Sportsman Spotlight
Hometown: Kalamazoo
Occupation: D&R Sports manager and pro angler
Favorite fish species and biggest: Smallmouth, 8-4
Favorite Michiana lake: Grand River; it’s super diverse river system with backwaters.
Favorite rod and reel: Tatula Elite 7-4 medium spinning rod, Tatula MQ reel
Hobbies when not fishing: Golf and hunting
If you only had one lure and why: Neko rig. You can fish deep and shallow and the worm is still undefeated.
Best tip to give a new Michiana angler: Don’t be afraid to try new places. There are hundreds of lakes in our area that get overlooked.
By Louie Stout
Jonathon VanDam has tasted the allure of the Bassmaster Classic and wants to get back there.
The Kalamazoo angler, nephew of Kevin VanDam, was building a respectable career with Bassmaster before leaving to join the Bass Pro Tour. He qualified for two Classics, won an Elite event and had a handful of top 10s.
Like many other Bassmaster pros who made the move to the Bass Pro Tour, he found out the grass wasn’t any greener over there. He’s trying to fish his way back into the Elites and a Bassmaster Classic berth by competing in the super tough Bassmaster Opens.
“I spent 12 years on the Elites and my goal now is to get back to the Classic,” says the father of two young children.
After two Open tournaments, he currently ranks 24th in Division One that includes more than 150 anglers.
When he’s not fishing Bassmaster events, he’s working as one of the D&R Sports Center managers, a store his father, Randy, owns. He does a lot of the buying for the firearms department and helps with the fishing section.
“I do whatever needs done,” he says.
Here’s a Q/A we did with him:
MON: How is your season going this year on the Bassmaster Opens?
VANDAM: I started the season with a 4th place but didn’t have a good tournament last time. The next tournament (April 30) is a non-scoping event on Lake Norman, N.C. I’m looking forward to that one.
MON: What are your thoughts on scoping (Forward Facing Sonar technology)?
VANDAM: It’s an awesome tool and fun to fish with as well as teaching us things we never knew about fish. You can learn a lot about how they react and how they relate to things. It’s a tool that you have to learn to use effectively. However, for tour level bass tournaments there must be some limitations to open up more diversified techniques. I have built a lot of experience through fishing without it , so it’s difficult for me to go to the middle of the lake and poke around.
MON: Any plans to fish local and regional events when you’re home?
VANDAM: I fished some Monday nighters with my son last year and had a blast doing it and will do it again this year. I’m also fishing the D&R Sports Series in Michigan.
MON: What baits do you see being the hot baits in Michiana this season?
VANDAM: The dice bait for sure. My first experience with it was at the last Open tournament and it was crazy how they bit the crap out of it. I also see jig fishing making a comeback. Three of the four D&R tournaments last year were dominated by flipping a jig. Glide baits are coming on strong along with larger swimbaits.
MON: How did you fish the dice-style bait in the Bassmaster Open?
VANDAM: I put a small nail weight in it and fished it in 8-15 feet of water around brush piles.
MON: What technique do you think Michiana anglers aren’t devoting enough attention to?
VANDAM: The Neko rig. I love fishing it along break edges of grass, around grass clumps, and skipping it under docks and cover. I’ll throw in places where most guys fish a jig or Texas rig.
Also, I think anglers should fish jerkbaits throughout the year and in deeper water, not just in the springtime.
MON: Tell us about your Neko rig set-up.
VANDAM: I usually put a 3/32-ounce nail weight in the nose; it falls like a tube. You can work it fairly fast – pop it off the bottom a few times then make another cast.
I like using the 5 mm VMC rubber ring to secure it to a No. 2 Mustad Titan X Neko Hook. The VMC ring has a hole in the top for hook placement and keeps them hooked pretty good. I use straight tail worms, such as one made by Daiwa, or the MaxScent Hit Worm. I also like the magnum, full-size Trick Worm. I fish it on the 7-4 Daiwa Tatula Elite Cody Meyer Neko/wachy tube rod with 15-pound braid and a 12-pound fluorocarbon leader.