By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor


The only Bassmaster Classic of the past quarter-century that Kevin VanDam wasn't eagerly looking forward to has come and gone. The four-time winner of the event got through it just fine and even expanded his horizons a bit in the process.

"It was definitely a learning experience for me," VanDam said of the first Classic since 1990 in which he didn't qualify to compete. "I tried to make the most of my time there on all fronts and I had some fun, too.

"But I was definitely busy – I was busier than I would've been if I'd been fishing. It was very flattering and humbling to see the number of fans that I did there and it also showed me how big the Classic Expo is and how well-attended it is. That part was really impressive."

Nothing Like Going Live

As he'd anticipated, the most difficult part of the event for VanDam was the frigid day-1 launch in Anderson, S.C. While the 56 competitors were making their final preparations for their day on Lake Hartwell, he was doing a live interview with The Weather Channel.

"I know what that sense of excitement is like," he said of the moments leading up to the opening-day launch. "There's nothing like the feeling right before takeoff on the first day of the Bassmaster Classic. Not being a part of that wasn't easy."

A more positive experience occurred just a few hours later, though, when he served as a color commentator for the debut of Bassmaster Classic Live. Using relatively new technology that allows video to be transmitted over cellular networks, B.A.S.S. was able to stream segments of real-time competition to its booth at the Expo. From there, they went out to fans via the Internet.

By all accounts, the ambitious endeavor went off with fewer hiccups than expected.

"On Friday morning we had major intensity just an hour into the Classic that everybody could see and feel," he said. "I'm not going to lie, I was tingling while I was up there commentating because I knew this was one of the greatest advancements we've ever had in our sport, and I'm not the only one who feels that way or saw it that way.

"There were things that'll be done a little differently in the future, but that technology was clear. It didn't have the problems that we've had before even with BASSTrakk.

"Was it perfect? No," he continued. "But it showed the whole world something nobody had ever seen unless you were the guy in that boat, or the cameraman."

Fan Displayed Guts

At the ultra-crowded Expo, VanDam spent significant time at the booths of his sponsors and also at his own booth, where he and wife Sherry conducted the "KVD Fan to Fame Challenge" sweepstakes. A substantial amount of gear was given away and the grand-prize winner was treated to a private meet-and-greet and backstage guided tour with KVD during the final-day weigh-in.

"If you're a fishing fan, it's an experience that you can't buy," he said. "Our winner was a great guy – he'd just had hernia surgery on Friday and I couldn't believe he got through it because I've had the same thing and I know how painful it is.

"He was pretty amazed at what it takes to put on the weigh-in and to get to see everything from a different perspective. It was cool to see his reactions and we were happy that we were able to show him a great time."

All in all, he had a pretty good time himself, but it's not something he hopes to repeat anytime soon.

"I really enjoyed the overall excitement – just the buzz around the Expo from the fishing fans and all the families and the sponsors and the industry people. It's the beginning of our season now, sort of the spring kickoff, and as a fan it was everything I'd ever dreamed it would be, and I'm a hardcore fan.

"As for the commentating, I think I can bring a different perspective to it and point out some things that fans may not have thought about, but it's a lot more fun to be out there doing it yourself."

Notable

> Like many observers, VanDam wasn't the least bit taken aback when Casey Ashley won the event on his home lake. "I knew going into the week, and this was from talking to him, that he was going to be hard to beat," he said.

> He was surprised that the brutally cold weather didn't have a bigger negative impact on the shallow-water bite. "I would've thought it would've almost eliminated it."