2023 Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Five Presented by ATG by Wrangler on Cayuga Lake!

Championship Round shaping up to be another epic clash for Stage Five supremacy

UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. – Saturday’s highly-anticipated Knockout Round at Favorite Fishing Stage Five Presented by ATG by Wrangler on Cayuga Lake lived up to the hype, and its name.

The constant catches and subsequent swings on SCORETRACKER® evoked a pair of heavyweight boxers trading blows in a 12-round title fight — except instead of punches, the 40 anglers thrilled fans watching on MLFNOW! by landing Cayuga’s beefy smallmouth bass.

Stage Five has officially become a smallmouth slugfest, with all 10 anglers who qualified for Sunday’s Championship Round weighing exclusively brown fish. Once again, the smallies showed up in quantity and quality never before seen on a national tournament trail, ensuring that this bass brawl will be remembered in fishing lore like Ali and Foreman’s Rumble in the Jungle.

Adrian Avena leads after hauling in 29 pounds, 6 ounces — in his words, “the best smallmouth bass fishing day of my entire life.” It gave him only 2 ounces of cushion over second-place Jacob Wheeler.

It wasn’t just the two traveling partners who caught ‘em, either. It took nearly 26 pounds (25-15) to make the top 10, with Kevin VanDam the last man to qualify for the Championship Round. An astounding 15 anglers topped 25 pounds for the day.

KVD Joins MINN KOTA TEAM

Check out the video announcement of KVD. 

Kevin Van Dam Wins 2017 BASS Elite St. Lawrence River with 90-03lbs!

Van Dam Slays them on Sunday!
By Bryan Brasher
BASS PRESS RELEASE

KVD dominated the St. Lawrence! (Photo: BASS)

By noon Sunday, Kevin VanDam was already working his way back to toward Whittaker Park, where the weigh-in would be held about three hours later.

He knew it was over — and so did most everyone else.

After leading the first three days, VanDam caught five bass today that weighed 23 pounds, 12 ounces to punctuate a dominant victory in the Huk Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River presented by Go RVing. His four-day total of 90-3 is one of the highest ever recorded by an Elite Series angler weighing in only smallmouth bass.

The closest angler to KVD was Mississippi pro Brock Mosley, who finished 8 pounds back with 82-3.

“I fished my very first B.A.S.S. tournament here on the St. Lawrence River in 1987,” said VanDam, who earned his B.A.S.S.-record 24th victory. “Someone told me today that this is my 300th tournament with B.A.S.S., and I had no idea. So, all of that makes this really special.”

VanDam earned $100,000 for first place and $1,500 more for landing the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the week — a monster 6-5 smallmouth that bit early Sunday morning. He also won the Livingston Lures Day 2 Leader Award of $500 for leading Friday’s second day of competition and the Power-Pole Captain’s Cash Award of $1,000 for being the highest-placing angler who is registered and eligible with a client-approved product on his boat.

2017 Bassmaster Elites St. Lawrence River Day 3: KVD Readies for Wire to Wire Win!

Jonathon Van Dam 2nd! 
BASS PRESS RELEASE

Two Van Dams are more dangerous than one.
(Photo: BASS)

It's been every pro fisherman's nightmare for more than 25 years.

Superstar Kevin VanDam — a Michigan native and arguably the best smallmouth angler in the history of the sport — is hammering the smallies with no sign of slowing down.

And now, the remaining anglers in the field have just one more day to overtake him and keep him from recording his 24th career B.A.S.S. victory wire-to-wire style at the Huk Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River presented by Go RVing.

VanDam added five bass that weighed 22 pounds, 10 ounces Saturday and maintained the lead he's held from the start with a three-day total of 66-7.

2017 BASS Elite Ross Barnett Day 3: Connell Leads as KVD and JVD Close In!

Weather worries for Sunday. 

By Thomas Allen 

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Rookie Connell steady as veterans close in.
(Photo: BASS)

For the second day in a row, Alabama native Dustin Connell is leading the fourth Bassmaster Elite Series event of his life. The 26-year-old rookie is closing in on his first victory and the $100,000 first-place prize at the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Ross Barnett.

The weather forecast for Ridgeland, Miss., is predicting strong thunderstorms and heavy rain for Championship Sunday, which could impact whether the tournament concludes on schedule or gets postponed until Monday.
 
Connell’s pattern produced 15 pounds, 7 ounces of largemouth bass for a three-day total of 51-14, which is just over 6 pounds ahead of second place.
 
“I’m fishing up in the Pearl River,” Connell said. “And if we get heavy rain, the potential flood waters could wash out my spots. If that happens, I may have to revert to plan B and pick up a frog. I’m hoping we’ll dodge a bullet and be able to fish on Sunday.”
 
Connell mentioned that he’s so confident in his fishing spots that if the weather holds off, he believes he can win.
 

ICAST 2016 Strike King Half Shell with Kevin Van Dam and IBASSIN

The new Strike King Half Shell is an amazing bait! It has already helped KVD win two BASS Elite events in 2016. Learn from Kevin Van Dam himself to what makes it so great on a drop shot.

KVD Wins Niagara Bracket Event, Third Win in 2016!

Victory Stands!

BASS PRESS RELEASE

In the final round of the Bassmaster Classic Bracket event on the upper Niagara River, Michigan’s Kevin VanDam collected his 23rd B.A.S.S. win in a dramatic ending to this first-of-its-kind tournament.

Jerkbait, drop shot and stamina key to Van Dam win!
(Photo: BASS)

 In today’s championship match, VanDam was pitted against Brett Hite of Arizona, and fans were able to watch live on Bassmaster.com as the two Elite Series anglers clashed rods for a berth in the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro and a $10,000 first-place payday. Unlike the first two elimination brackets of this derby — and traditional Elite Series tournaments — where a five-fish limit was the goal, every legal-size bass caught today was weighed and counted.

VanDam, who was worried about the change in format after it was announced Thursday, had no issues locating and catching enough fish to eliminate Hite, as he landed 11 bass that weighed-in at 20 pounds, 3 ounces.

Kevin Van Dam Wins 2016 BASS Elite Cayuga Lake Event with 71-13lbs!

KVD is King again!
By Bryan Brasher

BASS PRESS RELEASE

KVD is BACK! (Photo BASS)

A little over six weeks ago, many professional fishing fans were wondering out loud, “What’s wrong with Kevin VanDam?”

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.

2016 BASS Elite Toledo Bend Day 1: KVD Smashes Them + Big Bass

Top 5 anglers have 10 Bassmaster Classic victories between them
By Bryan Brasher

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Kevin VanDam wanted badly to fish offshore during the three-day practice period for the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Toledo Bend. But a steady 20-mph wind just wouldn’t allow it.

The winds died Thursday as the tournament began, and fishing fans in central Louisiana got to see why VanDam was so anxious to move away from the banks.

KVD on his game off-shore. (Photo BASS)

The pro fishing superstar from Kalamazoo, Mich., brought in a five-bass limit that weighed 29 pounds, 5 ounces to top the leaderboard on a day when 12 anglers caught at least 20 pounds. He leads a star-studded Top 5 that includes 69-year-old Missouri legend Rick Clunn (24-10), North Carolina pro Hank Cherry, Jr. (24- 7), 2012 GEICO Bassmaster Classic winner Chris Lane (23-14) and reigning Classic champion Edwin Evers (22-11).

“I started on the shallow pattern and caught a good limit early, and that gave me the confidence to go and fish deep,” said VanDam, who has four Classic titles on his resume. “I didn’t get to fish deep in practice the way I like to because of all the wind. So I fished a lot of places today that I hadn’t fished at all this week.

2015 BASSfest at Kentucky Lake Day 2: Edwin Evers Take Lead with Giant Bag!

Ever's 8-pounder helps keep KVD at bay. 

By Bryan Brasher

bass press release

PARIS, Tenn. – Oklahoma pro Edwin Evers got the kind of bite Thursday that helps a professional angler separate himself from the field in a tournament like Zippo BASSfest at Kentucky Lake presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps.

Big fish make the difference for top leaders like Edwin.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

But when the mammoth 8-pound largemouth first bit, he wasn’t sure what he had.

“I set the hook on that thing, and I thought I had the bottom,” Evers said. “It was a really cool bite. I didn’t think she would weigh that much, but she was solid.”

The big fish of the day helped Evers put together a five-bass limit that weighed 27 pounds, 2 ounces and pushed him into the lead with a two-day total of 51-2. Michigan superstar Kevin VanDam is second with 47-14, while Alabama pros Derek Remitz and Tim Horton are next with 47-4 each.

The Mighty Kevin Van Dam Fails to Qualify for the 2015 Classic!

There will be no 2015 Classic appearance after 24 in a row

By Steve Wright

Originally posted on bassmaster.com

UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. — It didn't become official until Saturday's weigh-in at the Bassmaster Elite Series Cayuga Lake tournament was complete.

But it's a done deal now: Kevin VanDam, the most accomplished angler in B.A.S.S. history, didn't qualify to compete in what would have been his 25th Bassmaster Classic in a row.

Difficult to believe KVD will miss
a Classic.
(Photo: BASS)

That's almost unimaginable because VanDam has been so consistently good for so long.

KVD handled the bad news just like he's handled everything else in his brilliant career -- with class and honesty.

"I can promise you, I hate it right now," he said at the Frontenac Park weigh-in site.

"But I don't care who you are or how good you are, it's going to happen eventually. It's very humbling out here."

This season has been unfathomably humbling for the 46-year-old Kalamazoo, Mich., resident. Only a few years after he burst on the B.A.S.S. scene it was unquestionable that there was a Superman on the circuit and KVD were his initials.

Consider this: In the first eight seasons of the Elite Series, VanDam missed the top 50 cut (and the $10,000 check that goes with it) only four times.

That's cashing-in on 69 of 73 chances. But in 2014, VanDam doubled those sub-top 50 performances – four more in a single season, including the four worst finishes of his Elite Series career.

2014 ICAST Strike King KVD 8.0 Square Bill Crankbait with Mark Rose & IB...

2014 ICAST we find FLW Pro and deep water expert Mark Rose with the new KVD 8.0 Square bill crankbait. Big baits equal big bites. We've all heard that before, so tie on the all-new KVD 8.0 from Strike King and prepare to catch a giant!

"The nature of today's tournament atmosphere has changed," says four-time Bassmaster Classic champion Kevin VanDam. "Gone are the days of catching a limit to survive. Survival and success in today's tournaments require catching 5 big bass every single day.

Sports Illustrated Magazine's Classic Article & Great Video

A great article in a recent Sports Illustrated. 

LINK

2013 BASSMASTER ELITE Sabine River Day 2: Todd Faircloth Jumps into Lead.

Leader Todd Faircloth culls and calls it a day by noon

By Deb Johnson

BASS Press Release

Faircloth's big bag helps Texan lead on difficult fishery.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

It was a short workday for Todd Faircloth on Friday. By noon, the Bassmaster Elite Series pro from Jasper, Texas, had a five-fish limit. He decided they weighed enough, and they were all he should take from his prime fishing area on the Sabine River system, so he called it a day.

He was right: At the scales, his fish weighed 16 pounds, 8 ounces, bringing his two-day total to 26-15. It was enough for the Friday lead in the Sabine River Challenge presented by STARK Cultural Venues in Orange, Texas, the season opener of the Elite Series.

Enough, yes, to jump over first-day leader Dean Rojas, but by only 7 ounces. Rojas, of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., had a two-day total of 26-8. He slipped to second place after his Day Two catch of 10-14 was almost five pounds lighter than his big Day One bag of 15-10. Cliff Crochet of Pierre Part, La., is third with a two-day total of 25-0.

Faircloth said he left his area after he caught his eighth keeper and had culled for his best five. His largest, a 4-6, was his first keeper of the day.

2013 BASSMASTER CLASSIC Final Standings

Cliff Pace wins the 2013 CLASSIC!
(Photo: BASS)

The final standings for the 2013 BASSMASTER CLASSIC.
BELOW

2013 BASSMASTER CLASSIC Day 2: Pace Leads by 7 Pounds!

By Deb Johnson

BASS PRESS RELEASE

TULSA, Okla. — A consistent Cliff Pace of Petal, Miss., not only kept his first-day lead in the Bassmaster Classic presented by Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa, he pulled away from the pack by 7 pounds in the second day of competition for $500,000 and the biggest trophy of pro bass fishing.

Pace shook off the angler who tied him for the lead Friday, Michael Iaconelli of Pittsgrove, N.J.

Pace has had two amazing days. Will Day 3 be the same?
(Photos: BASS)

With a Saturday catch that weighed 21 pounds, 12 ounces, Pace has racked up 43-4 over two days of competition on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees. His second-day weight was 4 ounces more than the 21-8 he brought to the scales Friday.

“I didn’t fish differently today at all,” Pace said. “For me, it’s been all about committing to the way I can catch the big ones. I took a big, big risk to do that. I think I’m doing something that has potential and will hold through tomorrow.”

He said Saturday started slowly for him, with his first bass coming about 10 a.m. He ended up catching the day’s largest bass, a 7-2 largemouth.

The Grand Lake event marks Pace’s fifth Classic appearance, but he’s never won one. He came close in 2008 on Lake Hartwell when he was second to Alton Jones of Texas.

2013 IBASSIN.com’s Classic picks

So, who will win the Classic on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees?

Here are IBASSIN.com’s picks and why.

(Photos: BASS)

Jason Christie

It is statistically proven that hometown favorites have a slim chance of winning. Boyd Duckett is the only Classic Champ to ever do it. With that in mind, Jason Christie is our huge favourite. Not sure if it is divine intervention of this southern FLW pro winning the Northern Open on smallmouth bass but that is very odd series of events not to be ignored. Christie has local winter time experience on Grand plus he recently won a pre-spawn FLW event two years ago. He is playing it too cool and that is a sure sign he is hiding something.

Tommy Biffle

Tommy is another Oklahoma expert. He has the extra incentive of several missed Classic titles. Recently he has proven himself as an off-shore angler, mostly on the back of his Biffle Hard head and Bug, but who cares how he did it. He knows how to catch deep water bass. If he was still just a flipping expert, his chances would be limited. Plus, how fitting would it be for him to finally win a Classic in his home state. A definite career topper!

Kevin Van Dam

Come on, I would be a fool not to pick him. He is amazing a transitions and change. If the weather flickers from freezing to mild he’ll react accordingly. One down fall is the lack of grass in this lake. Van Dam is a master with grass. Grand is all rock, so that might be a downfall. In reality, KVD has no downfalls and this seasonal period is an off-shore jerk bait, crankbait and jig bite. He will get his fifth Classic and Grand Lake is a perfect setting for another KVD fest.

Mustad Introduces New Grip-Pin Max Hooks

MUSTAD® INTRODUCES NEW GRIP-PIN MAX™ HOOKS FOR SOFT PLASTICS

Anglers take notice; two new Grip-pin series hooks are here! The Grip-Pin Max (G34131NP-BN) is a straight-shank, wide-bite hook with a sleek, integrated keeper on the upper shank to keep baits perfectly positioned without hanging in the grass. This versatile “no slip/no slide” design securely anchors baits without tearing or slipping. The hook eye is completely sealed for 100% confidence when fishing braid lines.

In conjunction with the launch of the Grip-Pin Max, Mustad has also modified the original KVD Grip-Pin® hook (38101NP) with a new smaller, sleeker keeper that holds baits securely and makes presentations perfectly weedless.

Like all UltraPoint® hooks, both hooks feature Mustad’s 4.3 Micro Sharp Point Technology for an incredibly sharp point which is ultra-durable. MUSTAD® INTRODUCES NEW GRIP-PIN MAX™ HOOKS FOR SOFT PLASTICS

MUSTAD ® EXPANDS RANGE OF KVD ELITE TRIPLE GRIP ® TREBLE HOOKS

 The KVD family of Treble Hooks is growing! 


When KVD designs a treble hook you know it's worth taking a second look.   The first KVD model ( TG76NP-BN) had a short shank and extra strong wire, which allowed anglers to upsize their crankbait hooks without having them tangle with one another.   The extra strong wire also offered better hook-setting power and more muscle for powering fish away from heavy cover. 

Now Mustad has added two new versions of UltraPoint® KVD Elite Triple Grip® Treble to meet angler needs for a broader range of applications.   

The TG58NP-BN   Features standard wire diameter and standard shank length.   The longer shank length increases the distance between the hook points and the lure body, raising hook-up percentages. A great option when hooks are spaced far enough apart to prevent tangling. 

The TG78NP-BN also features the new longer shank length, but in 1X strong, like the Original KVD Triple Grip. 

Mustad has also added extra strong round bend hooks to their line-up as well. 

Of course, all Ultrapoint hooks include 4.3 Micro Sharp Point Technology know for it's balance between sharpness and durability. 
  

ICAST 2011 HERE I COME!

Flying out tomorrow to Vegas and it looks busy! Tuesday night has the new products showcase for the media and buyers. This is a section that people can get the very first glace at the new products in fishing. Really, really cool stuff.

Meeting up with Chris from Pure Fishing and Ray one of the main editor of Ontario OUT OF DOORS, for dinner and then getting ready for the show on Wednesday. Last year, I was shocked to see the place boiling at 8am. Really, it was so busy and the mix of people is so interesting. I bumped into one of my favourite Western anglers, John Murray and beside him were another 20 pro anglers and media people. I didn't even get in the door and I was pumped with the vibe.

What to expect? Well, a bit of everything. I have to meet companies for future articles coming out in Ontario OUT OF DOORS and other magazines. Last year, I picked up BASSMASTER and hopefully a few other magazines this year. So, that will keep me busy. I have a lot of meeting with the biggest companies such as: Rapala, Shimano, Loomis, Abu, Pure Fishing, Minn Kota, Team Diawa, Quantum, etc.. I'm really looking forward to seeing what is new from them.

I'm also looking forward to seeing what is new from Japan.  A few of the biggest companies are at the show and it should be so amazing. I have a meeting with Toshifumi Kikumoto of EverGreen International. He is a super cool cat along with being one of the best lure and rod designers ever to walk the planet. My Japanese is limited and I think his English is poor but who cares.

Another cool gang I will be chatting with is Molix. An Italian company I met with last year and will be having a few glasses of wine with. Luckily my Italian is much stronger than my Japanese. They are starting to sell in North America so you should look out for them.

I'm not planning on flooding my youtube site with countless videos when I come back. Expect some interesting and non-typical videos. I will be doing the junket videos about products so you'll not miss anything but expect to see a variety. You'll  have to wait and see that will come in the future. 

Take care and keep tuned in.

BYE!