Kevin VanDam hasn't chunked a bait at an honest-to-goodness wild fish in 3 months. Still, the world's top-ranked angler said he won't be the least bit rusty at this month's Bassmaster Classic.



"It's actually good for me to get away for awhile," he said. "As far as my mechanics, that's not a big deal. I've been doing seminars and things where I've done a lot of casting."

The two-time and defending Classic champion will take a three-tournament winning streak to Lake Toho in 3 weeks. No angler has ever won four straight events on the Bassmaster Tour, and nine-time angler of the year Roland Martin is the only other who can lay claim to three in a row.

And as of this week, the Kalamazoo Kid is back atop the BassFan World Rankings, since the statistical formula was revised to account for the major changes that have taken place across the tour landscape. He moved up from 5th to supplant Greg Hackney, who dropped to 2nd under the new formula.

The bottom line: VanDam is the hottest angler in the world going into the Classic.

Burnout Never a Factor

VanDam enjoys fishing as much as he ever did, but he has less time to take part in the non-tournament variety these days. Between his off-water commitments, his twin 8-year-old sons and his serious passion for deer hunting, there just haven't been many open slots since October to fit a fishing excursion into.

But he said he'll welcome the arrival of the official Classic practice period. "Fishing is what I've always loved to do," he said. "There's never any burnout factor for me when it comes to being on the water. Some guys who (also) guide or whatever, that's probably a pretty tough thing to fight against, but it's never been a problem for me."

But just because he hasn't been fishing, doesn't mean he hasn't been preparing for the Classic.

"I've actually been doing quite a bit of preparation for it," he said. "I try to spend a couple of hours in my tackle room every night after the kids go to bed, getting all my baits organized and spooling line and things like that. I'm also going through a lot of things in my mind, not only for the Classic, but also for the Elite Series.

"It's so important for me to be really organized – not only what's in my boat and truck, but also at home, because your restock time is so short between trips."

No Florida Wins

VanDam has 10 tour-level wins in his 16-year career, but none have come in Florida. He's been close, though – he was 2nd at Okeechobee in 1991 and 4th at Toho in 2000.

"I've never considered Florida one of my strengths, but I've fished down there enough and learned enough from my experiences that I'm real comfortable with it," he said. "I guess what I've learned more than anything is that fishing in Florida isn't a power-fest, so to speak. You don't just go out and burn spinnerbaits down a windy bank and catch fish all day.

"You usually have to fish slow with plastics and do a lot of flipping. That's not necessarily what I'm known for, but it's what you have to do. It's all about reading the subtle differences (in the cover) – it all looks the same, but it's not."

And just in case you weren't paying attention, exploiting those subtle differences in a power-fishing-type way with soft-plastics was how he won his first Classic, back in 2001 on the Louisiana Delta.

Another important thing to keep in mind, he said, is to avoid trying to catch more than the lake is willing to give up that day. "When it's cold, I've seen how stingy it can be. Under those kinds of tough conditions, 10 or 12 pounds can be pretty good. Then when conditions are good, you can catch 20 pounds a day and you're still behind.

"I don't think you're going to see any records broken, but the guy who wins it is going to have to bring in solid bags every day – he's going to have to be consistent. And there will be some big fish caught. That I can promise."

Hotter Than Ever?

VanDam's winning streak consists of last year's Classic and the preceding Elite 50 events at Wissota and Lewisville. He hasn't finished lower than 17th in 11 months.

Is he on the best run of his illustrious career right now? "I'd have to say so because of the three wins," he said. "That's how everything in this game is judged. I started my career with 23 straight finishes in the money and a lot of people thought that was impressive, but winning is the most important thing.

"It's always better to be 10th than 11th, but the world of bass fishing puts more stock in wins than anything, does it not?"

Notable

> VanDam said he fished quite a bit through the late summer and early fall, but deer preoccupied him from then on. "I only killed one, but it was a real nice buck," he said. "For me, it's not about whether I get one or not, it's more about spending time in the treestand. The great thing about fishing and hunting is I get to see a lot of sunrises. That's very important to me."

> He noted that this Classic won't be as rough on the anglers who don't do well as the last edition on the Three Rivers. Nobody's likely to fish Toho all day without a single keeper bite. "It'll be a lot more enjoyable for the guys who finish at the bottom of the field. It's a great lake and it's got a ton of fish in it."