kvd big bass tour

Light Weights Dominate Arjay’s at Diamond; Wolkins and Martin Win

Hurshes eke out tight finish in smac tourney on eagle lake, gessinger and vanderreyden win four flags event at magician.

KVD Ends Career with another Big Payday

By Louie Stout

Leave it to Kevin VanDam to leave an exclamation point in the last tournament of his amazing pro career.

As you may recall, KVD retired at the end of the last Pro Bass Tour season. However, his 2023 season qualified him for the Redcrest, the Pro Bass Tour’s (PBT) season championship, and the Heavy Hitters Tournament.

The Heavy Hitters Tournament held last week on Lake Kissimmee in Florida is a stand-alone event that attracts the top 30 PBT big bass catchers from the previous season.

It was KVD’s career finale.

He didn’t win the tournament, but he finished fourth and won $100,000 for catching the biggest bass in the tournament, a 7-12 largemouth.

His fourth-place finish, combined with the big bass prize, won him $118,000 which was more than tournament winner Jordan Lee, who won $100,000.

That concludes KVD’s 33-year career tournament winnings in both Bassmaster and PBT events at $7,216,370. Those include 29 tournament victories, 122 top 10 finishes, four Bassmaster Classic wins and eight Angler of Year titles.

While his tournament career has ended, VanDam will launch a new career, hosting his own television show, “The VanDam Experience,” on the Outdoor Channel this winter.

• Louie's Blog

Table Rock Lake breakdown – with KVD

BRANSON, Mo. – Fabled Table Rock Lake will be the sixth stop on the 2019 MLF Bass Pro Tour. This impoundment of the White River is a jewel of the Ozarks and a favorite destination among pro and everyman angler alike.

By the time the 80-angler field reaches Branson, Missouri, for the Berkley Stage Six presented by True Timber (May 17-22), a large number of Table Rock’s bass will have concluded spawning activity and retreated from bed regions to transition stops and early summer haunts. But not all of them: bass moving in and out of the spawning bays in the coming week will still offer some of the season’s hottest action.

Mercury pro Kevin VanDam and Table Rock are fairly synonymous. Even though he’s never won a major event on the lake, he’s spent more time on Table Rock than almost any other lake because of sponsor-related activities.

If you’re looking for information on how to catch bass in the late spring on this lake, VanDam is as good a source as any, as I found out when I rode along with him one late April as he picked apart Table Rock.

Head over to Bass Pro Shop to get the top-quality fishing tools I rely on

Water Color and Transitions

The expansive White River impoundments straddling the Missouri-Arkansas state line (Table Rock, Bull Shoals, Norfork, Beaver and Tanycomo lakes) are deep and generally clear. To locate larger numbers of fish at this time of year, VanDam favors flatter stretches that might hold numbers of bass.

Hard bottom is the norm on highland reservoirs, but bottom content will vary in form and substance.

“The real key on these highland reservoirs in the spring is to look for bank transitions,” explained VanDam. “The great thing about a highland reservoir is that a lot of times you can see on the shore what’s going on underneath the water. Gravel is key, but I’m really looking for changes in the rock on the bank, where there’s some pea gravel and chunk rock mixed together, especially where it transitions from one type to another – where the rock size changes or the gravel gets a little rocky.”

Seasonal rains influence bass activity and location. Water color can vary from clear to nearly muddy on these Ozark waters.

“The water has some color right now, so I think that has them spawning a little shallower,” VanDam assessed that day. “The main zone for me has been from 6 to 12 feet.”

Grass patches, bushes and timber are all worthy of attention.

“Those bigger post-spawn females love to stage around cover, hover near it,” Kevin explained. “So I know some of those bigger fish are going to be in the timber. They just love to suspend above a glass clump, too.”

VanDam weighed other factors, too. A full moon had occurred six days earlier, a good sign that a lot of females had dropped their eggs and retreated to cover. He noted that wind blowing onto a flat or secondary point can be a key factor, whether it’s stimulating a bite or steering spawning fish into either deeper or better protected bedding areas.

Wave on Wave

Table Rock’s largemouth population produces the lake’s biggest bass, so they’re generally VanDam’s main targets. But flourishing populations of smallmouth and spotted bass add to the possibilities.

“When you have that diversity between spots, largemouth and smallmouth, fishing is just that much easier,” VanDam explained. “Sometimes they’re mixed together, but other times the pattern may be for just one particular species. That’s the great thing about these highland reservoirs. There are a lot of bass, and they all spawn at a little bit different time. You find fish at different stages of the cycle, so one species is always going to be biting.”

A smallmouth crushed a crankbait to illustrate one of his favorite spring scenarios: wind blowing in on a secondary point with scattered chunk rock and gravel.

“Once you’ve developed a pattern for the day on lakes like this. you can run that pattern on the whole lake,” VanDam said. “That’s why I love fishing this kind of lake.”

Related Posts

VanDam’s Favorite Lure for Florida

TOP HEAVY HITTERS MONEY-WINNER: For KVD, It Was A Nice Way To Go Out

How to rig a swimbait? Swimbait Rigging techniques by KVD

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

Recent Posts

KVD Outdoors 2024-06-15T14:29:51-05:00 06.15.2024 | 0 Comments

It was a 19-hour drive in his Toyota Tundra from Kalamazoo to the highly familiar waters of Florida’s Kissimmee Chain, [...]

KVD Outdoors 2024-06-15T13:50:42-05:00 06.15.2024 | 0 Comments

By John Johnson BassFan Senior Editor If Kevin VanDam had finished 3 places higher in the final standings at Heavy [...]

What’s important for all fisherman, and the future of bass fishing

KVD Outdoors 2024-06-15T05:28:19-05:00 06.15.2024 | 0 Comments

@TheKevinVanDam‬ drops some knowledge and perspective on character, integrity, and how to work hard and fish harder. All live, while [...]

KVD Outdoors 2024-06-14T17:49:14-05:00 06.14.2024 | 0 Comments

Swim baits are one of my favorite baits, and I think everybody knows how effective they can be. One of [...]

Turtlebox outdoor sports speakers. Rugged & LOUD & Waterproof

KVD Outdoors 2024-06-14T17:27:31-05:00 06.14.2024 | 0 Comments

The 2nd generation ‪@turtleboxaudio‬ speaker is loud, waterproof, and ready to hit the (off)road with you. You won't find a [...]

How to fish big swimbaits? Technique and rigging with KVD

KVD Outdoors 2024-06-14T17:03:53-05:00 06.14.2024 | 0 Comments

Oversized swimbaits are very popular right now. Check out these tips from Kevin VanDam on how to select, judge color, [...]

Sign in for exclusive content

Please enter your details.

Your BASS member number is the 9-digit number that appears on your Bassmaster Magazine label. See the example magazine labels below.

Phone 877-BASS USA if you are still unable to find your member number.

Not a member yet? Join Now

We cannot find an active B.A.S.S. Membership for the information you have provided. Please renew your membership here . We cannot find an active B.A.S.S. Membership for the information you have provided. Please try again. Scheduled maintenance. We'll be back shortly. If you continue to have trouble please contact customer service at 877-BASS-USA.

KVD Big Bass Classic

It's Friday. This weekend I'll be hosting the KVD Big Bass Classic on Table Rock Lake. It's a part of the Oakley Big Bass Tour. I'll be at the Bass Pro Shop in Springfield during the registration on Saturday, and then I'll be heading toward Kentucky Lake for the Tennessee Triumph.

It’s Friday. This weekend I’ll be hosting the KVD Big Bass Classic on Table Rock Lake. It’s a part of the Oakley Big Bass Tour. I’ll be at the Bass Pro Shop in Springfield during the registration on Saturday, and then I’ll be heading toward Kentucky Lake for the Tennessee Triumph.

That one starts a day early next week — on Wednesday. It’ll end on Saturday. That’ll give us plenty of time to get to Muskogee, Okla., and the Arkansas River for the last regular season Elite Series tournament. I always have mixed emotions about the last one. It’s nice to have some time off, but it’s also nice to keep competing.

The KVD Big Bass Classic is really exciting for me. It’s the sort of thing that gets anglers involved in our sport at the grassroots level. There are winners on an hourly, daily and overall basis. It’s supported by many of the same sponsors who support me and BASS tournaments at all levels. Check it out if you’re interested at www.oakleybigbass.com .

It’s important that we recognize things like this. Our sponsors are the companies that keep us out on the water fishing, and that make innovation possible. Let’s face it, if we didn’t have financial support from them, bass fishing would be very different than it is now. That’s for sure.

They are the ones who finance and promote new products — products that help us catch more bass. We all — professionals and amateurs alike — benefit from their contributions.

Speaking of contributions, I want to make some this week at the Tennessee Triumph on Kentucky Lake. Despite what all you’ve heard and read, I don’t think this year will be much different than past years. Kentucky Lake is what it is at this time of the year — a big body of water with a high population of bass living out, away from shore, on the ledges and drops.

I love it. It’s my kind of fishing, but that doesn’t mean it’s always the same. Every year is different, for sure. The lake gets a lot of pressure and, thanks to the great coverage by BASS, anglers know where to fish and what to do to catch them.

Still, I’m confident. Like I said, it’s my kind of fishing. I know I can crank, throw a football jig and a big, heavy spinnerbait and catch bass. Being honest, however, I had a lot of confidence going into several events this year, and it hasn’t always worked out the way I wanted.

I’m not complaining, though. This is a competitive sport. You have to catch them to win. Besides, I have a Classic title this year and I’m doing exactly what I want to do to support my family. That’s about as good as it gets in life.

Remember, it’s all about the attitude.

How to effectively use a popping frog for summer bass fishing

How i stay on fish in the summer months, schooled on schoolies, the mayfly connection .

• 2018 Classic
• World Rankings
• Angler of the Year Races
• Money Rankings
• Weight Rankings
• State Rankings
• Pro Tour News
• BassFan Opinion
• Pro View Reports
• Angler Profiles
• New Gear/Product Reviews

• previous article
• next article

For KVD, It Was A Nice Way To Go Out

One big bite from Lake Cypress allowed Kevin VanDam to collect one more six-figure paycheck.

If Kevin VanDam had finished 3 places higher in the final standings at Heavy Hitters, the greatest career that competitive bass fishing has seen to date would've come to a true storybook conclusion. As it turned out, it was still quite a finale.

VanDam, who retired from tour-level competition at the conclusion of the 2023 MLF Bass Pro Tour campaign, caught the largest fish in the Championship Round at Florida's Kissimmee Chain. The 7-12 bruiser was worth $100,000, and combined with the $18,000 payday for his 4th-place finish, he went home with more money than winner Jordan Lee.

He definitely made the long journey from his Michigan home a profitable trip at the annual all-star event. He brought his camera operator along and was able to turn the practice period into an episode for his new show, The VanDam Experience , which will premiere in the first quarter of 2025 on the Outdoor Channel.

The episode, which will focus on breaking down a lake in the days leading up to an event, will feature a fish that weighed north of 10 pounds from Lake Cypress, where he spent the derby in relative solitude.

"I caught them really good in practice and I was able to get plenty (of video) for the show, and I realized I had a chance to win the tournament," he said. "I knew I was (potentially) on the winning fish and there were multiple big ones there. A lot was going to depend on the conditions and I didn't know how many locals had pounded it.

"On the weekend they had two big tournaments out of Camp Mack and the locals throttled Cypress, where I was fishing, but there were still big ones there. I told the cameraman and I told my wife (Sherry) that I'd catch the big bass on one day of the tournament – that's how confident I was."

He said the grass in Cypress had been sprayed about a month prior and there wasn't much of it, but a few isolated patches of vegetation held the type of quality needed to make a run at victory.

"There was some scattered hydrilla and eelgrass, but not a lot of it that was good," he said. "That's probably why a lot of people missed it. I only saw three or four other competitors the whole time and there was only one area where I even saw any of those guys."

The fish that brought him his six-figure payday bit a 1/2-ounce Strike King Thunder Cricket bladed jig (white) with a chrome-colored Strike King Blade Minnow trailer in the third period. It easily supplanted the previous pace-setter in that category – a 6-12 caught by Keith Poche.

"It came up and jumped and I saw the head, and I knew it was bigger than the one that was leading at that time," he said. "It was kind of skinny – it didn't end up weighing as much as I first thought it would.

"With only 10 guys out there, I knew there was a pretty good chance it would hold up for the day. Fourth place and $118,000 – that's a pretty good way to walk off."

With the exception of a couple of specialty and charity events, he said he has no additional tournaments on his schedule. He'll now turn his full attention to completing the initial season of The VanDam Experience – he's wrapped up six shows and has seven more to do. There will also be a lot of filming for YouTube offerings.

He said the camera can usually capture all that's needed for an episode in a single day. It's getting to and from the venues that takes up the most time, with visits to Texas and Tennessee and the Florida excursion already in the rear-view mirror.

"I guess we don't have to have them all done by the end of the year, but we will," he said.

• Walker wins at Champlain as Day 3 canceled
• Alabamian extends lead in Champlain derby
• Walker's 21-pound brown bag leads on Day 1
• Smallies likely to dominate at Champlain
• VanDam saluted on Pat McAfee show

Latest News

Veteran prince hangs on for first elite win.

DECATUR, Ala. — Cliff Prince has suffered several difficult defeats in his 12-year career on the Bassmaster Elite Series,

Monster Bag Puts Prince Up By 12

DECATUR, Ala. — For each of the first two days of the Bassmaster Elite Series event at Wheeler Lake, Florida pro Cliff

Veteran Prince Up By 2 1/2 Pounds

DECATUR, Ala. — When he arrived for practice for the Bassmaster Elite Series event at Wheeler Lake, Cliff Prince hadn’t

Video You May Like

• Follow us on Facebook
• Follow us on Twitter
• Follow us on YoutTube
• Advertising
• Your California Privacy Rights
• ADA Statement
• Cookie Policy
• Do Not Sell My Personal Information
• Affiliate Advertising Policy
• Your Privacy Choices

Get Weekly Updates

Table Rock Lake, Missouri

April 8 - 10, 2022 | $159,000

Event Details

Bass Pro Shops Kevin VanDam Big Bass Classic Presented by Explore Branson - $159,000 Guaranteed Prizes & Payouts

3 DAY EVENT (FRIDAY, SATURDAY & SUNDAY)

Entry Fee: Three Day $240 | Two Day $160 | One Day $110 (Entry fees are per angler)

Click here to see rules

Start time (first cast) will be 6:30 am for all three days.  You will receive a text when to start fishing.  If you do not receive a text, you may begin fishing at 6:30 am.

Location:  

Weigh in Site:  

Long Creek Marina 1368 Long Creek Rd., Ridgedale, MO 65739

Guaranteed Overall Grand Prize: $53,000

2022 NITRO® Z19  rigged with a  Mercury®  200 L Pro XS FourStroke outboard,  Minn Kota®  Ultrex® 24V, 80-lb, Bow  Humminbird®  HELIX™ 9 SI G4N with GPS, Console  Humminbird®  HELIX™ 8 SI G4N with GPS, genuine two tone cover, tandem-axle upgrade 2 brakes, 14" tire/wheel upgrade with spare.   NITRO®  trailer w/powder-coat finish & GALVASHIELD® Impact corrosion & chip protection. To learn more about  NITRO®  boats visit the website at  Nitro.com .

Guaranteed Total Hourly Paybacks: $64,025

1st $1000  2nd $500  3rd $300 4th $250  5th $225  6th $200  7th $175  8th $150  9th $125  10th $100 

Youth winner: $500

Early Entry Rods: $42,000 Abu Garcia 6'10" Veritas Tournament Medium Light Action Casting Rod. Model #VXTC610-4 Retail Value $169.95

Early entry rods go to the first 250 two or three day online entrants. A one day entry is not eligible for a free rod.  Click on the rod picture above to see the Abu Garcia Veritas rods.

Early entry promo rods may be picked up on the day listed below or during any tournament day. Please do not call our offices related to early entry rods. There is a rod counter at the top of each event page. Rods are gone when counter shows zero. We will post the date the counter goes to zero on the site. *Another angler may pick up your rod for you if you're unable to be present. 

Rod Pick Up: Thursday April 7th 4 - 6 pm Long Creek Marina. You may also pick up rods on any of the tournament days.

Veritas Tournament Casting Rod Features:

• Featuring exclusive Powerlux™ 200 resin technology for ultra-light thin blanks with superior impact and fracture resistance.
• Abu Garcia custom ergonomic reel seat
• Carbon split grip design for reduced weight and increased sensitivity
• ROCS™ (Robotically Optimized Casting System) guide train for maximized casting distance with lighter lures
• Titanium alloy guides with ultra-light zirconium inserts allow for a lightweight balanced rod

Event Registration:

Registration for an Event closes at 9:00 p.m. on the Thursday prior to the beginning of the Event for a three-day entry.  There will be no morning registration on Friday, Saturday and/or Sunday of the Event .  Participants may register online prior to the Event, no onsite registration due to Covid protocols. Once an event begins, participants that register late online on must do so before 9:00 p.m. on Friday and before 6 p.m. on Saturday for the remaining days and  must also adhere to the off limits rules listed in  section 6.02 . 

Text System:

You may enter yourself in the text system for this event by texting the word kvd to the number 90294. We will enter your number in the system, but some carriers block this type of message, so by entering yourself this will prevent the chance of being blocked.  Also, if you have previously opted out of our system, you will have to put yourself back in the system by texting the above keyword. If you opt-out we cannot put you back in the system. 

Start Time:   

Due to the varying times of year that we host our tournaments, we will notify everyone of the start time the day prior to the start of the tournament. We will notify you via text message. Start time (first cast) for each tournament will be safe light and set by the tournament director. You may launch and be on the water but you may not begin fishing until we notify you of first cast. Please do not call our offices related to start time. We will post start fishing time on this page and text out the time the week of the event.  You will also be sent a live leaderboard link once the event starts.

Weigh in Times: All days of event

8-9am, 9-10am, 10-11am, 11am-12pm, 12-1pm, 1-2pm, 2-3pm.

Click here for parental consent form

Tournament Sponsors

• Remember me Not recommended on shared computers

Forgot your password?

Or sign in with one of these services

• Table Rock Lake

KVD Big Bass Tour Event

By Big Bass Tour November 15, 2016 in Table Rock Lake

Recommended Posts

You can sign up the night before at Bass Pro in Springfield if you want to wait that long.

Link to comment

Share on other sites.

• Created 7 yr
• Last Reply 7 yr

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Big Bass Tour 11 posts

Ketchup 8 posts

crazy4fishin 7 posts

Champ188 5 posts

Mar 30 2017

Mar 15 2017

Popular Posts

• crazy4fishin

November 15, 2016

OK - I am in.....not going to dork around this year and lose the rod opportunity!!  Already have my jersey picked out and will get the little woman to iron it....light on the starch.....dont want

April 3, 2017

I guess I should of entered the KVD Big BASS Bash instead of the Aunt's Creek Association Buddy Tournament. I had Big Bass today with a 6.14 pound largemouth.

BTW, C4F, you're behind the times on current bass fishing clothing style.  Buff's are what us fashion leaders wear. 

Posted Images

Thanks Hunter.  Just sent out a few texts to see if I have any buddies fishing this. Would like to but would be more fun with 2 guys in a boat. 

TinBoats BassClub.  An aluminum only bass club. If interested in info send me a PM. 

I would send an email and check with them for sure though. It has always been thursday at long creek and friday in Springfield so it might be a misprint.  

This is from the Big Bass tour web site.....

Registration:

Thursday March 30th  2 - 7 pm Bass Pro Shops 1935 S Campbell Ave, Springfield, MO 65807

Friday March 31st  3 - 6 pm  Long Creek Marina 1378 Long Creek Rd. Ridgedale,  MO 65739

[email protected]

6 hours ago, Ketchup said: Thanks Hunter.  Just sent out a few texts to see if I have any buddies fishing this. Would like to but would be more fun with 2 guys in a boat. 

Hmmmm i never got one 

Big Bass Tour

13 hours ago, Ketchup said: Nice video. Deadline for registration?

We take reg online up until 10pm on the Friday before our events.

6 hours ago, Hunter53 said: I would send an email and check with them for sure though. It has always been thursday at long creek and friday in Springfield so it might be a misprint.   This is from the Big Bass tour web site..... Registration: Thursday March 30th  2 - 7 pm Bass Pro Shops 1935 S Campbell Ave, Springfield, MO 65807 Friday March 31st  3 - 6 pm  Long Creek Marina 1378 Long Creek Rd. Ridgedale,  MO 65739  

Thursday at BPS in Springfield and Friday at Long Creek is correct.

Thanks for the clarification guys.  

7 hours ago, [email protected] said: Hmmmm i never got one 

Hey, your considered a Kansa'n so it would have been a long shot getting you back here the weekend after our club tourney.  BUT, if you want to fish it, count me in. 

Getting closer!

Im in cant wait! This will be my first tourney in over 10 years. Just got back into a bass boat last year. And been practicing quite abit at LOZ. TRs a whole different deal but it should be a blast!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Already have an account? Sign in here.

• Existing user? Sign In
• Article Overview
• Quick Lake Levels
• Generation Schedule
• Online Users
• All Activity
• My Activity Streams
• Unread Content
• Content I Started
• Lake Levels
• Table Rock Temperatures
• Leaderboard
• Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use .

• Bahasa Indonesia
• Eastern Europe
• Moscow Oblast

Elektrostal

Elektrostal Localisation : Country Russia , Oblast Moscow Oblast . Available Information : Geographical coordinates , Population, Altitude, Area, Weather and Hotel . Nearby cities and villages : Noginsk , Pavlovsky Posad and Staraya Kupavna .

Information

Find all the information of Elektrostal or click on the section of your choice in the left menu.

• Update data

Elektrostal Demography

Information on the people and the population of Elektrostal.

Elektrostal Geography

Geographic Information regarding City of Elektrostal .

Elektrostal Distance

Distance (in kilometers) between Elektrostal and the biggest cities of Russia.

Elektrostal Map

Locate simply the city of Elektrostal through the card, map and satellite image of the city.

Elektrostal Nearby cities and villages

Elektrostal weather.

Weather forecast for the next coming days and current time of Elektrostal.

Elektrostal Sunrise and sunset

Find below the times of sunrise and sunset calculated 7 days to Elektrostal.

Elektrostal Hotel

Our team has selected for you a list of hotel in Elektrostal classified by value for money. Book your hotel room at the best price.

Elektrostal Nearby

Below is a list of activities and point of interest in Elektrostal and its surroundings.

Elektrostal Page

• Information /Russian-Federation--Moscow-Oblast--Elektrostal#info
• Demography /Russian-Federation--Moscow-Oblast--Elektrostal#demo
• Geography /Russian-Federation--Moscow-Oblast--Elektrostal#geo
• Distance /Russian-Federation--Moscow-Oblast--Elektrostal#dist1
• Map /Russian-Federation--Moscow-Oblast--Elektrostal#map
• Nearby cities and villages /Russian-Federation--Moscow-Oblast--Elektrostal#dist2
• Weather /Russian-Federation--Moscow-Oblast--Elektrostal#weather
• Sunrise and sunset /Russian-Federation--Moscow-Oblast--Elektrostal#sun
• Hotel /Russian-Federation--Moscow-Oblast--Elektrostal#hotel
• Nearby /Russian-Federation--Moscow-Oblast--Elektrostal#around
• Page /Russian-Federation--Moscow-Oblast--Elektrostal#page
• Terms of Use
• Copyright © 2024 DB-City - All rights reserved
• Change Ad Consent Do not sell my data

Expedia Rewards is now One Key™

Elektrostal, visit elektrostal, check elektrostal hotel availability, popular places to visit.

• Electrostal History and Art Museum

You can spend time exploring the galleries in Electrostal History and Art Museum in Elektrostal. Take in the museums while you're in the area.

• Cities near Elektrostal

• Places of interest
• Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center
• Central Museum of the Air Forces at Monino
• Peter the Great Military Academy
• Ramenskii History and Art Museum
• Bykovo Manor
• Pekhorka Park
• Balashikha Arena
• Malenky Puppet Theater
• Balashikha Museum of History and Local Lore
• Saturn Stadium
• Orekhovo Zuevsky City Exhibition Hall
• Noginsk Museum and Exhibition Center