VanDam Stops Late Charge for Victory at Bluegrass Brawl

By Steve Vantreese, The Paducah Sun, Ky.

Jun. 16–GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. — Making good use of a hefty lead, Kevin VanDam caught enough fish Sunday to withstand Timmy Horton’s late charge and win the Bassmaster Elite Series Bluegrass Brawl on Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley.

VanDam, a Kalamazoo, Mich., pro, sacked a five-fish limit weighing 16 pounds, 9 ounces — his lightest catch of the four-day tournament. It gave him a total of 84-13 for the 20 bass he weighed.

Muscle Shoals, Ala., angler Horton was third going into the final round, 9-3 behind VanDam. Yet, he thumped Kentucky Lake ledges for a ponderous limit of 24-11 Sunday, closing dramatically on the leader, but falling 17 ounces short. Horton settled for second place with his four-limit total of 83-12.

VanDam led from wire to wire, but veteran pro Rick Clunn of Ava, Mo., was expected to press the front-runner if anyone could, coming into the final in second place, trailing by 6-13. Clunn, instead, tanked on bigger fish Sunday, catching a limit but just 10-13.

“It was easy to catch them the last couple of days, but (Sunday) I struggled,” VanDam said of his own relative plight. “I had a lot of spots saved but the fish were just not there.”

The $100,000 first-prize winner said he fished Kentucky Lake drop-offs, primarily with Strike King Series 6 crankbaits in Sexy Shad pattern, but he also alternated some Series 5 crankbaits, Strike King jigs and jigging spoons.

Key to his success was concentrating to get as much weight as possible from a single spot on the occasion when he would make contact with a school of bass holding quality fish. He said he did not try to save fish from any school he found for later in the tournament.

“The first time you hit them, it’s critical to catch you can out of the school,” he said. “These other guys are really good at getting the most out of every spot. If you try to save fish, somebody else is liable to pull in on the spot an hour later and catch the biggest fish out of the school.

“I tried to catch all I could whenever I found a school, and that’s what got me the bigger limits earlier in the tournament — that was the key to winning,” VanDam said.

Horton had a day for his memory bank Sunday, reportedly catching “40 to 50 keepers and probably 25 four-pounders.”

He spent the day as he did the first three days, running from one Kentucky Lake ledge to another and rifling off casts with Bomber Fat Free Shad crankbaits that he had shaved to soften their wobble. He said he commonly held his boat in 25 feet of water, casting atop ledges in 10 to 12 feet and working a crankbait down the slope.

Terry Butcher of Talala, Okla., made his own charge Sunday, using a 22-11 limit to rise from sixth to third place with a 78-3 total. He also hammered ledges with Fat Free Shad crankbaits.

Mike McClelland of Bella Vista, Ark., was fourth with 77-1 after weighing in a hefty limit of 21-11 Sunday that he took casting a football-head jig and trailer to drop-offs.

Paul Elias of Laurel, Miss., claimed fifth after the 17-0 limit he weighed Sunday gave him 75-14 in all. He caught the bulk of his fish on Mann’s jigging spoons, although he added to his take with crankbaits and worms.

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