Day 2: Kevin VanDam’s Three Keys to Consistent Bass Fishing
Editor’s Note: One of the most-dominant anglers on the bass-fishing circuit, Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Michigan has won several Bassmasters Classics, besides Bassmaster Angler of the Year titles.
 Kevin VanDam has three keys to consistency in his bass fishing. If you'll major on these three keys, you too will become more-consistently successful each day you fish for bass.
- Determine to use a wide variety of lures and tactics each day you fish. Keep eliminating baits and techniques until you find the one that will produce bass on that lake on that day.
- Build on your past experience, which will cause you to continue to come-up with more ideas and solutions to solve bass-fishing problems. The more lures and fishing methods you've tried in the past, the more experience you'll have from which to draw. As long as you can come-up with ideas and tactics and consistently change until you hit on a winning idea, you'll have better odds for catching bass any day you fish.
- Don't quit fishing, no matter what your standing in a tournament. Too-many anglers worry about other contestants. You don't compete against a contestant; you only compete against the bass.
 "The way I look at a tournament when it's over is not whether I’ve won or lost," VanDam comments. "I try and evaluate how well I've adapted to the conditions during the tournament, and whether I've fished to the best of my ability. If I finish in the top five but have made some judgment errors or fishing mistakes or lost a few big fish that I should have caught, then I don't feel good about the tournament, because I know I could have done better. However, I don't second-guess myself after a tournament is over.  But I will attempt to pinpoint my mistakes. Then I can use what I've learned in future tournaments so as to not make these same mistakes again. The mistakes I make give me the knowledge I need to win."
Kevin VanDam and the other consistent bass-fishing pros never have any bad days of fishing. Remember, on the days they perform poorly, they feel they're building experience and learning how to win.  On the days they win, they realize that the days they have lost have taught them how to become winners.
  To learn more about how to fish for bass, click the titles for the new ebooks by John E. Phillips, “How to Bass Fish Like a Pro” and “Catch the Most and Biggest Bass in Any Lake,” or go to http://www.amazon.com/kindle-ebooks, and type in the names of the books to buy them. Too, you can download a Kindle app for free and buy the book from Amazon to read it on your iPad, Smartphone or computer.
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