KVD is King again!
By Bryan Brasher
By Bryan Brasher
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| KVD is BACK! (Photo BASS) |
Now those same fans must be wondering just how many gigantic
moments VanDam has ahead of him.
After recording his 21st career victory at Louisiana’s
Toledo Bend Reservoir in May, VanDam won again Sunday, coming from behind to
claim the $100,000 first-place prize in the Busch Beer Bassmaster Elite at
Cayuga Lake. After going five years between victories, the Michigan superstar
has now won twice in seven weeks.
VanDam, went into Sunday’s final round in third place,
almost 2 pounds out of the lead. But a final-day catch of 15 pounds, 7 ounces
put him over the top with a four-day mark of 71-13. Jordan Lee, a 24-year-old
Alabama angler who led going into the final round, finished second with 70-12.
“You just never know how things are going to go out here,”
said VanDam, who extended his own B.A.S.S. record with his 22nd career win.
“I’ve said it many times before. It’s really hard to win against these guys.
“I feel pretty lucky today, for sure. I didn’t have a great
day today.”
Unlike Toledo Bend, which he described as the “toughest
tournament he ever won,” VanDam went into the Cayuga Lake event with a lot of
confidence based on what he’d seen in practice. He used a variety of patterns
throughout the week and exploited the lake’s solid populations of both
largemouth and smallmouth bass.
