Michiana Sportsman Spotlight
Name: Kevin VanDam
Hometown: Kalamazoo, Mich.
Occupation: TV host
Favorite species and biggest fish of that species: Smallmouth, 7-9, Wheeler Lake, Ala.
Favorite Michiana lake: Gull Lake
Hobbies when not fishing: Hunting, boating
If you on had one lure and why: For our area, a tube is like a jig in the south. My favorite is a 3 ½-inch Strike King Coffee Tube, green pumpkin
Favorite rod and reel: KVD 7 ½-foot spinning rod and kvd 300 series shallow spool spinning reel. The shallow spool 300 gives you more distance and manages the line better.
Best tip to give a new Michiana angler: There are lots of different lakes and rivers here. Don’t get locked into just one. Remember: different bodies of water can be more productive at different times of the year.
By Louie Stout
Kevin VanDam needs no introduction. He’s the most famous angler to come out of Michiana.
The Kalamazoo, Mich. angler has won more than $7 million, eight Angler of Year titles, four Bassmaster Classic titles and still holds the Classic record for the heaviest weight in a Classic.
He’s retired from pro tournament fishing and now hosts his own television fishing show, "The VanDam Experience” shown on the outdoor channel. New episodes are currently running several times weekly.
While VanDam is a national bass fishing superstar, he attributes much of his success to growing up and fishing throughout the Michiana area.
Here’s a Q and A we did with KVD:
MON: I’ve heard you say that growing up in Michiana played a huge role in your phenomenal success as a pro angler. Explain that.
KVD: It absolutely did! We have a lot of diversity in this area; everything from deep, clear sandy lakes to shallower, off-color waters with different types of vegetation. We have a variety of rivers, from fast flowing to slow moving streams.
When I started on tour fishing new parts of the country, I didn’t see anything that I hadn’t experienced or learned about while fishing home waters.
And while I am a bass fisherman, I learned a ton by fishing for trout, salmon, muskie, pike and panfish. It taught me how fish relate to current, cover and I learned different presentations that could be applied to bass fishing. To be successful, you must keep an open mind and fish different bodies of water and species of fish. Southwest Michigan taught me versatility.
MON: Now that you’re not touring, do you get the opportunity to fish Michigan waters?
KVD: I do. I did quite a bit of bluegill and crappie ice fishing with my boys last winter. I love fishing for trout and salmon during the fall run in rivers and targeting lakers when they come around the piers in the fall.
MON: How was the transition from tournament pro to TV host?
KVD: It went well, and really, filming a show isn’t much different than fishing a tournament. We’re traveling the country and dealing with Mother Nature and that makes it tough when conditions change. We manage everything from the sales and promotion to the video production. When it’s raining hard, we can’t film.
We want to tell a story around lures and a technique, so we need continuity in weather and conditions to dial in on a specific technique. In a tournament, it doesn’t matter; you can catch a limit on five different baits or techniques.
MON: What can we expect to see in the shows this season?
KVD: We have a really diverse show schedule. We filmed in Louisiana, Texas, Tennessee, the Carolinas and did a few northern fisheries to include Great Lakes bass stuff. I love getting out and experiencing new fisheries. I’ve fished a lot of the great bass waters in the U.S., but I like finding those, little-known, hidden gems and we did that this year. You’ll see a good mix of smallmouth, largemouth and spotted bass.
MON: As a Strike King pro staffer, which one of the new baits for 2026 do you think is perfect for Michiana waters?
KVD: The one that really opened my eyes during the testing period was the Tumbleweed (one of today’s new “dice” baits). It’s incredible for fishing around our lakes. It imitates bugs and larvae. They really bite it, regardless of the water depth or the technique. I fish it on a drop-shot rig or a Neko rig with a little tungsten nail weight in it.
MON: You also have your own signature series of Lew’s rods and reels. What’s new there?
KVD: We refined the actions of the new rods and upgraded the components. The KVD baitcasters now have the ParaMag feature that really reduces the possibility of backlashing.
The spinning reels have really improved. They’re lighter and have a smoother and better drag. My favorite is the 300 size with a shallow spool that creates longer casts and makes line management much easier.
MON: During an interview on Dave Mercer’s podcast, you said technology has outpaced tournament rules. What did you mean by that?
KVD: The tournament organizations know how effective modern technology - especially forward-facing sonar - has become, so they all are trying to create a level playing field. That’s why seeing them add more limitations.
Look, I have MegaLive 2 and love it. It’s on when I’m in my boat and has taught me a lot about bass behavior and disproved a lot of what I once thought was factual about a fish’s life and seasonal habits.
But at the competitive level, I think it should have some limits and restrictions. Every pro sport has equipment limits, including golf, NASCAR, and baseball, to name a few. After all, tournaments don’t and haven’t allowed livebait or trolling for decades. I think it’s a good idea that Bassmaster put some limits in place this season. It will be exciting to watch how the season goes when FFS is allowed only in five of the nine tournaments. It’s going to add a lot of strategy.