Q: What have been your greatest
challenges?
KVD: Popularity can be a doubleedged
sword. The support I’ve
received from the fans through the
years has been incredible, and I truly
appreciate every fan. They’ve made
my career possible. With that support
comes a lot of work and a lot of
responsibility. There are more
demands on my time today than when
I was getting started; more opportunities.
Those are wonderful, but they
come with a cost – the time spent
away from family and friends, times I
missed big milestones in the lives of
my children.
Having notoriety also presents
some challenges on the water. I can’t
tell you how exciting it is to have 50 or
100 boats following you as you launch
in competition. It’ll send chills up your
spine. But it can also make it tough to
compete when you have to maneuver
through those same boats to get to
another spot or to create a game plan
or even to relieve yourself on the
water.
Q: What’s your greatest accomplishment
in the sport?
KVD: That I’ve been competitive at
the highest level of the sport for 30
years. I’m still competitive today; still
have the drive to win. I know how
hard it is to win or even to be in contention.
I still feel like I’m making the
right decisions on the water, though I
don’t always execute them perfectly.
Q: What’s been the greatest lesson
you’ve learned?
KVD: Regardless of what other people
say, if you believe in yourself, you can
accomplish anything.
Q: What have been the most important
advancements in the sport during
your career?
KVD: Technology has changed the
sport immensely. Today’s equipment
is much better than when I started,
and it gets better every year. Boats
are bigger, faster and safer. A lot of
that came about when B.A.S.S.
removed the 150-hp limit. Trolling
motors, sonar, GPS, batteries, fluorocarbon
line, braid – everything is better,
and it’s changed the way we fish.
Then there’s the internet. It’s
changed the way we research and
learn; even the way we buy tackle.
And social media has changed the
way we interact and build brands. A
lot of this stuff was unimaginable 30
years ago.
Q: For an aspiring pro, what do you
see as the biggest barriers to entry
today?
KVD: They’re very different than when
I was starting out 30 years ago. With
the explosion of high school and college
fishing programs, young anglers
are a lot better informed and educated
than I was back then. The endemic
fishing companies are swamped with
applications to join the pro staff and
requests for free or discounted equipment.
The big challenge today is to
find ways to set yourself apart from
the rest of the field that wants the
same thing you want. It’s still important
to have and to make good personal
connections, but if you can’t
stand out among the crowd, you won’t
get noticed.
Q: How is Major League Fishing and
its Bass Pro Tour changing the game?
KVD: It’s happening in a couple of
ways. For one, tournament anglers
and organizations have always put
fish care and conservation as a top
priority. Catch, weigh and immediate
release takes it one step further. If our
sport is going to grow, conservation
has to be at the forefront.
For another, real-time scoring
through SCORETRACKER® is a huge
advancement. For decades, tournament
fishing was the only sport where
the competitors had no idea what the
score was while they were competing.
That would be unimaginable in baseball,
football or basketball. Real-time
scoring adds an element of strategy
that’s never existed in tournament
fishing before. Because we know
where we stand, we can make adjustments
that impact the standings and
add excitement for the fans.
PHOTO COURTESY SHERRY VANDAM
A FAN BECOMES AN
ICON AND REMEMBERS
A LESSON
As a teen, Kevin VanDam loved fishing,
but he dreamed of a career as a major league
baseball player. He pitched and played a couple
of infield positions but was less than a
speed demon on the base paths. Ultimately,
his passion for fishing overshadowed and
ultimately eclipsed his dreams of playing in
“The Show,” but not before learning a valuable
lesson of what makes a true sports idol.
“As a kid growing up in Michigan, I was a
huge Detroit Tigers fan,” says VanDam. “One
day, my dad took me to Tiger Stadium to
watch a doubleheader. We got there early,
and I was trying to get some autographs.
While the teams were loosening up, I got
close to the rail near where a couple of players
were throwing and stretching. I called out
to them to ask for their autographs, but they
completely ignored me.”
VanDam never forgot the snub and does
his best to sign every autograph and pose for
every photo fans might request. Occasionally,
he must defer because of scheduling
demands or other issues, but that’s rare. And
in a sport that’s known to be fan-friendly,
VanDam likely signs as many autographs as
any angler on the planet.
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2020 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING.COM | FLWFISHING.COM 59