We’re watching Kevin VanDam put on a Mille Lacs smallmouth clinic. He’s culled at least eight times and has more than 22 pounds in his livewell. That’s got him in first place in BASSTrakk.
KVD is already in the Classic by virtue of winning the Niagara Classic Bracket tournament in July. And he’s won two Elite events this year, at Toledo Bend and Cayuga. So why is he fishing like his life depends on it today?
First off, KVD is such a competitor I think he’d be fighting hard in a Wednesday night jackpot tournament. But also, despite his three wins this year he’s only sitting in 34th place in Toyota Angler Of the Year standings. That’s surprising given the above mentioned wins. But he’s also had four clunker tournaments this year, finishing in 99th at Potomac, 94 at Bull Shoals, 83 at La Crosse, and 67 at Wheeler.
He’s not been the model of consistency this year. And that’s surprising given his seven AOY titles. It looks to me like KVD is fishing differently this year, going more for home runs, which means he also strikes out at times. Because of those bad tournaments he may also feel like he has something to prove. Whatever the reason, KVD is off to a helluva start here at Mille Lacs.