Stars and Fishing Sportsman

• Kevin VanDam

Kevin VanDam, Bio

Born: 14th October, 1967

Home: Michigan, USA

Kevin VanDam is the all-time money winner in professional bass fishing, having earned more than $4.9m as of August 2010. Kevin VanDam is the pinnacle in the world of professional bass fishing, arguably the best in the world. He’s a fierce competitor with multiple championships and a great ambassador for the sport. Professional bass fishing has risen to a major sports level in recent years with regular season and national championships televised on ESPN.

VanDam was honoured with the first-ever Outdoorsman of the Year ESPN trophy at ESPN’s televised awards program in 2002. “When it comes to professional bass fishing, Kevin VanDam is as close to perfection as I’ve ever seen,” says ESPN’s Mark Zona.

As the all-time money winner on the Bassmaster Tournament trail, VanDam has won two Bassmaster Classic titles (2001,2005) and five Toyota Tundra Angler of Year titles (1992, 1996, 1999, 2008 and 2009). The Bassmaster Classic title is the most coveted in bass fishing, attracting the best anglers in the world who qualify for it through a regular season schedule. VanDam has earned berths in 20 consecutive Classics since he turned full-time pro in 1992, the longest running Classic qualification streak of any active pro.

At age 23, he became the youngest to win the Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year title, collected an unprecedented 23 consecutive in-the-money finishes and shattered tournament records.

Favourite Frame

Oakley Fishing Sunglasses

Career Highs

Outdoor Sportsman of the Year by ESPN (2002)
Bassmaster Classic championship (2001 and 2005)
Ranked #1 in World (#1 ranking 7 of last 8 years)
5 time BASS Angler of the Year – 1992, 1996, 1999, 2008, 2009
FLW Angler of the Year - 2001
16 BASS 1st place finishes
84 BASS top 10 finishes
134 BASS top 20 finishes
20 time BassMaster Classic qualifier
2 time BassMaster Classic Champion – 2001, 2005
1st angler to reach $2m and $3m in career earnings