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Part 6
KVD Interview
@Hello anglers! I have interviewed one of the world's greatest
anglers, Kevin VanDam about the influence Japanese fishing has
had on bass fishing in North America. I have known Kevin for
years and just called him on the phone. I find him to be very
generous with the information and very professional. I like
to call him, the 'Tiger Woods' of fishing, because he is the
best in the world. It doesn't matter what he fishes for...salmon,
bass, walleye...he always does well. I chose him for an interview
because I knew every basswaver would love to hear him speak
about Japan. He was very open and was happy to speak to basswavers! |
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Jon Bondy: Kevin, what a tremendous
opportunity this is. When it comes to lures, can you tell
us a little about the products coming out of Japan and
what your impression is of them.
Kevin VanDam: The biggest difference
I see between the lures from Japan and those from the
US is the appearance of the bait and attention to detail.
Japanese are very meticulous when it comes to fishing,
whether it be the cleanliness of their equipment, to the
designs of their lures. Baits such as Lucky Craft have
really caught on in the US because they work well. There
have been some Japanese lure companies in the past that
have spent so much time focusing on the outside appearance
of the bait, that they go a bit overboard and spend not
enough time on the action of the bait itself. Some baits
look great, but don't catch fish well. Japanese lure companies
have been working with US pro anglers in recent years
to increase the effectiveness of many lures. Most Japanese
baits made now are very good fish catchers after pro anglers
in the US provided input. |
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Bondy: We've seen several Japanese pros
do well on the FLW Tour and the BASS Tour. Who comes to mind
as a great angler?
VanDam: Well one terrific angler is Takahiro
Omori. He has done extremely well and has paved the way for
some newer pros to come from Japan to fish. Takahiro is very
much a student of the sport. He pays a lot of attention to detail,
maybe too much some time. He studies the other pros very closely.
In fact, at the first BASSMASTER E-50 event this year, he fished
with Rick Clunn during the practice round, but never picked
up a rod all day, he told Rick he just wanted to watch him work
and study how he fishes. At the end of every event, if I do
well, Takahiro is always trying to ask questions of me about
my pattern and how I caught my fish. |
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Part6
KVD Interview
2004/05/20 |
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I called up a long time
friend of mine, Kevin Vandam for an interview with
time. It seems like he likes Japanese bais like
I do. |
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Part1
Fishing on Lake St. Clair
2002/03/09 |
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Hello. My name is Jon
Bondy of Wondsor, Canada. I am a full time fishing
guide on Lake St.Clair, and today I start off my
column on basswave.jp. |
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@ |
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Part2
With Mickey Bruce
2002/06/13 |
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I had a time to
fish with Mickey Blues, a long time friend of mine
and a famous Tour compeditor. We caught tons of
bass and stripers. |
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@ |
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Part3
Walleye, another great game-fish
2002/07/15 |
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Walleye is one
of the most popular types of game fish in North
America, but they don't live in Japan. I thought
I should introduce a walleye story a little bit.
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@ |
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Part4
Smallies!
2002/08/28 |
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When you wish to
fish smallmouths, I bet St. Clair is the best choise.
Thanks God, I live near by. So, I tell you how fun
to fish smallies here. |
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Part5
Monster Fish
2004/03/12 |
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In Japan, I heard big
long muskie lures are used to catch monster sized
bass even though muskies don't exist over there.
I will introduce how brual a real monster muskie
can do. |
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Bondy: Does Takahiro employ a lot
of finesse techniques that Japanese anglers are known
for?
VanDam: At first he did, but now I
think he is starting to get away from those techniques
and is starting to fish more American styles of lures,
and patterns. You know, 'power' techniques I like to call
them. Big crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and jigs. Those fit
well with the lakes we fish.
Bondy: Back to lures, what improvements
do you see in Japanese baits lately?
VanDam: Well some of the companies
are really open to what anglers have to say. There have
been improvements in how the baits wiggle, or the action
of the bait, the placement of the line tie, etc. The lures
coming out of Japan now are much better fish catchers
than just a few years ago. |
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Bondy: Would you say the drop
shot is Japan's biggest influence as of late?
VanDam: Yes, definitely the drop shot has really
caught on here. Anglers are really employing that
technique a lot and it has won major events here.
Bondy: Have you ever wanted to visit Japan to greet
Japanese anglers?
VanDam: Yes in fact, there is
a good possibility of that happening real soon.
All of my sponsors, especially Mercury and Motorguide
want me to go to Japan, and it looks like it probably
will happen in the Fall of 2004 sometime.
Bondy: Well Kevin, thank you
for your time, and good luck on the Tour.
VanDam: No problem, thank you
Jon. |
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