Kevin VanDam, the world's top-ranked professional bass angler, has a rather unusual fishing tip for those wanting to learn his secrets for success.
"Don't watch what I'm doing . . . listen to what I'm saying," said VanDam, who just recently claimed two of fishing's most prestigious titles - BASS Masters Classic Champion and FLW Tour Angler of the Year.
That might sound like odd advice coming from the 33-year old angling-phenomenon from Kalamazoo, Mich., known for his fast-fishing style of dissecting every piece of cover while moving rapidly along with his MotorGuide® trolling motor.
"Those watching me usually think it's all about covering as much water as possible in a tournament day," VanDam explained. "But in reality, what I'm typically doing is fishing select shallow-water areas I've already detailed during practice days with my sonar."
"I'm always watching my Pinpoint® looking for subtle structure . . . isolated pieces of cover, ditches, depth variations – it doesn't have to be much. I know this is contrary to how most anglers use their electronics . . . few pay much attention to their sonars when fishing water less than seven or eight feet deep. But for me, it is a real key to my success."
Want proof? VanDam has lots of examples, but perhaps the best came earlier this year on one of the country's most famous shallow bass lakes of all – Florida's Lake Okeechobee. There he relied on his Pinpoint displays to find subtle break-lines in four and five feet of water. It was a tactic that led to a second place finish at the FLW Tour on that lake and contributed to his Angler of the Year title, earning him a place on the front of a Kellogg's Corn Flakes box later this year.
But VanDam, a great student of the sport, is also quick to point out that not all sonar displays are up to the shallow water task.
"I've spent countless hours on the water with different brands of sonar displays mounted side by side to determine which does deliver the best detail in real-life fishing situations," he said. "Pinpoint always came out on top. That's why you see so many guys out West using Pinpoint in their deep water lakes to target individual fish for drop-shotting. But the selling point for me was its shallow water superiority."
Bob Healey, Pinpoint senior vice-president of engineering, says VanDam's findings really are more than just a fisherman's mental psyche, it is about state of the art technology. "Our use of high-speed microprocessors, Max Auto Gain and 3600 watts of power result in unmatched detail and target separation," Healey said. "With as many as 6,530 pixels per square inch, Pinpoint displays are capable of showing a fish that is as little as one inch off the bottom in 20 feet of water. Now that's detail."
Healey also said that Pinpoint's recent "Plug and Fish" readiness with select models of MotorGuide Tour Edition™ trolling motors is an equally big deal. He explained that the built-in transducers being individually tuned to the motors have resulted in the first true interference-free sonar capability. "Zero interference is a big deal in regards to what you see and don't see," he explained. "Think of it as being Laser eye surgery for your sonar instead of its having to wear restrictive glasses anymore," he said. The built-in transducers also have a water temperature sensor.
There has also been a hint that Pinpoint is about to introduce GPS too. When VanDam, a big fan of relying on GPS for returning to remote fishing spots on big, open water lakes, was asked why Pinpoint didn't have such capabilities built-into their sonar displays, he only smiled and said, "Ask me that question again in about two months."
VanDam was ranked as the top bass angler in the world by bassfan.com only a few days before his BASS Masters Classic win in New Orleans on August 4. It is the first time a statistical ranking system utilizing results from both the B.A.S.S. and FLW Tour trails, along with other factors, has been used to rank the world's professional bass anglers.