clear-plastic
blade that went over the rear blade and gave off a red
glow as it spun like a salmon blade, plus it had a red
hook and a red head. I was using this lure to catch
smallmouths in crystal-clear water, and it was unbelievable
how many smallmouth I caught with this Bleeding White
spinner bait in that clear water.
I believe this spinner bait is so effective not only
because I'm fishing it fast in the upper-water column,
but also when a bass looks up at a baitfish, usually
all he sees is a white belly. Regardless of what the
baitfish is,  that's
the color that the bass sees. When you put flashes of
red with that white belly, which represents an injured
baitfish moving fast, the bass just naturally has to
eat it.
I don't steady wind the spinner bait. I give it jerks
and twitches as I'm burning it through the water because
I want the spinner bait to look like a wounded baitfish.
Injured
baitfish don't swim on a steady course, like baitfish
do that aren't injured.
I also like Strike King’s 1/2-ounce Bleeding
Premier Elite spinner bait with the double willow-leaf
blade. If the water is a little stained, I prefer chartreuse
and white colors. If the water is more stained, I'll
choose the Colorado and willow-leaf combination blades,
and I'll want to fish with a 3/8-ounce spinner bait.
TOMORROW: VANDAM'S SECOND CHOICE FOR CLEAR-WATER FISHING
- THE JERKBAIT
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