VanDam wins Bassmaster Classic

PITTSBURGH - Kevin VanDam won his second Bassmaster Classic title in five years on Sunday, while Aaron Martens had to settle for another second-place finish.

VanDam was one of only two anglers to reach the five-bass limit on the third and final day of competition. His catch totaled 4 pounds, 13 ounces, giving him a three-day total of 11 bass weighing 12 pounds, 15 ounces.

"This is what we work for throughout our career," said VanDam, who won his first title in 2001. "It usually happens when you least expect it, and I certainly didn't expect it today. I had no idea what to expect."

Martens, also the runner-up in 2002 and 2004, entered the final day of competition in first place, but he caught only three bass, which totaled 3 pounds, 8 ounces.

"I thought it would be impossible to finish second three times in a row," said Martens, who didn't qualify in 2003. "I felt that monkey on my back throughout the tournament. This was the toughest tournament of my career."

VanDam, making only his sixth appearance in the Bassmaster Classic, registered the lowest winning weight total in the 35-year history of bass fishing's biggest event. He shattered the old record of 15 pounds, 5 ounces set by George Cochran in 1987.

"Kevin VanDam is the best fisherman I've ever seen," said Cochran, who finished fourth in his 20th Bassmaster Classic. "He's the most consistent angler, day in and day out, that I've seen in my 25 years of fishing. It doesn't matter whether we are in a lake or on a river, he's tough."

Cochran, who began the day in eighth place, was the only other angler to catch five regulation bass on Sunday. His five-bass total was 4 pounds, 4 ounces, giving him a three-day total of 11 pounds, 10 ounces.

Gerald Swindle was third in the competition after catching 11 fish that totaled 11 pounds, 13 ounces. He caught four fish on Sunday that weighed a total of only 4 pounds, 1 ounce.

"My day was horrible at best," said Swindle, who had his best showing in six Bassmaster Classic appearances. "This is the greatest and most challenging tournament I've ever been to."