Press Room

Photo by James Overstreet

KVD takes home his first regular season win of the 07 Elite Series with a win on Lake Guntersville. By a convincing 7 pound margin Kevin left no doubt he’d be the victor on this day.

“Without a doubt, this is the top series that there is in the world,” VanDam said. “These guys are really good. And I’ve been waiting since the inception of the Elite Series to win one. It’s been a while since I’ve won a regular-season event.”

KVD struggled to find fish early on Sunday, but after two moves, was able to boat a 20-pound limit by 9 a.m. “That gave me the confidence to sit down and fish real slow.”

“When it got sunny and bright (as it did Sunday), I could catch them ripping that crankbait out of the grass, better than with the spinner,” he said. “But after lunchtime, the spinner was better.”

VanDam said the shad bite was key in the overwhelming majority of his catches during the Southern Challenge. “If the shad get active, then the bass get active,” he said. “If they get nervous and start following your bait, the bass are sure take a look at it.”