Entry 205-5
The Miraculous Recovery of Strike King Pro Mark Menendez
Day 5: Menendez Talks About His Fellow Strike King Pros
Editor’s Note: Mark Menendez of Paducah, Kentucky, has made approximately $3/4 million as a tournament fisherman for the past decade. Although one of the newer Strike King pros, Menendez’s certainly not new to tournament bass fishing and has fished the Bassmasters Classic several times.
Question: Mark, Strike King’s team has some well-known anglers, including George Cochran, who has won the Bassmasters Classic twice and the FLW Championship. What makes George Cochran great?
Menendez: Again, patience, patience, patience. When George comes to a target he wants to fish, he’ll fish it, reposition his boat, fish it again, reposition his boat, fish it again and then fish it one more time before he leaves that site. Most of the other tournament pros will fish that same target quickly. If they don’t catch any bass, they’ll leave that spot and go find another. However, George won’t. He’ll fish that same piece of bass-looking cover with a jig, a tube, a spinner bait, a crankbait and then a tube again. When George believes a bass is holding on a target, he’ll remain with that target until he catches that fish.
If I have to pick one trait to define George Cochran, it definitely will be his ability to catch bass in skinny water year-round. For instance, if we’re fishing Kentucky Lake in the middle of the summertime, everyone will be fishing offshore, but not George. George will find a population of bass living in extremely-shallow water, and he’ll catch them. Nobody on the lake may know that that group of bass is holding in that shallow water, but George will.
Question: What about Shaw Grigsby, Mark?
Menendez: Shaw has the best attitude about fishing of anyone with whom I’ve ever fished and that good attitude is his primary asset. Shaw was the first guy I ever fished with in a Bassmaster tournament. Shaw’s totally in love with the sport of fishing. He loves to fish, he loves to work with his sponsors, and he loves to do his TV show. He has a passion for fishing that is rare to find in any sport. And, Shaw is always positive. I’ve seen him try to catch a bass for an hour, finally hook the bass, get the fish halfway to the boat and lose it. Then he’ll just take a deep breath and go right back to fishing, without getting mad, upset or even aggravated. His great attitude about his job of being a tournament fisherman is what keeps him on top.
Question: What do you think of Kevin VanDam?
Menendez: Kevin’s a fierce competitor. He has an uncanny desire to win. I think what turns Kevin VanDam on is the idea that he can trick a fish into biting. The thing that drives Kevin the most, I think, is his passion for winning. You’ll never see Kevin fish for second place or for points. He’s there every time to win the tournament. If he doesn’t win, he’s really not satisfied with earning points or earning money. 
Kevin’s a runner and a gunner. He likes to fish moving baits. But, if I have to characterize Kevin as to what makes him great, I have to say it’s his decision-making ability. Kevin knows when to change baits, switch water, stay with the water he’s fishing or keep on fishing the lure he’s throwing. He’s probably one of the best decision makers and makes the most-accurate decisions when he’s on the water competing of anyone I know.
Question: Mark, what can you tell us about Denny Brauer?
Menendez: There’s no one on the bass-fishing circuits who’s more proficient with a single technique than Denny Brauer. He’s taken jig fishing to a higher level than most people ever have believed it can be. He has the confidence and the belief that if he fishes a jig he will catch a very-big bass. Denny also knows exactly where he needs to be on any lake, based on the time of year he’s fishing. He too is a skinny-water expert. You’ll find him further back up a creek than even a bullfrog will go. I also appreciate Denny’s sarcasm. Denny can be sarcastic without every opening his mouth. If you win a tournament, Denny will come up to you and give you a high five, but he’ll also give you that look that everyone knows in his mind he’s saying, “You’ve done good at this tournament, but I’ll get you at the next one.” Yes, Denny’s a fierce competitor, but he’s also a good loser who always will congratulate you when you win.
Question: Mark, what do you think of Greg Hackney?
Menendez: Greg Hackney wants to catch the next bass worse than any other human on the planet. He always wants to go and catch one more bass. If he has five fish that weigh a total of 25 pounds, he still wants to catch one more bass that may increase his stringer to 25-1/2-pounds. If he catches that bass to move his five fish limit to 25-1/2-pounds, then he still wants to catch another bass that will move his limit to 30 pounds. Greg thinks he can catch a 30-pound string every day he’s on the water, whether he’s fishing summer, winter, spring or fall, in the middle of an ice and sleet storm, or in 110-degree weather. He is eat up with bass fishing worse than anybody else I know. He’s a shallow-water specialist who likes to flip and fish heavy cover. But he’ll also fish 45 feet of water with a spinning rod and have a good tournament.
