Entry 272-1
Mark Menendez – His Chances at the 2009 Bassmaster Classic and Why and How He Fishes Differently
Editor’s Note: Mark Menendez of Paducah, Kentucky, a long-time Strike King pro, spent a lot of time last season with Strike King’s new lures. Menendez had a very-successful tournament year and still may have a chance to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic. This week, Menendez will tell us about his chances of fishing the Classic and the new techniques he’s learned while testing Strike King’s new lures this fishing season.
Part 1: Me and the Bassmaster Classic
Question: Mark, what’s your Bassmaster Classic situation?
Menendez: This year’s (2008) Angler of the Year and Bassmaster Classic qualifying event is almost an exact replica of last year’s. I’m waiting on three contestants who may crossover from either the Central or the Southern BASS Open Tournament Series. If three anglers who have already qualified for the Bassmaster Classic on the Elite Series also qualify for the Bassmaster Classic on the Central or the Southern BASS Open Series, BASS will choose the last three contestants from the Elite Series who didn’t qualify for the Classic to compete in the Classic. I’m one of those Elite Series contenders who barely missed the Classic. So, if three guys qualify on one of these two circuits, I can get a berth in the Classic. If they don’t, I’ll have missed the Classic by only 2 ounces.
Peter Thliveros of Jacksonville, Florida, Terry Scroggins of Palatka, Fla., and Aaron Martens of Leeds, Alabama, qualified for the 2009 Bassmaster Classic through the Elite Series. If they also qualify for the Classic at the tournament on Lake Guntersville in Alabama in October, 2008, that will open-up a spot for me in the Classic. 
If Rick Clunn, who qualified for the Bassmaster Classic on the Elite Series, qualifies on the Central Open Series, that also can open a spot for me on the Classic. There are many-different scenarios that can happen in the next few months that will allow me to make it into the 2009 Classic. I just have to wait and see how the Open Series qualifiers for the Bassmaster Classic finish.
Question: What kind of year have you had on the Elite Series?
Menendez: I’ve had a solid year, with a couple of top-12 finishes and some TV appearances. However, in the middle of the year, I had a couple of weak tournaments mechanically that really cost me. My problem wasn’t with my boat, motors or electronics, but instead it was being able to put the bass in the boat once the bass took the bait. For instance, at Lake Murray in South Carolina, I lost the same 3-1/2-pound bass guarding her fry on the bed twice. 
If I’d put that bass in the boat, I would have earned a check at that tournament.
Then, at Kentucky Lake, I really had a hard time landing the bass that attacked my baits. If I could have landed those fish, I would have had a great tournament. But I missed earning a check by 4 ounces. At the next tournament at Old Hickory Lake in Tennessee, I lost a couple of key bass that could have produced a payday. If I’d landed any one of those fish, I would have qualified for the Classic on the Elite Series, because I only missed the Classic by 9 points.
Question: Why did the fish come off your hooks?
Menendez: Tournament fishing is very cyclic. During the first-five tournaments this year, I didn’t lose one bass. I put every bass in the boat that took my bait. Then in the next tournaments, I started having problems, partly because I was fishing treble-hook baits, which allow the bass to get off the hook easier than single-hook baits do. At the three tournaments I mentioned, I had a crankbait bite, but the bass came off my crankbaits. Of course, I could say I should have fished another lure. 
But the bass wanted to bite the crankbaits, and if I hadn’t fished crankbaits, I probably wouldn’t have the caught the fish I did catch.
Question: How do you deal with this kind of problem?
Menendez: You generally just keep your head down and try to work through it. However, after you have the same consistent problem, you begin to wonder if you’ll get a bass into the boat once you get it hooked. I’ve been fishing long enough to know and understand that stuff happens. When you hook a bass, the bass’ job is to get off the hook, and your job is to get the bass into the boat. Some days the bass wins more of those competitions than you do.
Next: Secrets of the Anaconda
Contents:
- Part 1: Me and the Bassmaster Classic
- Part 2: Secrets of the Anaconda
- Part 3: Space Monkey - A New Bait that Combines Many Great Features
- Part 4: Mopping Up with a Red Eye
- Part 5: Don’t Forget the Spit-N-King
