Day on the lake: Mark Menendez

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The end of 2018 was a period of significant upheaval in the world of professional bass fishing. Many longtime B.A.S.S. pros abandoned the Elite Series for a new, competing tournament circuit, one with a radically different format that eliminated a staged weigh-in and put a premium on quantity, not quality. One notable holdout was Mark Menendez, a ­29-year veteran of B.A.S.S. competition. “I’ve been with B.A.S.S. since the get-go, and B.A.S.S. is where I’m staying,” Menendez says. “Fishing B.A.S.S. events has allowed me to make a good living and given me the notoriety that’s led to my successful side gigs as a tackle industry consultant, seminar speaker and TV show host. The 2019 crop of Elite Series anglers, many of whom are young and as yet relatively unknown, are smart, articulate and highly skilled — some of these guys aren’t merely good, they’re scary good. But hey, I’m holding my own. We’ve had four Elite tournaments so far this year; I may be an old fart, but I placed third in one, sixth in another.” One can’t help but find Menendez’s loyalty and optimism refreshing in these tumultuous times. But just how good a bass fisherman is he? You’re about to find out as Menendez stages a memorable spawn-time whackfest on Lake E. <br><br> <b>6:20 a.m.</b> We arrive at Lake E’s launch ramp. Menendez pulls an arsenal of Lew’s rods and reels from storage; they’re rigged with an assortment of Strike King lures. “With this storm front approaching, it could get crazy out here today,” he says. “I wouldn’t be surprised to find fish moving in shallow to spawn, on bed and in postspawn mode. I’ll start out with moving baits, then use bed fishing lures if I spot spawners.” <br><br> <b>7 HOURS LEFT</B><BR> <b>6:30 a.m.</b> We launch the Skeeter. Menendez checks the water temp: 68 degrees. “It’s fairly murky, but I should be able to spot shallow beds easily enough.” He puts his boat on plane and embarks on a scouting run uplake.<br> <b>6:42 a.m.</b> Menendez enters a shallow cove and makes his first casts of the day with a 4.­5-inch chartreuse shad Shadalicous swimbait rigged on a 6/0 belly-weighted hook. “This is an awesome spawn-time search bait. You can cover shallow water quickly with it, and it’s much less obtrusive than a spinnerbait or squarebill crankbait.” <br> <b>6:47 a.m.</b> Menendez bags his first keeper bass of the day, 1 pound, 4 ounces, on the swimbait. “I saw a light spot on the bottom (a bed), swam the bait over the top and he nailed it.” <br> <b>6:49 a.m.</b> On his next cast, a small bass rips the Shadalicious off its hook. Menendez rigs a fresh bait and resumes casting to the bank. <br> <b>6:53 a.m.</b> Menendez lobs the swimbait to a boathouse. A good fish chomps it; he attempts to swing it aboard, but it comes unhooked. “Three-pounder. This could be a real whackfest today!” <br> <b>7:07 a.m.</b> He slow rolls the Shadalicious past a blowdown tree. A big fish rolls on it but doesn’t hook up. <br> <b>7:11 a.m.</b> Menendez spots a bedding fish on a grassy point, lowers his Power-Poles and flips a black and blue Game Hawg creature with a pegged 5/­16-ounce sinker to the nest. <br> <b>7:14 a.m.</b> Menendez swims the Shadalicious across the nest. The bass bumps it; he swings and misses.
The end of 2018 was a period of significant upheaval in the world of professional bass fishing. Many longtime B.A.S.S. pros abandoned the Elite Series for a new, competing tournament circuit, one with a radically different format that eliminated a staged weigh-in and put a premium on quantity, not quality. One notable holdout was Mark Menendez, a ­29-year veteran of B.A.S.S. competition. “I’ve been with B.A.S.S. since the get-go, and B.A.S.S. is where I’m staying,” Menendez says. “Fishing B.A.S.S. events has allowed me to make a good living and given me the notoriety that’s led to my successful side gigs as a tackle industry consultant, seminar speaker and TV show host. The 2019 crop of Elite Series anglers, many of whom are young and as yet relatively unknown, are smart, articulate and highly skilled — some of these guys aren’t merely good, they’re scary good. But hey, I’m holding my own. We’ve had four Elite tournaments so far this year; I may be an old fart, but I placed third in one, sixth in another.” One can’t help but find Menendez’s loyalty and optimism refreshing in these tumultuous times. But just how good a bass fisherman is he? You’re about to find out as Menendez stages a memorable spawn-time whackfest on Lake E.
6:20 a.m. We arrive at Lake E’s launch ramp. Menendez pulls an arsenal of Lew’s rods and reels from storage; they’re rigged with an assortment of Strike King lures. “With this storm front approaching, it could get crazy out here today,” he says. “I wouldn’t be surprised to find fish moving in shallow to spawn, on bed and in postspawn mode. I’ll start out with moving baits, then use bed fishing lures if I spot spawners.”
7 HOURS LEFT6:30 a.m. We launch the Skeeter. Menendez checks the water temp: 68 degrees. “It’s fairly murky, but I should be able to spot shallow beds easily enough.” He puts his boat on plane and embarks on a scouting run uplake.6:42 a.m. Menendez enters a shallow cove and makes his first casts of the day with a 4.­5-inch chartreuse shad Shadalicous swimbait rigged on a 6/0 belly-weighted hook. “This is an awesome spawn-time search bait. You can cover shallow water quickly with it, and it’s much less obtrusive than a spinnerbait or squarebill crankbait.” 6:47 a.m. Menendez bags his first keeper bass of the day, 1 pound, 4 ounces, on the swimbait. “I saw a light spot on the bottom (a bed), swam the bait over the top and he nailed it.” 6:49 a.m. On his next cast, a small bass rips the Shadalicious off its hook. Menendez rigs a fresh bait and resumes casting to the bank. 6:53 a.m. Menendez lobs the swimbait to a boathouse. A good fish chomps it; he attempts to swing it aboard, but it comes unhooked. “Three-pounder. This could be a real whackfest today!” 7:07 a.m. He slow rolls the Shadalicious past a blowdown tree. A big fish rolls on it but doesn’t hook up. 7:11 a.m. Menendez spots a bedding fish on a grassy point, lowers his Power-Poles and flips a black and blue Game Hawg creature with a pegged 5/­16-ounce sinker to the nest. 7:14 a.m. Menendez swims the Shadalicious across the nest. The bass bumps it; he swings and misses.
<b>7:17 a.m.</b> The bedding fish finally eats the Shadalicious; Menendez’s second keeper weighs 2 pounds even. <br> <b>7:24 a.m.</b> Menendez is fishing his way out of the cove along the opposite shoreline. He catches keeper No. 3, ­1-12, off a nest on the swimbait. “The beds I’ve seen so far haven’t had any females on them, just bucks. Either the females haven’t moved in yet or they’ve left the bucks to guard the fry.” <br><br> <b>6 HOURS LEFT</B><BR> <b>7:30 a.m.</b> Menendez spots three beds clustered on a shallow point at the mouth of the cove. He flips the Game Hawg to a nest and shakes it. “No bass there.” <br> <b>7:34 a.m.</b> Menendez rounds the point and continues uplake with the Shadalicious. “This looks like a prime spawning area! Lots of big flats and shallow pockets with stumps.” A small bedding bass nips at the swimbait. <br> <b>7:36 a.m.</b> Menendez flips the creature to the nest and catches his fourth keeper, 1 pound.<br> <b>7:44 a.m.</b> Menendez progresses uplake while casting a ­6-inch Bull Shad jointed swimbait. “Sometimes a big bedding female will roll on this bait and show itself; then I’ll go back and try to catch it with the Game Hawg.” <br> <b>7:47 a.m.</b> A bass swirls on the Bull Shad; Menendez reels in the plug and flips the Game Hawg to the fish. No takers. <br> <b>7:58 a.m.</b> Menendez flips the Game Hawg to a stump and catches his fifth keeper, 2 pounds, 1 ounce. <br> <b>8:08 a.m.</b> There’s a gusty south wind blowing as Menendez moves uplake while casting the Shadalicious. <br> <b>8:14 a.m.</b> He swims the Bull Shad past a blowdown. “I need to catch one about 9 pounds to cull that ‘pounder!” <br> <b>8:19 a.m.</b> A ­1-pound buck hits the Shadalicious; no culling yet.
7:17 a.m. The bedding fish finally eats the Shadalicious; Menendez’s second keeper weighs 2 pounds even. 7:24 a.m. Menendez is fishing his way out of the cove along the opposite shoreline. He catches keeper No. 3, ­1-12, off a nest on the swimbait. “The beds I’ve seen so far haven’t had any females on them, just bucks. Either the females haven’t moved in yet or they’ve left the bucks to guard the fry.”
6 HOURS LEFT7:30 a.m. Menendez spots three beds clustered on a shallow point at the mouth of the cove. He flips the Game Hawg to a nest and shakes it. “No bass there.” 7:34 a.m. Menendez rounds the point and continues uplake with the Shadalicious. “This looks like a prime spawning area! Lots of big flats and shallow pockets with stumps.” A small bedding bass nips at the swimbait. 7:36 a.m. Menendez flips the creature to the nest and catches his fourth keeper, 1 pound.7:44 a.m. Menendez progresses uplake while casting a ­6-inch Bull Shad jointed swimbait. “Sometimes a big bedding female will roll on this bait and show itself; then I’ll go back and try to catch it with the Game Hawg.” 7:47 a.m. A bass swirls on the Bull Shad; Menendez reels in the plug and flips the Game Hawg to the fish. No takers. 7:58 a.m. Menendez flips the Game Hawg to a stump and catches his fifth keeper, 2 pounds, 1 ounce. 8:08 a.m. There’s a gusty south wind blowing as Menendez moves uplake while casting the Shadalicious. 8:14 a.m. He swims the Bull Shad past a blowdown. “I need to catch one about 9 pounds to cull that ‘pounder!” 8:19 a.m. A ­1-pound buck hits the Shadalicious; no culling yet.
<b>5 HOURS LEFT</B><BR> <b>8:30 a.m.</b> Menendez spots two good fish on a bed. He flips the creature to the nest and immediately gets a strike. The lunker bass surges off the bed; Menendez plays it carefully and grabs his seventh keeper, 5 pounds, 12 ounces.
5 HOURS LEFT8:30 a.m. Menendez spots two good fish on a bed. He flips the creature to the nest and immediately gets a strike. The lunker bass surges off the bed; Menendez plays it carefully and grabs his seventh keeper, 5 pounds, 12 ounces.
<b>8:30 a.m.</b> “That’s more like it! I love it when they jump on your bait right away. Hopefully, these main-lake flats will hold more big females.” <br> <b>8:34 a.m.</b> Menendez catches keeper No. 8, 1 pound, off the same bed on the Game Hawg.<br> <b>8:39 a.m.</b> He catches his ninth keeper, 2 pounds, 4 ounces, from a shallow pocket on the Shadalicious. <br> <b>8:43 a.m.</b> Menendez spots a big bedding fish. He flips the Game Hawg to the nest; the lunker eats it, he sets the hook, and the fish comes unbuttoned. “I’ll come back and catch her later!” <br> <b>8:46 a.m.</b> He catches his 10th keeper, 2 pounds, off a bed on the creature.
8:30 a.m. “That’s more like it! I love it when they jump on your bait right away. Hopefully, these main-lake flats will hold more big females.” 8:34 a.m. Menendez catches keeper No. 8, 1 pound, off the same bed on the Game Hawg.8:39 a.m. He catches his ninth keeper, 2 pounds, 4 ounces, from a shallow pocket on the Shadalicious. 8:43 a.m. Menendez spots a big bedding fish. He flips the Game Hawg to the nest; the lunker eats it, he sets the hook, and the fish comes unbuttoned. “I’ll come back and catch her later!” 8:46 a.m. He catches his 10th keeper, 2 pounds, off a bed on the creature.
<b>8:55 a.m.</b> Menendez flips the Game Hawg to a big bedding female, slams back his rod and sticks the fish! He works it to the boat and grabs it; unfortunately, it’s foul hooked and doesn’t count. “Rats, she’s a ­6-pounder! I’ll put her back and try to catch her in the mouth later.” <br> <b>9:13 a.m.</b> Menendez continues moving uplake with the Shadalicious.<br> <b>9:19 a.m.</b> He sticks a buck on the swimbait, but it shakes free. <br> <br><br> <b>4 HOURS LEFT</B><BR> <b>9:30 a.m.</b> Menendez idles back to a bed he fished earlier and flips the Game Hawg to the nest. The ­3-pounder on the bed is uninterested. <br> <b>9:34 a.m.</b> He swaps the creature for a shad-colored Rage Tail Menace twin-tail grub. “Sometimes a dramatic color change will trigger a spawner to bite.” He hops the grub onto the nest, but the bass swims off. “You really need to watch your time when bed fishing in a tournament. Some spawning fish will bite right away; others take a lot of goading before they’ll bite; still others never bite.” <br> <b>9:50 a.m.</b> Menendez abandons the bedding fish and runs downlake to a rock bank, where he tries the swimbait. <br> <b>9:57 a.m.</b> He spots a bedding fish, flips the creature and misses the fish. “When you can’t see a bedding fish clearly but you still see your line jump, you’ll often set the hook too early. If I’m missing a lot of fish, I’ll actually turn my head away after I put the lure on the nest and wait till I feel the fish pull.” <br> <b>10:09 a.m.</b> Menendez catches a ­2-pounder off the rock bank on the Shadalicious. What’s his take on the day so far? “There are a lot of bedding fish up shallow, but so far only about three out of every 10 beds has a female on it. I’m going to explore the lower end of the lake for a while to see if I can locate some more big girls.” <br> <b>10:16 a.m.</b> A ­1-pounder hits the Shadalicious next to a dock. <br> <b>10:19 a.m.</b> Menendez rigs a merthiolate (bright orange) 6 1/2-inch Perfect Plastic finesse worm weightless on a 3/0 hook. “The water in this section of the lake is murkier, so hopefully they can see this bait more easily. So far I haven’t seen nearly as many beds down here as I saw uplake.” <br> <b>10:22 a.m.</b> He twitches the floating worm near a seawall and catches a ­1-4 buck. <br> <b>10:26 a.m.</b> Menendez bags a ­2-4 off the seawall on the Game Hawg. <br><br> <b>3 HOURS LEFT</B><BR> <b>10:30 a.m.</b> A ­1-14 smacks the floating worm near a dock.<br> <b>10:38 a.m.</b> A good fish strips the orange worm off its hook; Menendez rigs a fresh one. <br> <b>10:44 a.m.</b> He catches a ­2-4 off a seawall on the Game Hawg. <br>
8:55 a.m. Menendez flips the Game Hawg to a big bedding female, slams back his rod and sticks the fish! He works it to the boat and grabs it; unfortunately, it’s foul hooked and doesn’t count. “Rats, she’s a ­6-pounder! I’ll put her back and try to catch her in the mouth later.” 9:13 a.m. Menendez continues moving uplake with the Shadalicious.9:19 a.m. He sticks a buck on the swimbait, but it shakes free. 4 HOURS LEFT9:30 a.m. Menendez idles back to a bed he fished earlier and flips the Game Hawg to the nest. The ­3-pounder on the bed is uninterested. 9:34 a.m. He swaps the creature for a shad-colored Rage Tail Menace twin-tail grub. “Sometimes a dramatic color change will trigger a spawner to bite.” He hops the grub onto the nest, but the bass swims off. “You really need to watch your time when bed fishing in a tournament. Some spawning fish will bite right away; others take a lot of goading before they’ll bite; still others never bite.” 9:50 a.m. Menendez abandons the bedding fish and runs downlake to a rock bank, where he tries the swimbait. 9:57 a.m. He spots a bedding fish, flips the creature and misses the fish. “When you can’t see a bedding fish clearly but you still see your line jump, you’ll often set the hook too early. If I’m missing a lot of fish, I’ll actually turn my head away after I put the lure on the nest and wait till I feel the fish pull.” 10:09 a.m. Menendez catches a ­2-pounder off the rock bank on the Shadalicious. What’s his take on the day so far? “There are a lot of bedding fish up shallow, but so far only about three out of every 10 beds has a female on it. I’m going to explore the lower end of the lake for a while to see if I can locate some more big girls.” 10:16 a.m. A ­1-pounder hits the Shadalicious next to a dock. 10:19 a.m. Menendez rigs a merthiolate (bright orange) 6 1/2-inch Perfect Plastic finesse worm weightless on a 3/0 hook. “The water in this section of the lake is murkier, so hopefully they can see this bait more easily. So far I haven’t seen nearly as many beds down here as I saw uplake.” 10:22 a.m. He twitches the floating worm near a seawall and catches a ­1-4 buck. 10:26 a.m. Menendez bags a ­2-4 off the seawall on the Game Hawg.
3 HOURS LEFT10:30 a.m. A ­1-14 smacks the floating worm near a dock.10:38 a.m. A good fish strips the orange worm off its hook; Menendez rigs a fresh one. 10:44 a.m. He catches a ­2-4 off a seawall on the Game Hawg.
<b>10:47 a.m.</b> Menendez casts the floating worm to the seawall and a big fish loads on! He works it patiently to the boat and hoists aboard a hulking 6-pound, 4-ounce female.
10:47 a.m. Menendez casts the floating worm to the seawall and a big fish loads on! He works it patiently to the boat and hoists aboard a hulking 6-pound, 4-ounce female.
<b>10:47 a.m.</b> He works it patiently to the boat and hoists aboard a hulking 6-pound, 4-ounce female.
10:47 a.m. He works it patiently to the boat and hoists aboard a hulking 6-pound, 4-ounce female.
<b>10:47 a.m.</b> “I reeled it off that wall, twitched it once, and she shot straight up and grabbed it! I didn’t see her bed, but she’s all beat up from spawning.”<br> <b>10:49 a.m.</b> He casts the worm to the same spot and catches a ­1-pound buck. “If this is her boyfriend, she needs to raise her standards!” <br> <b>10:55 a.m.</b> Menendez swims the Shadalicious parallel to a wooden walkway.
10:47 a.m. “I reeled it off that wall, twitched it once, and she shot straight up and grabbed it! I didn’t see her bed, but she’s all beat up from spawning.”10:49 a.m. He casts the worm to the same spot and catches a ­1-pound buck. “If this is her boyfriend, she needs to raise her standards!” 10:55 a.m. Menendez swims the Shadalicious parallel to a wooden walkway.
<b>11:02 a.m.</b> Menendez bags a ­2-7 off a nearby mud flat on the swimbait. <br> <b>11:04 a.m.</b> He catches a ­10-inch bass on the trick worm. “That’s the first nonkeeper I’ve caught all day.” <br> <b>11:16 a.m.</b> Menendez’s 20th keeper, a ­2-5 largemouth, eats his floating worm near a stickup. <br> <b>11:22 a.m.</b> Menendez moves into a C-shaped pocket and spots bluegill beds near the bank. “Bluegill spawn a little later than bass. The water here is a couple degrees warmer than uplake, so there may not be as many bedding bass.” <br><br> <b>2 HOURS LEFT</B><BR> <b>11:30 a.m.</b> Light rain is falling as a good fish swirls on Menendez’s floating worm, then swims away. He pulls out a spinning rod and rigs another Perfect Plastic worm, this one in the oxblood pattern, wacky style (hook through the middle) and casts it to the swirl. The bass, a ­3-pounder, is circling the area. “That’s a male trying to herd its fry.” <br> <b>11:47 a.m.</b> No luck with the fry herder, so Menendez continues down the bank with the floating worm. Another ­3-pounder darts at the worm, then disappears. Menendez immediately tries the Shadalicious but hauls water. <br> <b>11:52 a.m.</b> Menendez tries a shad-color surface popper near a laydown tree. <br> <b>11:59 a.m.</b> He casts the trick worm to a boathouse. No takers here. <br> <b>12:17 p.m.</b> Menendez rockets back uplake to the flat he fished earlier. “I saw more beds up here, and the water is clearer. The temperature has dropped with this incoming front; that could slow things down.” <br> <b>12:23 p.m.</b> Menendez runs the Shadalicious past the bed where he foul-hooked the ­6-pounder. <br> <b>12:26 p.m.</b> Menendez repositions his boat to get a better view of the bed. “Holy crap, there are three fish on that bed, all 2- to 3-pounders. I don’t see the ­6-pounder, though.” He pitches the twin-tail grub repeatedly to the nest. “There’s a low branch sticking straight over the nest; I’m having to wedge the lure under it to hit the bed. I’ve been known to snip off limbs with hedge clippers that were in my way when sight fishing in tournaments.”
11:02 a.m. Menendez bags a ­2-7 off a nearby mud flat on the swimbait. 11:04 a.m. He catches a ­10-inch bass on the trick worm. “That’s the first nonkeeper I’ve caught all day.” 11:16 a.m. Menendez’s 20th keeper, a ­2-5 largemouth, eats his floating worm near a stickup. 11:22 a.m. Menendez moves into a C-shaped pocket and spots bluegill beds near the bank. “Bluegill spawn a little later than bass. The water here is a couple degrees warmer than uplake, so there may not be as many bedding bass.”
2 HOURS LEFT11:30 a.m. Light rain is falling as a good fish swirls on Menendez’s floating worm, then swims away. He pulls out a spinning rod and rigs another Perfect Plastic worm, this one in the oxblood pattern, wacky style (hook through the middle) and casts it to the swirl. The bass, a ­3-pounder, is circling the area. “That’s a male trying to herd its fry.” 11:47 a.m. No luck with the fry herder, so Menendez continues down the bank with the floating worm. Another ­3-pounder darts at the worm, then disappears. Menendez immediately tries the Shadalicious but hauls water. 11:52 a.m. Menendez tries a shad-color surface popper near a laydown tree. 11:59 a.m. He casts the trick worm to a boathouse. No takers here. 12:17 p.m. Menendez rockets back uplake to the flat he fished earlier. “I saw more beds up here, and the water is clearer. The temperature has dropped with this incoming front; that could slow things down.” 12:23 p.m. Menendez runs the Shadalicious past the bed where he foul-hooked the ­6-pounder. 12:26 p.m. Menendez repositions his boat to get a better view of the bed. “Holy crap, there are three fish on that bed, all 2- to 3-pounders. I don’t see the ­6-pounder, though.” He pitches the twin-tail grub repeatedly to the nest. “There’s a low branch sticking straight over the nest; I’m having to wedge the lure under it to hit the bed. I’ve been known to snip off limbs with hedge clippers that were in my way when sight fishing in tournaments.”
<b>1 HOUR LEFT</b><br> <b>12:30 p.m.</b> Menendez leaves the trio of bedding fish and moves to a nearby point, where he catches a fat ­3-4 largemouth off a blowdown on the Shadalicious. <br> <b>12:37 p.m.</b> The rain has stopped and the wind has switched from south to east. Menendez catches a ­1-2 off a stickup on the trick worm. <br> <b>12:42 p.m.</b> Menendez bags a ­2-pounder from a sunken tree on the trick worm. <br> <b>12:54 p.m.</b> Menendez is moving rapidly along the flat with the Shadalicious. He spots a ­3-pounder on a bed and pitches the floating worm at the fish. It darts rapidly around the nest, “like it’s running laps.” <br> <b>12:56 p.m.</b> Menendez drops to his knees to keep a low profile, then pitches the twin-tail to the nest. “This fish is really spooky!” <br> <b>1 p.m.</b> With 30 minutes remaining, Menendez continues down the flat with the Shadalicious. “The bite has definitely gotten slower now that the front has moved in.”
1 HOUR LEFT12:30 p.m. Menendez leaves the trio of bedding fish and moves to a nearby point, where he catches a fat ­3-4 largemouth off a blowdown on the Shadalicious. 12:37 p.m. The rain has stopped and the wind has switched from south to east. Menendez catches a ­1-2 off a stickup on the trick worm. 12:42 p.m. Menendez bags a ­2-pounder from a sunken tree on the trick worm. 12:54 p.m. Menendez is moving rapidly along the flat with the Shadalicious. He spots a ­3-pounder on a bed and pitches the floating worm at the fish. It darts rapidly around the nest, “like it’s running laps.” 12:56 p.m. Menendez drops to his knees to keep a low profile, then pitches the twin-tail to the nest. “This fish is really spooky!” 1 p.m. With 30 minutes remaining, Menendez continues down the flat with the Shadalicious. “The bite has definitely gotten slower now that the front has moved in.”
This time of the year, the bluegill spawn is in full effect in most parts of the country.
This time of the year, the bluegill spawn is in full effect in most parts of the country.