Last week when interviewing Mark Menendez for my story titled “The reboot of Mark Menendez” we continued talking after the recorder was turned off.
On Thursday afternoon—the first tournament day—he spoke of his chances of qualifying for the historic 50th Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.
“If I do well here (St. Lawrence River) then I can put it on cruise control,” he said.
Menendez has six Top 20 finishes, including a third and sixth place at the St. Johns River and Lake Hartwell, respectively. BASSTrakk also shows him in second place at this time on Cayuga Lake. And coming into this tournament he was 13th in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year rankings.
Using the cruise control comparison, it’s like Menendez has reached highway speed on the interstate and his finger is on the “set” button of the cruise control. All he needs to do is press the button after this week and put the remainder of his season on cruise.
Should he qualify for the Classic, it’ll be his first since 2010.
“Fifty Bassmaster Classics. That is remarkable and I want to be there. B.A.S.S. is going to show out, and I want to be there to compete, to be there for every moment of that historical event.”