Entry 285-1

How to Make Decisions That Help You Catch More Bass with Mark Menendez

Part 1: Stay Close or Run Far

Question: Mark, whether you’re fishing for fun or in tournaments, when you put your boat in the water, you have to decide whether to fish close or run far. How do you make the decision where to fish when you go to a lake?

Menendez: I’ve been successful making 100-mile runs away from the boat ramp as well as fishing close to the launch site. If I’m fishing in a tournament, I’ll make a 100-mile run, only if I’ve already fished the region, know the best bass are 100-miles away and either can make small stops or fish one place and catch a number of big bass. When we fish the Louisiana Delta, you can’t stay close to the boat ramp and be competitive because this area has too much saltwater close to the boat ramp. The tidal bass aren’t very big.

So, when fishing the Louisiana Delta, I’ll run to a bigger body of fresh water to try and catch bigger bass. When I make a long run, after 30 minutes of fishing, I can’t say, “Oops, I made a mistake. I need to run back 50 miles.” I have to stay in that one area and fish all day until I crank-up and return to the weigh-in. I prefer to stay close if I can.

At the last tournament we fished in Guntersville, Alabama, I’d practiced fishing for bedding bass. But the first day of the tournament was cancelled because of bad weather, and on the second day of the tournament, the bedding bass had disappeared. By 1:00 pm, I had only one 4-pound bass. Finally, I went to a little ledge that led to a spawning region and caught bass. The next day, I ran back to that little point and decided to fish there all day. I fished it with a Carolina rig, like I had the previous day, a jig and every other bait in my tackle box. I couldn’t get one bite. So, instead of cranking-up to search for another place to fish, I stayed in that same section and spent 1 hour trying to locate that school of bass.

Because the wind was blowing in a different direction on this day, the bass had moved. I found them on the inside grass line of the flat. I caught five bass out of that school that weighed a total of 18 pounds, and my co-angler had the big bass for the tournament and a 17-pound stringer. The secret was I didn’t crank my big engine and panic. I knew the bass had been holding on that point and I felt that if I could pinpoint the school of bass, I’d have a good day. Oftentimes when you go to a place where you think bass are holding, and the bass aren’t there, instead of running 100-miles down the lake, spend your time finding and relocating the school.

This year, the soaring price of gas has played a major role in the distance tournament and weekend fishermen will run to find bass. When the price of gas is less than $2 per gallon, you can afford to make a long run. But when gas prices are $3 to $4 per gallon, you may blow your budget making a 100-mile run every day. So, there are many factors to consider when deciding whether to make a long run or fish close to the boat ramp.

Question: What’s another option other than making a long run to fish?

Menendez: Cars burn less fuel than boats, especially boats with big engines. So, you may want to drive to an area you want to fish, put in close to the site you plan to fish, and instead of running the big engine on your boat, run your trolling motor. When I’m practicing for a tournament, I use this method to burn far-less gas during the practice days than during the tournament.

Next: Deciding to Change Lures

Contents:

• Part 1: Stay Close or Run Far
• Part 2: Deciding to Change Lures
• Part 3: Why and When to Leave Biting Bass
• Part 4: I Don't Like Lightning
• Part 5: Leading the Last Day