The Starting Spot: KVD’s Joy of Fishing, the Hover Rig, and a Monster Washington Bass

The Starting Spot Daily Bass Fishing Headlines are the perfect way to start your day with some of the top bass fishing articles on the internet. It’s the quick, informative, how, where, and who you need to know. So, rub the sleep from your eyes, pour that first cup of the day, and head to your Starting Spot.

The Starting Spot: -KVD shares his joy of fishing. -You need the hover rig -Washington kayaker catches monster LMB. | Photo by Kurt Mazurek

In today’s 7-29–25 edition of The Starting Spot:

-All-time great Kevin VanDam reminisces about the heart of fishing and encourages anglers to remember what got us all hooked on fishing—and it wasn’t the gear or the glory.

-The hover rig is a part of the forward-facing sonar induced craze for subtle, horizontal, minnow-shaped presentations, but it has a unique advantage over the more common ball-head jig rigs.

-The story is worth a look for the photo alone. This is a legit northern strain largemouth bass that lives in Washington state, north of Seattle. It’s a genuine big’un!

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The Simple Joy Of Fishing: Kevin VanDam’s Grassroots Gospel

by Walker Smith

In a story on TheFishingWire.com: Kevin VanDam, the Team Toyota pro and hands-down the greatest bass angler to ever cast a line, has a trophy case that’d make anyone jealous—four Bassmaster Classics, seven Angler of the Year titles and a legacy that’s etched in the annals of fishing history. But don’t let the shine fool you. Beneath the high-tech gear and TV spotlight, VanDam’s heart beats for the same gritty, dirt-under-the-nails fishing that hooked him as a kid. In a world cluttered with gadgets and YouTube tutorials, he’s preaching a back-to-basics truth: fishing’s soul lies in its simplicity, the raw thrill of the bite and the quiet moments that make you forget the world.

VanDam’s fishing story starts not on a gleaming tournament stage but on the weathered planks of a 14-foot aluminum boat, bobbing on a northern Michigan lake. 

“My dad took me ice fishing when I was three years old, but I fished constantly after that,” he says, his voice carrying the weight of nostalgia. “Mainly panfish and what not, but my life-changing fishing trip was northern Michigan at 7-years-old. That was the most important fishing trip of my youth. How those smallmouth fought, how they jumped; I was just absolutely hooked.”…MORE.

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Hover Rig: The Finesse Tactic You Need Now

by Chris Munchow

In a story on OutdoorsFirst.com: It’s great when you flip a dock, laydown, or grass point and you immediately feel that hammer fall. Likewise, frogging’s repetitive monotony becomes well worth the effort when that cannonball explosion shatters the stillness. We all love the aggressive fish, but a case can be made for the deeper sense of accomplishment from fooling the tough ones. Shallow water, clear water, maybe that midday lull or post-frontal conditions — all elements of a severely demanding day. Throw in a heavy dose of fishing pressure, and you have the recipe for disaster.

This is the time to put your high-energy power fishing, reaction bait mindset on pause and go slow and subtle. It’s all about delivering a bait that presents a tempting profile without irritating or spooking fish on high alert…MORE.

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Nearly 10-Pound Northern Largemouth Bass Stuns Veteran Washington Pond Kayaker

by Bob McNally

Per a story on Wired2Fish.com: All work and no fishing can wear an angler down. So, when Daniel Caricaburu-Lundin had a chance to spend some quiet time on a little lake, his wife Krystle pressed him into going.
“My wife was going out of town, and she knew I needed a break from work, so she convinced me to go,” Caricaburu-Lundin told Wired2fish. “I hadn’t been in so long, my gear was scattered. But I grabbed some stuff and headed to a pond where I’d seen a huge bass, but it wouldn’t hit when I tried for it some weeks previously.”
Caricaburu-Lundin says the ponds he fishes in Northwest Washington’s Snohomish County just north of Seattle have northern-strain largemouths that usually top at about 7 pounds. But he targeted one pond where he’d previously seen a much larger bass, but it wouldn’t hit lures he cast to it…MORE.