From Kalamazoo to Traverse City, bass fishing’s most accomplished angler of all time leaves no doubt about his love of “The Great Lakes State.” That includes harsh winters that find him plowing the family driveway and scraping frozen precipitation off windshields.

Ask him about his brand-new tow vehicle, and you can expect the same confident kind of response.

“For as long as there’s been a full-sized Tundra, I’ve been towing with one. That’s about 640,000 miles the past 16 seasons, and let me tell you, this all new 2022 is absolutely incredible.” VanDam said.

“I was skeptical of what it would be like to tow with a twin-turbo V6 versus a V8, but after 14 hours of towing from home to West Monroe, I can tell you it’s absolutely hands-down better,” VanDam insisted. “It’s a torque- and horsepower-packed beast with impressive fuel economy, too.”

Fuel mileage numbers can often vary like the behavior of largemouth bass, but so far, he’s getting about 17 mpg overall, and 14 mpg while towing a 21-foot Nitro Z21 XL, loaded with enough tungsten worm weights, tools, and spare outboard props to stock a Bass Pro Shops.

“That 14” touchscreen on the dash with voice activated texting, detailed maps, and music just makes life on the road so much safer and easier,” VanDam said with a smile. “I’ll tell you man, you kind of feel like you’re floating down the road in this truck like one of those giant luxury cars American families cruised around in when I was a kid in the 70s and 80s.”

“When you talk to Toyota owners, the first thing you’re going to hear over-and-over is reliability. Relentless reliability is the first ingredient in Toyota’s pedigree, and they’ve nailed it again with this ’22 Tundra. I’m just super proud and grateful to be driving it,” he said.

“Between the quality of the vehicle and the chance to win Bonus Bucks, if you’re a tournament angler, in my opinion, you’re doing yourself a disservice if you’re not towing with a Tundra,” VanDam concluded.

However, the new Tundra doesn’t come with an ice scraper for the windshield. So, VanDam brought one with him from Michigan. And if the weather forecast holds true, he’ll need it during the first stop of the 2022 Major League Fishing season near West Monroe, LA.