Is Kvd Fooling Us?

[buzzfrog]

alright thanks guys, i catch em on bandit sk, bomber and xcaliber, but not consistant, more of a just jumpin on, I will check em out

[ww2farmer]

I catch the heck out of them on SK cranks, rarely do I get a bad one. Are they the best out there....I doubt it, but they work fine for me. If you can't catch them on a SK crank, it's a you problem, not the bait. Not saying that in a way to crap on you ....more like maybe you have more confidence in LC, Spro...etc....I am the same way with some baits too. Things that work great for some guys, just don't cut it for me. Rage craws for example. I can put one on, fish with it for a while, not get bit, take it off put on a Paca craw, and catch a fish. Is it a fish I wouldn't have caught if I didn't switch, probably not. Confidence is key. I will fish that Paca craw for hours with out a bite, but I know sooner or later if I do my part and put it in the right place, at the right time, I'll get bit on it....because I have so many times before. If I would just stick to rage craws they same would happen, but I don't...so it don't. There are no magic baits, it's all about time/place/presentation AND confidence.

[Bassn Blvd]

Thanks for all the replies, I appreciate them. I kind of figured KVD does some sort of modifications to his cranks. I don't think cranking is all that complicated, once you find the fish. The problem is getting the crank to run correct or find the right wobble.

Sometimes I swear it's almost as if there's a diver in the water that just puts the bass on the hook for him..

Haha, I was thinking that while watching him on t.v this morning.

[Bassn Blvd]

I'm sure that KVD weeds thru 1000's of cranks in the off season to find his winning baits. He's not running down to Wal-mart and fishing off shelf baits.

Now every pro has a stash of secret baits for those special situations.

Some very interesting thoughts on KVD's SK. Do you really think the SK cranks KVD uses are different than the ones off the shelf, other than him changing out the hooks? Do you think his cranks are "special made' from the factory?

[NoBassPro]

Some very interesting thoughts on KVD's SK. Do you really think the SK cranks KVD uses are different than the ones off the shelf, other than him changing out the hooks? Do you think his cranks are "special made' from the factory?

Well I'll admit to going to the store his brother own a few times hoping to see some cool special KVD lure or something. A prototype he was looking to get rid of or a custom color, just something you couldn't find elsewhere. It was always a flop, he doesn't even have the greatest selection of strike king baits lol.

[BIG M]

Same factory made baits but he's looking for a certain action from each style of bait. If you buy 100 2.5 SK cranks and run them in a swimming pool there will differences in action between a number of those baits. He is looking for those subtle differences in action. Out of a 100 he may find 5 that are more bouyant and have that unique jumpy action the fish just love. Rick Clunn use to talk about having A, B, and C cranks for fishing tournys. He would swim all his baits in a pool to figure out which baits had the best action. KVD is smart and willing to put the extra time in to find the baits that suit his style of fishing.

[Traveler2586]

The pool exercise is a good way the learn the action of a bait if you have a pool; I got after hour access to our community pool once to work on spinners - learned a lot, but got a lot of jokes from the staff - which was OK considering what I got out of it. Tip: make sure to use a concrete pool, you don't want to snag your pool liner.

[piscicidal]

I'm sure that KVD weeds thru 1000's of cranks in the off season to find his winning baits. He's not running down to Wal-mart and fishing off shelf baits.

Now every pro has a stash of secret baits for those special situations.

KVD talks about this in his book (Secrets of a Champion). He has a stash of lures that just run "different" and are known fish producers. He takes a sharpie and marks those with a dollar sign "$". Those baits only get used in tournaments.

He'll run baits in the pool making sure he gets the action he wants...then he'll test those baits out in practice. If they produce fish he'll mark them and they'll end up in the tournament stash.

The point is...he doesn't just grab baits out of the box and start cranking em. No doubt he goes thru a fair amount of baits to arrive at his stash of known fish producers.

[piscicidal]

dont mean to hijack, but beside change hooks, how else do you fix them.. or could somebody point me to a site or somtihng

Changing hooks...

Shorter 2X hooks will change the wobble of the bait.

Add "suspend dots".

Tuning the bait...adjusting the eye on the front to get it to run true.

File the leading edge to make it sharper.

There are probably more adjustments...but these are the some of the ones he mentions in his book.

I have taken a dremel to the leading edge of red eye shads to remove the parting line (created at seam on the injection mold) and then touched up with paint afterwards. I can't swear that it improves the action of the bait, but it give me more confidence, which is half the battle.

[tomustang]

Apparently KVD does have something on you!

[Bluebasser86]

I've done really well with the 1.5 baits and fish them a lot. I've done pretty well with a series 5 too. I change the hooks out on all of them though.

[Sherlock 60]

Have had good success with the 1.5 and 2.5 squarebills and the 6XD.

[NoBassPro]

KVD talks about this in his book (Secrets of a Champion). He has a stash of lures that just run "different" and are known fish producers. He takes a sharpie and marks those with a dollar sign "$". Those baits only get used in tournaments.

He'll run baits in the pool making sure he gets the action he wants...then he'll test those baits out in practice. If they produce fish he'll mark them and they'll end up in the tournament stash.

The point is...he doesn't just grab baits out of the box and start cranking em. No doubt he goes thru a fair amount of baits to arrive at his stash of known fish producers.

I know some musky guys that swear by wood crankbaits for that very reason. They believe the inherent differences between pieces of wood are far more likely to give them that special bait as compared to the strict quality controls of plastics. Whether its true or not, I don't know, both work. But its worth consideration.

[bounds37]

The 1.5 and the 2.5 can not be stopped during spawn. Color choices vary per lake, is what I have found. Would recommend buying some. The man is a genius.

[SirSnookalot]

I don't know what KVD uses, but I know what tour golfers do. The head covers or golf bag is only an indication of their sponsor, like Cleveland which means they are probably using Cleveland wedges and the irons and woods and putters may be a totally different brand and in many cases are. Next time you see Tiger Woods, look at his putter, it's a Scotty Cameron or Titlelist with a Ping grip, the lettering is worn off, he is sponsored by Nike. I'm sure some professional fishermen do the same thing, not as much consistency in a single brand, reels rods, lines and lures.

[Sam]

BassinBlvd, I wonder if the Lucky Crafts mimic the local forage better than the Strike Kings?

The colors are similiar; the action similiar; the profile similiar.

I would like to read more posts about the successes and failures of these two manufacturer's lures. It is interesting to read how one can outperform the other on the same body of water.

Throw in Bandit and Norman and you can put your self in a mental hospital trying to figure it out.

As for KVD modifying his baits, yes he does. I spoke to a pro who told me of a few things he does and I promised not to share them with everyone. Do I do them? Have in the past but I fish mostly for fun so I don't modify the lures other than for the hooks.

VanDam and others modify their baits. As I have posted on the forum a number of times, the pros hawk their sponsors' products but they either are using protypes not on the market or they modify the baits.

We fish for fun. They fish to work and earn money. Big difference.

[j.bruno]

I catch alot of fish on SK series 3, and the KVD Silent 1.5s ... I catch bigger fish on the Rapala DT series but the lips break off.

[bassmaster8100]

I catch a lot of fish on SK cranks. Sexy Shad is the primary color I use. Most of them seem to run true right out of the box. I do upgrade to the mustad hooks tho.

[TNBassin']

The square bills are designed to run erratically.

[Primus]

There are a couple of things to add that I don't think have been considered yet. The reason KVD and other pros do well with 6XD's and similiar deep divers is that they are much better at finding that " spot on a spot " and then analyze the proper retrieve angle . They also don't make 1 cast on that spot and move on, they will often hit it repeatedly to fire up the school. They will factor in how current or the wind & weather positions their fish.They do this much more proficiently than the average angle.Anyone can catch a few fish on deep diving cranks but few can do it as consistantly and with their skill level.

Also, if you are not getting bit on these baits you probably are not making long enough cast especially if your target is 15' plus in depth. Having the right rod / reel /line combo is critical for this type of fishing. Rod should be at least a 7'6" cranking rod or else you are wasting your time. Line is typically 10 or 12 lb floro. Some of you catching fish on deep divers are doing these things I suspect others who are not having success are not. It's the little things that make a difference in fishing, the more you do the more success you will have.

Shallow cranks like the 1.5 baits are a different story and in my opinion are easier to fish though there are little details that can make you more successful. That said one reason why a RC 1.5 might outfish a Strike King 1.5 or vice versa on a particular day often has a lot to do with vibration pattern. Under most conditions I like the 1.5 size squarebills . Don't overlook the large 2.5 or 3.5 baits under 1st light or last light conditions on clear water lakes, there is something magical about their drawing power in these situations. When fishing stained water I usually use the 2.5 unless it's sunny day.

One little bait that at times has outfished the others is the new Ima Bill Lowen squarebill, had a couple of occasions where they wouldn't hit my KVD or RC cranks but were tagging this bait. I only have 1 for the time being but plan on adding a few soon, it has earned a place in my rotation.

Regarding Strike King I personally like the 6XD, 1.5 & 2.5 along with the Red Eye Shad though I have caught fish on the other models as well.

[retiredbosn]

We have talked about changing the action of cranks before, I remember a post where I put that changing from a spit ring to a direct tie or adding a clip without removing the split ring changes the action of the bait. Would have thought I was nuts, the trouble is that most fishermen do not have the experience with cranks to detect the subtle differrences in the baits. I would bet money that if you did a test where the fisherman did not know what brand was in the water and the design of the lip and body profile that most of them couldn't tell the difference between a crankbait that wiggles and one that wobbles. Add to the the subtle nuances between split rings, hook sizes etc and how they all affect the action, most ppl can not tell how these changes are affecting the bait action. For the most part we as anglers have the minimum knowledge required to become proficient at crankbaiting.

[retiredbosn]

The square bills are designed to run erratically.

Yes but do not confuse erratic with running true. They roll and deflect but should still track true, not consistently to the left or right of your line of pull.

[merc1997]

From what I've seen KVD is one of those guys who isn't satisfied with "outta the box". Even the lures that he's helped design he will still find a different way to fish them or modify them. Sometimes I swear it's almost as if there's a diver in the water that just puts the bass on the hook for him.

I haven't had any success on the SK cranks either. I have the sexy shad and the gizzard shad color. Keep in mind that until very recently I have been big on soft plastics. So I'm not really qualified to answer your question. I will say that I have this Bomber Model A Square Bill foxy shad 0'-3' that really stays at 0' more times than not. I hung a bass with it. Can't tell you why? It was acting more like a wake bait rather than a crankbait.

The thing to remember about KVD is that most of his video's are done over a few days or a couple of weeks. Still fun to watch him trying to give a lesson and he'll catch bass in mid sentence and sometimes every other mid sentence.

i had a great chuckle when i read your comment about having a diver out there. it could be he is related to bill dance. just sayin', hahaha. anything to make the show look good.

bo

[MarkH024]

On 6/3/2012 at 10:25 AM, logan9209 said:

Still fun to watch him trying to give a lesson and he'll catch bass in mid sentence and sometimes every other mid sentence.

I sat in on a KVD seminar at the Bass Pro Shop in Gurnee, IL earlier this year in January. He was doing tank demo's with the hooks on his baits completely bent over and was still catching fish out of the tank. It was rather funny as every other sentence was interrupted by him either trying to shake one off or actually unhooking them.

I might add that it was in prime winter season, he drove from Kalamazoo and it took him 6+ hours to get here. He still took the time to meet and greet EVERY single person that attended his seminar. I drove an hour and 45 minutes on a drive that I should have been there in less than an hour. He is such a stand up guy and the perfect role model for this sport and all other sports for that matter. It was an honor to meet him and I hope to be able to do so again. Regarding the topic, I use a lot of SK cranks and have had great success with them. Price point they are great too. Some of the paint job durability could be better but when you're throwing a crank, a bit of paint chip on the nose end isn't going to be the determining factor of catching fish. I like SK products all around but have a few other brands I like to sneak in as well.

[merc1997]

i bet all of us would like to be able to fish in the fish tank, .

bo