Kevin VanDam's name is synonymous with speed. Whether it's deep cranking offshore structure or burning a spinnerbait around shoreline cover, VanDam's trolling motor gets a workout. So it was a mild surprise this past April when VanDam claimed the Bassmaster Elite Series title on Virginia's Smith Mountain Lake in what was pegged as a bed fishing extravaganza.
While a VanDam victory is never shocking, the way he amassed 61 pounds of bass over the course of four days turned a few heads. VanDam used a "power-finesse" strategy which combined two techniques that at first glance appear to be polar opposites.
"The idea is to cover as much water as possible but still have the triggering attributes of a finesse bait," says VanDam. "It's power-finesse in that you can cover water but still have that slow presentation."
"Being a power fisherman, I like to fish fast and cover water but I also know that there are a lot of times that you have to slow down and use finesse baits," explains the two-time Bassmaster Classic champion. "I found that if I use a power-finesse technique, I can kind of get the best of both worlds. I can still cover water but I can use finesse baits and trigger a lot of inactive fish into striking."
When employing the power-finesse technique, VanDam opts for subtle offerings which he has perfected on smallmouth in his home state of Michigan. Utilizing a shaky head, drop shot, or tube, VanDam is able to adjust the weight of the lure to generate the desired fall rate. Day in and day out, he believes that the tube and drop shot are the most versatile baits for power-finesse fishing.
(Provided exclusively to BASS Insider by Z3 Media)
