KVD's big Day 3

Kevin VanDam started Day Three of the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Toledo Bend with 50 pounds.

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He started the morning fishing shallow...

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...but for the first few minutes all he caught was white bass.

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It was a Chamber of Commerce morning on Toledo Bend, light winds and mild temperatures.

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VanDam was working his way down a seawall off the main lake...

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...a very large seawall.

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The seawall finally paid off and KVD was hooked up with his first largemouth of the day...

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...and he made his way to the back of the boat to finish the fight.

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He took a knee...

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...just as the fish jumped trying one last time to throw the hooks.

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But the fish was hooked good...

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...and he was reaching for...

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...early morning pay dirt.

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Good way to start the day.

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He removed the hooks from the fish...

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...then went back back to work along the huge seawall.

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But he didn't stay after it long...

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...before making a move south...

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...and beginning a long day of grinding...

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...primarily with a big crankbait.

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He moved from waypoint to waypoint...

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...and fired cast...

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...after long cast...

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...ripping line from his reel.

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But from a numbers standpoint, it was setting up to be a much tougher day of fishing for VanDam on Day Three.

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He tried several different baits to get fish fired up where he had caught them the first two days.

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He had long lulls without catching a fish...

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...but kept grinding.

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He tried slowing down and fishing a worm for a few minutes...

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...but would always go back to the bait that had earned him the lead.

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And it would eventually pay off, BIG.

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The following photos show KVD catching his heaviest fish of the day, an 8 pound, 11 ounce fish.

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Then there was another long wait for the next keeper.

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And yes he is occasionally like the rest of us that bass fish - he gets hung up and breaks off.

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After grinding for a few hours well south on Toledo Bend...

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...he made a move north that paid off.

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He finally jerked another keeper into the boat...

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...and was finally putting on another solid limit that would leave him with nearly a 5-pound advantage going into the final day of fishing tomorrow.

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KVD's big Day 3

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