Entry 261-3

Mark Menendez Adapts a New, Fuel-Efficient Fishing Strategy”

Part 3: Bet on the Football on the Bottom

Question: You’ve mentioned that Strike King’s Football Head Jig is one of the three main lures that you’ve fished at this time of year. What size, what color and what kind of trailer are you using?

Menendez: I like a 3/4-ounce Football Head Jig. I want that heavy-headed jig to make solid contact with the bottom and to make a lot of noise as it moves along the bottom and gets the bass’s attention. I keep my colors very natural, with the exception of one color. I like green pumpkin with a Rage Craw as my trailer. I also like the Texas Craw, a black, brown and chartreuse color. Those two are my favorite Football Head Jig colors. The third color I like is an electric-blue color. That color combination works very well for me, especially on the Tennessee River. Behind it, I’ll put either an Okeechobee-craw-colored Rage Craw or a green-pumpkin Rage Craw.

Question: How are you working the Football Head Jig on the bottom?

Menendez: I drag the jig. I want it to stay in contact with the bottom. Now, most people drag their jigs with their rod tips, however, there are some times instead of dragging the jig with a rod tip, I’ll reel the jig across the bottom. I point my rod tip at a about a 45-degree angle to the water as I reel the bait across the bottom. This way I can move the jig faster than I can move it with my rod tip, but I’m still keeping it dragging the bottom. This technique works really well on gravel bars and on long flats where I’m trying to work a large portion of the bottom in a very-short time. I’m trying to use the jig like I’ll fish a crankbait. I try and reel the jig as fast as I can possibly reel it and still have it dragging on the bottom.

Question: What pound-test line are you using when you’re reeling the Football Head Jig on the bottom?

Menendez: I’m using 12- to 15-pound-test line depending on the cover that I’m trying to drag that jig over. Because I’m using this jig to help me locate shell beds, when I’m dragging that jig over the bottom, I need a line that’s tough enough to withstand the nicks and scratches it will get as it drags over the shells. That’s the reason I use the Berkley 100-percent Fluorocarbon, since it’s really a tough line and has a really-strong finish to it.

Question: What rod and reel are you using when you’re dragging the bottom?

Menendez: I use an All Star 7-foot medium-heavy extra-fast rod with a Pflueger Presidential reel.

Question: How do the bass take the jigs?

Menendez: Some days, you won’t feel the strike but instead will feel a little extra pressure on the line than you normally feel. You may not even feel the bite, but you’ll see the line moving to either the left or the right. On other days, you’ll feel a good, solid thump on the line. The one problem with the Football Head Jig is when you’re fishing a 3/4-ounce jig like this, there’s an awful lot of weight on the front end of the lure, making it easier for the bass to throw the lure, if that weight wasn’t at the front of the jig. So, I try and keep the bass from jumping after I hook it.

Question: What are you doing to keep the bass from jumping?

Menendez: When I hook the fish, I make sure I have a good, solid hook set. Then I keep my rod tip down and pointed straight at the water. If I see my line starting to come up through the surface, I’ll move my rod in the opposite direction to try to put pressure on the fish’s head and turn its head, so it can’t jump. A lot of times in the summer, the fish will come up so quickly that you can’t stop it from jumping. But this technique is what I use to try to prevent that from happening.

Another thing that often helps prevent the bass from jumping is to not pull hard on the fish. Remember, the harder you pull on a bass, the more likely you are to get the fish excited and cause it to jump. The more excited you get, and the harder you fight, the harder the bass will fight.

Next: Bet on the Big Worms

Contents:

• Part 1: Fish More and Burn Less Gas
• Part 2: Crankbait Secrets I’ve Learned This Year
• Part 3: Bet on the Football on the Bottom
• Part 4: Bet on the Big Worms
• Part 5: Hot Weather Spoonin’