This is season number 19 of Bass Talk Live with Matt Pangrack.

BTL is presented by Bass Cat Boats, Aftko, Striking Lovers, Sunline, Big Bite Bates, Sprone,

XZone Lovers, Gamakatsu, The Bass Tank, Denali Rise, Pro Guide Batteries, Beatdown Outdoors,

Shoreline, Boat, and RV Repair, and Omnia Fishing.

Hit him with the hook, Jeffries.

BTL, coming at ya!

Good morning once again, and we are back just as the show ended this morning with Johnny

Schultz from Fish the Moment, a video dropped on all of Kevin Van Dam's social media profiles

on the first day of MLF, BPT Competition, and in the statement, which was roughly three

and a half, four minutes long, Kevin Van Dam announced that this is going to be his last

year fishing professionally on tour.

Now, he stopped short of calling it a retirement, saying he is not retiring and he looks forward

to being a voice for fishing.

The outdoors and conservation in the next chapter of his life, but it apparently appears

as far as the Bass Pro Tour and the Bass Master Elite Series 2023 will be the last year

after 30 plus years, the majority of it as the number one angler in the world that

this will be Kevin Van Dam's last year of competing.

Pulled some strings, we have a couple of guests immediately, like I said, this literally

dropped 15 minutes ago.

I saw a video version of it this morning before it actually went live was not sure when

he was going to drop it, a big shout out to our two guests today.

The first one he is traveling is none other than, well, probably Kevin Van Dam's best friend

...