BAY CITY, Mich. (Aug. 5, 2023) – Kalamazoo, Michigan’s own Kevin VanDam – the all-time winningest angler in the history of professional bass fishing, announced his retirement earlier this year, but proved to the field today that he’s not interested in finishing the season as just a participant – he’s here to win. VanDam went on an early morning flurry, catching eight scorable bass Saturday – his best five weighing 21 pounds, 8 ounces – to lead the Knockout Round and advance with the final 10 anglers to the final day of competition at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour Tournament at Saginaw Bay.
VanDam quickly rose to the top of the leaderboard early in Period 1 and never looked back. His limit gives him a 2-pound, 13-ounce cushion over pro Dakota Ebare of Brookeland, Texas, who ended the day with a five-bass-limit weighing 18-11, good for second place. Harrison, Tennessee’s Jacob Wheeler – the reigning Bally Bet Angler of the Year (AOY) – sits in third place with a limit weighing 17-15, while Ott DeFoe finished the day in fourth with 17-14. Matt Becker also weighed in five bass totaling 17-14 to round out the top five.
The final 10 anglers are now set, and competition resumes Sunday morning with the Championship Round. In the Championship Round, weight carries over from the Knockout Round and the angler with the heaviest two-day total will win the top prize of $100,000.
“Really solid day today, for sure,” said VanDam. “I couldn’t have scripted it any better. Being in this position is everything you could ask for. I gave it everything I had, trying to catch as much as I could today, and it’s still going to be a shootout again tomorrow. There’s just no guarantee that we’ll get the same type of bites tomorrow, but I went out and accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish today and have had a blast having fun this week.
“This is my last regular-season pro level tournament, so I really wanted to fish every single day and I’m going to get to do that,” VanDam continued. “I just can’t put into words how much that means.”
The Michigan pro spent the majority of his time Saturday in the mid-section of the main lake, throwing a Strike King Thunder Cricket and he also added a keeper on a drop-shot rig. Although VanDam caught a combination of largemouth and smallmouth during the Qualifying Round, where he finished in second place, he targeted strictly smallmouth during the Knockout Round – a move that certainly paid off for the eight-time Angler of the Year (AOY) winner.
“I feel so blessed and have had so much support from my family,” said an emotional VanDam. “Both of my sons are here – one of them flew in from Nashville just to be here this week – and it means a lot that they are here and I’m going to have a lot of family and friends around tomorrow as well.”
The Michigan native has collected just over $7 million in tournament winnings and 26 tournament wins in his storied career, and it seems he’s got his sights set on another tour-level trophy.
“It’s just so special to be in this position going into the final day of this event,” said VanDam. “I know the other nine guys are going to give it everything they’ve got to try to take home that trophy, but I can promise you this – so am I.
“This has been such a special week, all in all, and I had no expectations it would turn out like this, and I’m so thankful for all the support I’ve had over the years. I’ve gotten to know so many friends, and the people in this industry is really what makes this sport so special. I’m looking forward to getting back out there and we’re going to be swinging for the fences tomorrow. “
The top 10 pros from Saturday’s Knockout Round that now advance to Sunday’s Championship Round on Saginaw Bay are:
1st: Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., five bass, 21-8
2nd: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, five bass, 18-11
3rd: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., five bass, 17-15
4th: Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., five bass, 17-14
5th: Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., five bass, 17-14
6th: Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas, five bass, 17-12
7th: Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., five bass, 17-0
8th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., five bass, 16-14
9th: Mark Daniels Jr., Tuskegee, Ala., five bass, 16-11
10th: Cody Meyer, Star, Idaho, five bass, 16-7
Finishing in 11th through 40th place are:
11th: Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., five bass, 16-7
12th: Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La., five bass, 16-6
13th: Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., five bass, 16-5
14th: Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 16-2
15th: Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., five bass, 16-1
16th: Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, five bass, 15-13
17th: Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., five bass, 15-12
18th: Russ Lane, Prattville, Ala., five bass, 15-2
19th: Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., five bass, 15-1
20th: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., five bass, 15-0
21st: Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 14-11
22nd: David Walker, Sevierville, Tenn., five bass, 14-11
23rd: Jeff Sprague, Point, Texas, five bass, 14-10
24th: Mitch Crane, Columbus, Miss., five bass, 14-8
25th: Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala., five bass, 14-6
26th: Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., five bass, 14-4
27th: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, five bass, 13-12
28th: Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., five bass, 13-10
29th: Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., five bass, 13-8
30th: Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., five bass, 13-6
31st: Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., five bass, 13-5
32nd: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 13-1
33rd: Cliff Pace, Petal, Miss., five bass, 12-15
34th: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., five bass, 12-12
35th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 12-9
36th: Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan., five bass, 12-3
37th: Fred Roumbanis, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 12-1
38th: Roy Hawk, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., five bass, 11-13
39th: Randall Tharp, Port Saint Joe, Fla., four bass, 9-11
40th: Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., two bass, 7-5
Overall, there were 481 scorable bass weighing 1,185 pounds, 15 ounces caught by the 40 pros Saturday, which included 73 3-pounders, 22 4-pounders and three 5-pounders.
VanDam tied with San Mateo, Florida’s Terry Scroggins for Saturday’s Berkley Big Bass Award, each weighing in a bass totaling 5 pounds, 2 ounces, to claim a share of the daily award. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.