Kevin VanDam told me this morning he would assess the dynamics of how the Sunday storms affected his area upon arrival. So far so good.
BASSTrakk shows 4 keepers for about 7 pounds in his livewell.
The secret is also out on the secret tactic and technique. Nobody has a keener sense of reading water, bass behavior and baitfish activity than KVD. All three are key to patterning bass.
The secret lure is a 4.75-inch, 1/2-ounce Strike King KVD 300 Series Jerkbait, Chartreuse Sexy Shad. He chose the 300 series after noticing threadfin shad in his area being larger than normal, over 4 inches.
What else is unique to his area is the layout. VanDam is focused on fishing bottom contours and subtle depth changes. Both are key habitats for river bass, because they offer current breaks. Largemouth use those to get out of current and ambush baitfish as it sweeps past them. The threadfin is the food source and the jerkbait is the ideal imitator.
What else is ideal about current breaks, especially this time of year, is those act like funnels that siphon postspawn bass out of shallower spawning areas. Bass are less spread out and easier to find.
“River fish move based on their environment, so I will be moving with them,” he told me.
That makes the perfect setup for VanDam to be a contender. Moving water, a lure imitating the prevailing food source, and postspawn bass concentrated in funnels that make them easier to find.