Head Hunter

MUCC Member Wins BassMaster Classic

Kevin Van Dam is the greatest angler ever. No, I don't think that's an overstatement.

I just finished watching ESPN's coverage of the 2010 BassMaster Classic -- the biggest fishing competition on the planet -- and at the end of the weigh-in it was KVD holding the trophy high with the fireworks and confetti blowing up in the background. Yeah, I admit it. I'm a KVD fan. I've had the opportunity to fish with Kevin and I've talked with him for several stories. Better yet, I've been able to just chat with him as a friend (no, I'm not trying to say I'm buddies with him -- but that's just the kind of guy he is. He makes you feel like a friend, even if you hardly know him).

The best story I've got to share about Kevin comes from last year's Ultimate Sports Show in Grand Rapids. Kevin was just finishing up with one of his incredible seminars on Lake Ultimate where he showed exactly how you can make lethargic fish bite -- it was, in fact, the very same technique he used to win the 2010 Classic. He had lines of fans wanting to get an autograph, two fairly large TV stations looking for their 30 second clip. He was busy to say the least. But not too busy to give MUCC a few minutes of video and a testimonial on why he thinks every hunter and angler in the state should be an MUCC member.

Kevin Van Dam is the greatest angler on earth. He's also one of Michigan's most recognizable sportsmen. That's a role he takes seriously. And we are so very proud to have him as an MUCC member and a representative of our state and the outdoors.

I last talked to Kevin in November and he was fired up about getting in one of his best stands on his Kalamazoo County property. He'd already had a great season watching his two sons take deer during the youth season. We chatted about the possiblity of doing a morning turkey hunt with him and his boys and following it up with some bass fishing in the afternoon. Obviously, Kevin's schedule is pretty crazy and winning his third BassMaster Classic isn't exactly going to ease that. But hopefully we'll get something lined up for an upcoming episode of OD.

Maybe he'll even let me touch one of his Classic trophies . . .

MUCC and MichiganOutofDoors.com congratulates KVD for winning another Classic championship.

And, as a Michigan hunter and angler, I thank him for being the guy that he is.

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