By MLF Communications Staff

BAY CITY, Mich. – Kevin VanDam, the all-time winningest angler in the history of professional bass fishing, announced his retirement earlier this year, but proved to the field on Saturday that he’s not interested in finishing the season as just a participant – he’s here to win. VanDam went on an early morning flurry, catching eight scorable bass– his best five weighing 21 pounds, 8 ounces – to lead the Knockout Round and advance with nine other anglers to the final day of competition at the MLF Bass Pro Tour evn on Saginaw Bay.

VanDam, of Kalamazoo, Mich., quickly rose to the top of the leaderboard early in Period 1 and never looked back. His limit gives him a 2-13 cushion over Dakota Ebare of Brookeland, Texas, who ended the day with a five-bass-limit weighing 18-11, good for second place. Harrison, Tenn.'s Jacob Wheeler, the two-time reigning Angler of the Year (AOY) who's in strong contention for another points title, sits in third place with a limit weighing 17-15, while Ott DeFoe finished the day in fourth with 17-14. Matt Becker also weighed in five bass totaling 17-14 to round out the Top 5.

DeFoe and Becker are Wheeler's primary competition for the AOY crown, to be decided Sunday.

The final 10 anglers are now set and competition resumes Sunday morning with the Championship Round. Weight carries over from the Knockout Round and the angler with the heaviest two-day total will win the top prize of $100,000.

“Really solid day today, for sure,” said VanDam. “I couldn’t have scripted it any better. Being in this position is everything you could ask for. I gave it everything I had, trying to catch as much as I could today, and it’s still going to be a shootout again tomorrow. There’s just no guarantee that we’ll get the same type of bites tomorrow, but I went out and accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish today and have had a blast having fun this week.

“This is my last regular-season pro-level tournament, so I really wanted to fish every single day and I’m going to get to do that,” VanDam continued. “I just can’t put into words how much that means.”

He spent the majority of his time Saturday in the mid-section of the main lake, throwing a Strike King Thunder Cricket, and he also added a keeper on a dropshot rig.

Although VanDam caught a combination of largemouth and smallmouth during the Qualifying Round, where he finished in second place, he targeted strictly smallmouth during the Knockout Round – a move that certainly paid off for the eight-time Angler of the Year (AOY) winner.

“I feel so blessed and have had so much support from my family,” said an emotional VanDam. “Both of my sons are here – one of them flew in from Nashville just to be here this week – and it means a lot that they are here and I’m going to have a lot of family and friends around tomorrow as well.”

He's collected just over $7 million in tournament winnings and 26 tournament wins in his storied career, and it seems he’s got his sights set on another tour-level trophy.

“It’s just so special to be in this position going into the final day of this event,” said VanDam. “I know the other nine guys are going to give it everything they’ve got to try to take home that trophy, but I can promise you this – so am I.

“This has been such a special week, all in all, and I had no expectations it would turn out like this, and I’m so thankful for all the support I’ve had over the years. I’ve gotten to know so many friends, and the people in this industry is really what makes this sport so special. I’m looking forward to getting back out there and we’re going to be swinging for the fences tomorrow. “

VanDam tied with San Mateo, Fla.'s Terry Scroggins for Saturday’s Berkley Big Bass Award, each weighing in a 5-02 specimen, to claim a share of the daily award. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.

The final 10 anglers will launch Sunday at 7:30 a.m. ET from the Golson Boat Launch, located at 1598 N. Johnson St. in Bay City. The takeout will be held at the launch location beginning at 4 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW! livestream and ScoreTracker coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The MLFNOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live on Sunday from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET. MLFNOW! is livestreamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.



Knockout Round

(Figure at far right indicates weight of angler's heaviest fish of the day)

1. Kevin VanDam -- 21-08 (5) -- 5-02

2. Dakota Ebare -- 18-11 (5) -- 4-05

3. Jacob Wheeler -- 17-15 (5) -- 5-00

4. Ott DeFoe -- 17-14 (5) -- 4-15

5. Matt Becker -- 17-14 (5) -- 4-15

6. Todd Faircloth -- 17-12 (5) -- 4-15

7. Jesse Wiggins -- 17-00 (5) -- 4-08

8. Bryan Thrift -- 16-14 (5) -- 3-13

9. Mark Daniels Jr. -- 16-11 (5) -- 4-01

10. Cody Meyer -- 16-07 (5) -- 4-13

11. Casey Ashley -- 16-07 (5) -- 4-01

The following anglers did not make the cut and will not advance to the Knockout Round

12. Gerald Spohrer -- 16-06 (5) -- 3-11

13. Jeremy Lawyer -- 16-05 (5) -- 3-14

14. Spencer Shuffield -- 16-02 (5) -- 4-03

15. Terry Scroggins -- 16-01 (5) -- 5-02

16. Alton Jones Jr. -- 15-13 (5) -- 4-00

17. Keith Poche -- 15-12 (5) -- 3-05

18. Russ Lane -- 15-02 (5) -- 3-13

19. Mark Rose -- 15-01 (5) -- 3-05

20. Brent Ehrler -- 15-00 (5) -- 4-00

21. Ryan Salzman -- 14-11 (5) -- 3-11

22. David Walker -- 14-11 (5) -- 3-10

23. Jeff Sprague -- 14-10 (5) -- 4-10

24. Mitch Crane -- 14-08 (5) -- 3-07

25. Greg Vinson -- 14-06 (5) -- 3-08

26. Britt Myers -- 14-04 (5) -- 3-09

27. Cole Floyd -- 13-12 (5) -- 2-15

28. Bradley Roy -- 13-10 (5) -- 3-01

29. Dustin Connell -- 13-08 (5) -- 3-01

30. Jordan Lee -- 13-06 (5) -- 3-10

31. Anthony Gagliardi -- 13-05 (5) -- 2-15

32. Andy Morgan -- 13-01 (5) -- 2-14

33. Cliff Pace -- 12-15 (5) -- 3-03

34. Zack Birge -- 12-12 (5) -- 3-11

35. Michael Neal -- 12-09 (5) -- 3-00

36. Brent Chapman -- 12-03 (5) -- 2-13

37. Fred Roumbanis -- 12-01 (5) -- 2-10

38. Roy Hawk -- 11-13 (5) -- 3-00

39. Randall Tharp -- 9-11 (4) -- 3-03

40. Edwin Evers -- 7-05 (2) -- 4-14