Mark's secret weapon

(photo by Chris Brown)



I spent an afternoon in the bottom of Strike King Pro Mark Menendez’s boat to see what kind of secrets he has been using on the Bassmaster Elite Series Tour this year. After pilfering a few baits that lay in the bottom of his Skeeter, I opened up the rod box and noticed a new bait that Strike King had just came out with. “That is the real deal right there!” Mark grinned. He pulled the Pflueger Trion rod out and on the end of the line was a Shadalicious swim bait. “I always have one of those rigged up and sitting on the deck at all times while I am fishing.” Mark said. Mark began to explain that this new soft plastic swim bait is like a weedless spinnerbait. It shines in lakes where there is grass like milfoil or hydrilla. It can also be thrown around grass edges. One point that Mark made was that there needs to be at least 18 inches of water visibility for the bait to be effective. This year Mark has made several top 50 cuts in the Elite Series and he gives a lot of his success to the Shadalicious swim bait. “The Shadalicious swim bait is such a convincing lure, I rarely miss any strikes. When they hit the bait, they try to kill it.” Mark explained to me. The tackle that Mark uses to throw the swim bait with is very crucial. “The most important thing when a person throws this bait is the hook. I here people talk all the time about how they miss fish on a swim bait. The answer is simple. I only use a Davis Lures X Swim weighted hook!” Mark said. He told me the X Swim weighted hook matches the size and shape of the bait perfectly. The weight that is on the shank of the hook keeps the bait from rolling. By using this hook one can reel the bait on a steady but slow retrieve. A bass will follow the bait until he absolutely cannot stand it any more. The X Swim hook comes in several sizes and weights. Mark went on to say that a 4/0 hook works good for the smaller 4 ½ inch Shadalicious and the bigger 7/0 X Swim screw in hook works with the 5 ½ and 6 ½ inch swim bait. “I throw the bigger Shadalicious when I am fishing a lake that holds bass in the six to ten pound range and the smaller 4 ½ inch in all other lakes and rivers.” Mark said. Mark told me that this bait really draws fish out of the grass like no other bait that he has ever used. Mark went on to show me his set up. His rod was a medium heavy Pflueger Trion 7ft. rod paired with a Pflueger President reel. The line he throws is 15 lb. Berkley 100% Fluorocarbon. He beefs up his tackle when he throws the big Shadalicious. As I stepped out of Mark’s Skeeter, with a couple of packs of Shadalicious swim baits, I had learned something. Like so many times before Mark was willing to take time out of his busy schedule and teach me. I hope that all who read this take the advice of Mark. Not only is he a great friend but a great teacher.