Hey Hall of Fame family,
In this week's blog post, I just want to take a moment to reflect on a 'hall of fame' career, one that wrapped up the recent Major League Fishing Heavy Hitters event at the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes. Jordan Lee dominated the tournament on a big grass mat in the middle of the lake, but that's not the point of this post. We're focusing on the Greatest Of All Time, Kevin Van Dam, who himself had an impressive showing at Kissimmee, finishing 4th, with 18-14. KVD retired from professional fishing last year, 2023, but due to his success in 2023, qualified for the MLF General Tires Heavy Hitter and Red Crest events in 2024. The Heavy Hitters event was unique, in that big bass payouts increased as the tournament went on. On the final day, big bass payouts were $100,000. As if KVD needed any more accolades, he lands a 7-12 bass, which was good enough for the big bass on the final tournament day. I think he still might have some in the tank...
It's been amazing to watch a 30 year tournament career unfold and come to an end, as I am getting close to 30 years old, myself. I've grown up fishing with the Strike King KVD squarebills, and I still stand by the fact that they're amongst, if not the best squarebills available. His Strike King Perfect Plastics line of baits are fish catching machines. The KVD Sexy Dawg was the first topwater walking bait I caught a bass on. His Strike King line of baits are ones I always have tied on. KVD has fished 314 BASS tournaments, with 25 1st place finishes, 16 2nd place finishes, 4 Bassmaster Classic wins, placed in money 253 times, and is a 7 time Angler of the Year. We (Paul, our cousin Jordan, and I) got to briefly see KVD walking by at the Bassmaster Classic at Grand Lake, and we heard him talk at each day's weigh-ins. Not to mention all the seminars, videos, and podcast episodes featuring KVD that we've listened to/watched over the years.
From the sounds of it, Kevin will still be keeping busy in 'retirement'. On a recent Bass U Live podcast, he was talking about his new show, "The Van Dam Experience". It looks like he'll have some really awesome content coming soon for his show and on YouTube. Here's a sneak peak: he caught a 10 lb bass while practice fishing the MLF Heavy Hitters and filming for the show at the same time. Paul and I are stoked to see what retirement has in store for KVD, and we hope he's able to spend enjoyable time with family and reap the benefits of his long, tenured career. Hall of Fame Outdoor Co wishes KVD the best in retirement!
Tight lines,
Erik Hoffman, Hall of Fame Outdoor Co