Tournament News Powered By Lake Drive Marine
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By Louie Stout
Todd Vydick with his big smallmouth
Todd Vydick’s primary hope was to improve his personal best when he hired Cody Johnson to guide him for big smallmouth in the Traverse City, Mich. area.
“My biggest bass up to that point was 6.1 pounds,” said Vydick of Hartland, Mich. “I try to improve my personal best every time I fish with Todd.”
Well, mission accomplished – and in spades. Vydick not only bettered his biggest when he landed a 9.3-pound smallmouth, but also came up about a half pound shy of tying the Michigan record.
They fished into the evening last Monday when they encountered a school of smallmouth holding on a small grass patch in about 20 feet of water.
The Brighton, Mich. guide said he spotted the school along a drop-off on his Humminbird Side Imaging unit. He doesn’t have forward-facing sonar.
That’s where the behemoth bass ate Todd’s ¼-ounce, green pumpkin Strike King coffee tube. He knew it was big, but had no idea it was that big.
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Z-man Report
Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson
All three days of the 2023 Bassmaster Classic, Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson stuck to his confidence bait, catching every one of his tournament-winning smallmouth bass on one of two Z-Man baits—a 4-inch smelt-pattern Scented Jerk ShadZ and a similar, though slightly smaller StreakZ™ 3.75. It’s a statement that not only begs questions, but also implies greatness.
“Z-Man’s Scented Jerk ShadZ is one of those rare bass baits that look pretty unassuming tied to your line,” observes Gustafson, who’s won numerous major bass derbies with the same jig and softbait setup. “But put it in the water and it absolutely springs to life, does things few other baits can do; operates on those super subtle levels of body and tail movement, so critical to triggering sight-feeding bass.
Composed of ElaZtech® superplastics, Z-Man’s Scented Jerk ShadZ harbors legit bass catching sorcery—a rare combination of softness, buoyancy, movement and improbable toughness. Specific to Gussy’s Classic gameplan, the bait offers an almost supernatural talent for hovering horizontally in the water column, just barely pulsing its tail like a shad or shiner in full-on chill mode.
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By Al McGuckin
Kevin VanDam
While bass anglers in the South fish nearly year-round, March marks the unofficial start to fishing season for just about all of America, and preparation is the first step to a successful season. So, Kevin VanDam shares three tackle prep activities he exercises prior to each tournament season to help anglers of all levels have a better year.
Grab a pen. Make a grocery list.
“The first thing I do when I’m getting ready for a new fishing season is grab a notepad and pen. As I sort through all the lures, hooks, and weights, I literally write a list of anything I’m running low on,” says VanDam.
“It’s a simple but efficient way of making sure I’m not missing any of the tackle I’ll use most going into the season, without overstocking or wasting money on things I don’t need,” adds the Team Toyota angler.