COLUMN : BALOG ON BASS FISHING
kevin vandam shifting gears
What he means to the sport , what ’ s next and are we ready for it ?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
For more than 20 years , Joe Balog has made his living in the fishing industry on and off the water . A successful tournament angler from the Great Lakes region , Balog now lives in Florida , where he continues to work in product design , marketing and outdoor media when he ' s not chasing trophy largemouth .
L ooking out over Lake Kissimmee , Kevin VanDam was ticked off . “ I gave that one up ,” he thought .
VanDam had just mustered a 20-pound , 8- ounce bag on the second day of qualifying at B & W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented By Grundéns , the fifth-biggest of the day . But a poor opening round proved too much to overcome . The sting of missing the Knockout Round by a mere 10 ounces overshadowed any fuzzy feelings about what will likely be remembered as his final tournament in Florida .
“ That was the last chance I ’ ll ever get on this lake ,” his thoughts whispered to him .
It ’ s true . VanDam , the greatest performer tournament bass fishing has ever known , is scheduled to retire from tournament competition at the conclusion of the 2023 Bass Pro Tour season in
August . Well , mostly retire . In typical VanDam fashion , his intense competitiveness won ’ t quite allow him to walk away from the sport entirely . “ My goal is to qualify for REDCREST and Heavy Hitters next year so I don ’ t have to quit cold turkey ,” he said .
the reality of kvd ’ s retirement
Most fans , myself included , despise the idea of VanDam retiring . That ’ s not to say he still needs to accomplish anything ; his record of 26 national tour-level wins may never be broken .
“ I don ’ t have to win another tournament to prove anything to myself ,” VanDam said .
He ’ s right . But it will feel strange to no longer watch him stalk world championship and Angler of the Year titles , especially since he has shown that he can still contend .
22 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2023