As a smallmouth bass angler, I always pay attention when Kevin Van Dam is offering bass fishing tips. Kevin Van Dam is one of the top anglers of the last decade and is a student of the sport as well as an awesome teacher. Having come from Michigan, he has a passion for smallmouth bass and his favorite lake is Lake St. Clair which is smallmouth bass heaven!
Kevin Van Dam Bass Fishing Tips
Recently he gave some very simple tips that will help you catch more smallmouth bass.
DON’T GET COMFORTABLE
The first thing amateurs do wrong, they say, is fall in love with their favorite fishing spot and go-to lure. Remember the 7-pound bass you caught in that magical bay using a plastic worm while wearing your dad’s lucky Brooklyn Dodgers cap? Coincidence. “I won’t spend more than 10 minutes in the same spot fishing the same way, unless I’ve gotten a positive response,” says Kevin VanDam, a seven-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year.
RELISH GRAY DAYS
“Bass are low-light predators,” says Kevin VanDam. Go fishing “when the wind is blowing or it’s cloudy, or just early in the morning or late in the evening.” In low light a bass may chase a lure that is 20 feet away.
Tips for bass fishing on a rainy day (shows largemouth bass, sorry Lol)
httpv://youtu.be/2vGPaJKQUjQ
AGITATE YOUR FISH
Bass don’t always bite because they’re hungry. “A lot of times it’s a straight aggressive reaction because you annoyed him,” says VanDam. Drop the lure near the fish and move it erratically.
Read more: 5 Tips to Be a Better Bass Fisherman – Popular Mechanics
In addition, with many of the sharp hooks and superlines today, fish are lost due to too strong of a hook set and not allowing the fish to run. This can tear the hook right through the lip making you think you didn’t set the hook properly.
Kevin Van Dam knows bass and he has more tips than you or I could ever have! Check out his book below.
Tight Lines my friends!
