Kevin VanDam's Pattern, Baits & Gear
Winning Gear:
Jerkbait gear: 6'10" medium-heavy Quantum Tour KVD rod, Quantum Smoke 200 HD casting reel (6.6:1 ratio), 12-pound Bass Pro Shops XPS fluorocarbon line, Strike King KVD 300 jerkbait (sexy shad).
He used Mustad UltraPoint KVD Elite Triple Grip treble hooks on the jerkbait.
Flipping gear: 7'10" Quantum Tour KVD rod, same reel (7.3:1 ratio), 25-pound Bass Pro Shops XPS fluorocarbon, 3/8- or 1/2-ounce Strike King Tour Grade tungsten weight, 5/0 Mustad KVD Grip-Pin hook, Strike King Menace (various colors depending upon water clarity).
He also flipped the Strike King Tour Grade Skipping Jig with a Menace trailer.
Main factor: "Taking advantage of the shad spawn in the morning was a highlight. No matter where I was fishing, shad was the 100-percent focus. You could tell if an area was good or bad by whether it had shad activity."
Performance edge: "The HydroWave was a big plus for me. I'd run it on 'spawning bait' in the morning for the shad spawn and then switch to 'delayed schooling' in the afternoon."
Lake Dardanelle Bassmaster Elite Series 2-5 Patterns BassFan 6/8/17 (John Johnson)
