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Kentucky’s Menendez Rides Unique Approach to Lead at Bassmaster Elite Series Event on Arkansas’ Lake Dardanelle

Category: press release

 Mar 27th, 2009 by OutdoorsFIRST 

Modified Mar 27th, 2009 at 12:00 AM

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – After narrowly missing out on qualifying for the Bassmaster Classic in the past two years, Mark Menendez of Paducah, Ky., recognized that this season he would have to change things up and take more risks. So, this week at the Toyota Trucks Diamond Drive, Menendez gambled and dusted off his aluminum boat – one of only four anglers in the field of 100 to do so – in order to fish an extremely productive but difficult-to-access area of Lake Dardanelle.

	Mark Menendez with his Day 2 catch at Lake Dardanelle (Photo Courtesy of BASS)

The gamble has paid off thus far to the tune of 39 pounds, 4 ounces, as Menendez holds a slim 13-ounce advantage Friday over his closest competitor, Cliff Pace of Petal, Miss., who had 38-7 after Day Two.

Menendez’s gamble has been doubly risky, in fact: It has taken him one hour each way to reach his spot and return to the daily weigh-in, and he has cashed in on just more than five hours of total fishing time over two days.

While others were shuffled around the leaderboard Friday, Menendez was able to upgrade from his Thursday catch and boat 21 pounds, 8 ounces. His stretch of area, nearly ¼ of a mile, is muddied and will continue to take on mud, but Menendez was most worried about the descending temperatures and the increased wind gusts forecasted for Saturday.

	Pros Jason Quinn, Kevin Van Dam, Kevin Wirth wait to weigh-in backstage(Photo Courtesy of BASS)

“I’m 100% committed to this area,” said Menendez, 44. “It’s a risk but I realized you have to take some risks to make it to the top. Still, nothing is a guarantee and you have to be smart out there when you are running an aluminum boat.”

Fishing fans can catch all of the on-the-water action from the Toyota Trucks Diamond Drive on The Bassmasters, which airs Saturday, April 4, at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN2. The daily weigh-ins for this and all other regular-season Elite events and two postseason events will air live on ESPN360.com, ESPN’s broadband sports network, while a wealth of unique content will also be available at Bassmaster.com. Also this week on Bassmaster.com, fans can get live Hooked Up updates, featuring BASS emcee Keith Alan, throughout each day’s competition. The updates will air at the top of every hour, beginning at 10 a.m. ET.

Menendez is taking advantage of an aggressive spawning bite in his stretch. He is fishing deliberately and methodically, throwing a variety of Strike King baits to the shallows. While one other competitor joined him in his area Friday, he felt he would be alone the next two days, allowing him to expand on his area.

After a fast start Thursday, Menendez was derailed due to mechanical problems before he got started Friday. But a minor problem was fixed quickly by the service crew and Menendez was able to round out his limit at 9:30 a.m., capitalizing on the early bite he missed Thursday, when the Day One launch was delayed due to fog.

“The weather will really dictate how the rest of this tournament plays out,” Menendez said. “I’m going to stick to my guns and hope for the best. It really is old-school fishing.”

It seemed that Menendez would have a sizable advantage over the field until Pace – one of the final competitors to weigh in – brought 21-12 to the scales, putting him within striking distance of Menendez. While Menendez has his area largely to himself, Pace is fishing in a crowd.

Pace believes his presentation method is the key to his success. He had a terrible practice and is sticking with the only area that he has developed. This being his first time on Dardanelle, Pace, a two-time BASS event winner, didn’t catch his limit Friday until 12:30 p.m.

He said he was worried about competitor boat traffic, but he feels he has identified the winning spot and hopes the traffic doesn’t hurt his chances.

“I’m absolutely committed to the area because I just don’t have anything else,” said Pace, 28. “I’ll just have to see how they bite tommorrow.”

Lurking in third place is four-time Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year, Kevin VanDam, with 33-12. Once again, VanDam is making an impressive early run in the Angler of the Year points, eyeing a consecutive solid finish to open the Elite Series season.

Like Pace, VanDam is fishing in a crowd, but he feels the subtle differences he is making to his presentation is enticing the right bites. He said Friday he is concerned about the impending cold front and might need to significantly alter his plan of attack Saturday.

In fourth is Matt Herren of Trussville, Ala., with 32-8. Alton Jones, with 32-3, is fifth. Like VanDam, Jones is wasting no time establishing himself as a contender for the Angler of the Year title and its $200,000 top prize. After a second-place finish at the Elite opener on Texas’ Lake Amistad, Jones has followed up with a solid performance on Dardanelle thus far.

The field was cut to the top 50 for Saturday’s action. Safely within the cutline was 2009 Bassmaster Classic champion Skeet Reese (11th), defending 2007 Dardanelle champ and 2007 Bassmaster Classic champ Boyd Duckett (38th) and Mike McClelland of Bella Vista, Ark. (46th). Day 1 leader Brent Chapman of Lake Quivira, Kan., slipped to 27th after a disappointing day.

The final day of competition, Sunday, will feature the top 12 anglers. Part of the Arkansas River Valley, the 34,300-acre Lake Dardanelle has been host to five BASS events.

The Toyota Trucks Diamond Drive includes a top prize of $100,000 and awards valuable points in the 2009 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year title race. Fans are encouraged to attend daily launches (7:15 a.m. CT) and weigh-ins (4 p.m.) through Sunday at Lake Dardanelle State Park, 100 State Park Drive, Russellville.
Sunday’s activities include the live taping of Hooked Up, hosted by ESPN Outdoors personalities Mark Zona and Tommy Sanders. The show, which will air live at 4:30 p.m. ET on Bassmaster.com, will preview Sunday’s final weigh-in.
Other activities Saturday and Sunday at the Diamond Drive, including Dog Training & Retriever Demonstrations Brought To You By SportDog, will begin at 1 p.m. CT at Lake Dardanelle State Park. As part of Bassmaster University, product demonstrations from Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Motors and more will be available on site. Fans are invited to join the “Ask the Experts” session with the Elite pros during Bassmaster University, set for 3 p.m. CT Saturday.
All events at the Diamond Drive are free and open to the public.

For more information, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208 or visit Bassmaster.com. Visit ESPNMediaZone.com for ESPN’s latest releases, schedules and other news, plus photos, video, audio clips and more.

Local sponsors of the Diamond Drive are the State of Arkansas and Russellville A&P Commission.

Sponsors of the Bassmaster Elite Series: Toyota Trucks, Berkley, BOOYAH Baits, Evan Williams Bourbon, Mercury, OPTIMA Batteries, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Marine; Bass Pro Shops, Costa Del Mar, Ramada, SpongeTech and Triton Boats.

About BASS

For more than 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. With its considerable multi-media platforms and expansive tournament trail, BASS is guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer and comprehensive Web properties in ESPN360.com, ESPN’s sports broadband network, Bassmaster.com, BASSInsider.com and ESPNOutdoors.com, the organization is committed to delivering content true to the lifestyle. Additionally, television programming on ESPN2 continues to provide relevant content – from tips and techniques to in-depth tournament coverage – to passionate audiences.

The organization oversees the prestigious Bassmaster tournament trail, which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, Women’s Bassmaster Tour and the Bassmaster Classic, the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing. Through its grassroots network, the BASS Federation Nation, BASS sanctions more than 20,000 events annually.

BASS also offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.

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Media Contact: Doug Grassian; (407) 566-2216 or [email protected]

TOYOTA TRUCKS DIAMOND DRIVE DAY 2 STANDINGS

2009 Diamond Drive 3/26-3/29
Lake Dardanelle, Russellville AR.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 10 39-04 305
Day 1: 5 17-12 Day 2: 5 21-08
2. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 10 38-07 295
Day 1: 5 16-11 Day 2: 5 21-12
3. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 10 33-12 290
Day 1: 5 15-06 Day 2: 5 18-06
4. Matt Herren Trussville, AL 10 32-08 285
Day 1: 5 17-01 Day 2: 5 15-07
5. Alton Jones Waco, TX 10 32-03 280
Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 14-14
6. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 10 32-01 276
Day 1: 5 16-12 Day 2: 5 15-05
7. Denny Brauer Camdenton, MO 10 31-11 272
Day 1: 5 16-06 Day 2: 5 15-05
8. Jim Murray Arabi, GA 10 31-03 268
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 19-03
9. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 9 30-15 264
Day 1: 4 09-01 Day 2: 5 21-14
10. Chris Lane Lakeland, FL 10 30-06 260
Day 1: 5 15-14 Day 2: 5 14-08
11. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 10 29-06 257
Day 1: 5 15-13 Day 2: 5 13-09
12. Bradley Hallman Norman, OK 9 28-14 254
Day 1: 4 10-10 Day 2: 5 18-04
13. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 10 28-07 251
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 14-01
14. Billy Mccaghren Mayflower, AR 10 28-01 248
Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 5 12-06
15. Terry Butcher Talala, OK 10 28-01 245
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 14-12
16. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 10 27-12 243
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 14-14
17. Bill Lowen North Bend, OH 10 27-09 241
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 5 12-08
18. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 10 27-04 239
Day 1: 5 12-01 Day 2: 5 15-03
19. Pat Golden High Point, NC 10 27-03 237
Day 1: 5 09-14 Day 2: 5 17-05
20. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 10 27-01 235
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 5 16-14
21. Kevin Wirth Crestwood, KY 10 27-00 233
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 5 14-05
22. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 8 27-00 231
Day 1: 3 09-12 Day 2: 5 17-04
23. Stephen Browning Hot Springs National Pa 10 26-04 229
Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 5 10-15
24. Kevin Short Mayflower, AR 9 26-03 227
Day 1: 4 09-06 Day 2: 5 16-13
25. Brian Clark Haltom City, TX 10 26-00 225
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 13-00
26. Mark Tucker Saint Louis, MO 8 25-15 223
Day 1: 3 10-02 Day 2: 5 15-13
27. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 7 25-02 226
Day 1: 5 19-07 Day 2: 2 05-11
28. Shaw E Grigsby Gainesville, FL 9 25-01 219
Day 1: 4 14-13 Day 2: 5 10-04
29. Guy Eaker Cherryville, NC 8 25-00 217
Day 1: 3 08-10 Day 2: 5 16-06
30. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 9 24-15 215
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 4 11-15
31. Jami Fralick Dallas, NC 9 24-08 213
Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 4 11-00
32. Chad Griffin Cresson, TX 8 24-06 211
Day 1: 3 06-11 Day 2: 5 17-11
33. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 9 24-05 209
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 4 09-07
34. Randy Howell Springville, AL 8 24-04 207
Day 1: 3 07-03 Day 2: 5 17-01
35. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 8 23-10 205
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 3 08-08
36. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 8 23-09 203
Day 1: 3 08-07 Day 2: 5 15-02
37. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 9 23-01 201
Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 4 11-10
38. Boyd Duckett Demopolis, AL 10 22-15 199
Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 5 11-08
39. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 10 22-12 197
Day 1: 5 10-10 Day 2: 5 12-02
40. Timmy Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 6 22-09 195
Day 1: 1 02-06 Day 2: 5 20-03
41. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 8 22-05 193
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 3 07-07
42. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, GA 7 22-05 191
Day 1: 2 05-13 Day 2: 5 16-08
43. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 9 22-01 189
Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 4 11-05
44. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 9 21-14 187
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 4 07-03
45. Kelly Jordon Mineola, TX 8 21-08 185
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 3 06-10
46. Wade Grooms Bonneau, SC 5 21-08 183
Day 1: 2 06-14 Day 2: 3 14-10
47. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 7 21-06 181
Day 1: 2 07-03 Day 2: 5 14-03
48. Bobby Lane Lakeland, FL 10 21-01 179
Day 1: 5 07-00 Day 2: 5 14-01
49. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 9 21-01 177
Day 1: 4 08-00 Day 2: 5 13-01
50. Pete Ponds Madison, MS 9 20-15 175
Day 1: 5 13-06 Day 2: 4 07-09
51. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 8 20-12 173
Day 1: 3 07-00 Day 2: 5 13-12
52. Jon Bondy Windsor CANADA 7 20-08 171
Day 1: 2 04-06 Day 2: 5 16-02
53. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 9 20-01 169
Day 1: 4 08-00 Day 2: 5 12-01
54. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 9 20-00 167
Day 1: 4 08-15 Day 2: 5 11-01
55. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 9 19-14 165
Day 1: 4 09-14 Day 2: 5 10-00
56. John Murray Phoenix, AZ 8 19-03 163
Day 1: 4 09-06 Day 2: 4 09-13
57. Morizo Shimizu Osaka JAPAN 8 18-08 161
Day 1: 4 10-13 Day 2: 4 07-11
58. Mark Tyler Vian, OK 6 17-14 159
Day 1: 4 10-08 Day 2: 2 07-06
59. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 8 17-10 157
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 3 05-12
60. Derek Remitz Grant, AL 6 17-10 155
Day 1: 1 02-04 Day 2: 5 15-06
61. John Crews Salem, VA 6 17-10 153
Day 1: 1 02-15 Day 2: 5 14-11
62. Byron Velvick Del Rio, TX 7 17-08 151
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 2 04-13
63. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 6 17-02 149
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 1 05-02
64. Matthew Sphar Pavilion, NY 6 17-01 147
Day 1: 2 06-03 Day 2: 4 10-14
65. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC 9 17-00 145
Day 1: 5 09-12 Day 2: 4 07-04
66. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 7 17-00 143
Day 1: 2 03-03 Day 2: 5 13-13
67. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 6 17-00 141
Day 1: 1 02-13 Day 2: 5 14-03
68. Dave Wolak Wake Forest, NC 8 16-14 139
Day 1: 4 09-05 Day 2: 4 07-09
69. Rick Morris Virginia Beach, VA 7 16-07 137
Day 1: 2 06-01 Day 2: 5 10-06
70. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 7 16-06 135
Day 1: 2 05-03 Day 2: 5 11-03
71. Marty Stone Fayetteville, NC 7 16-00 133
Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 2 05-04
72. Jimmy Mize Ben Lomond, AR 6 15-15 131
Day 1: 1 03-05 Day 2: 5 12-10
73. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 7 15-02 129
Day 1: 4 09-10 Day 2: 3 05-08
74. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 6 14-13 127
Day 1: 4 09-02 Day 2: 2 05-11
75. Jeremy Starks Charleston, WV 7 14-10 125
Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 2 03-10
76. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 7 14-06 123
Day 1: 2 03-10 Day 2: 5 10-12
77. David Smith Del City, OK 5 14-05 121
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 14-05
78. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 7 14-02 119
Day 1: 2 04-03 Day 2: 5 09-15
79. Jason Quinn York, SC 7 13-13 117
Day 1: 2 02-12 Day 2: 5 11-01
80. Vince Fulks Purcell, OK 6 13-03 115
Day 1: 1 01-12 Day 2: 5 11-07
81. Luke Gritter Kalamazoo, MI 6 13-02 113
Day 1: 2 03-13 Day 2: 4 09-05
82. Peter E Thliveros St Augustine, FL 6 12-14 111
Day 1: 2 03-14 Day 2: 4 09-00
83. Clark Reehm Russellville, AR 4 12-08 109
Day 1: 1 01-01 Day 2: 3 11-07
84. Kenyon Hill Norman, OK 6 12-06 107
Day 1: 2 03-08 Day 2: 4 08-14
85. Dustin Wilks Rocky Mount, NC 6 12-05 105
Day 1: 3 06-00 Day 2: 3 06-05
86. Ken D Cook Lawton, OK 4 11-14 103
Day 1: 1 04-05 Day 2: 3 07-09
87. Mike Wurm Hot Springs, AR 4 11-10 101
Day 1: 1 01-09 Day 2: 3 10-01
88. Jeff Connella Bentley, LA 5 11-09 99
Day 1: 3 07-07 Day 2: 2 04-02
89. Zell Rowland Montgomery, TX 3 10-15 97
Day 1: 1 02-12 Day 2: 2 08-03
90. Scott Campbell Springfield, MO 4 10-13 95
Day 1: 2 05-05 Day 2: 2 05-08
91. Elton Luce Jr. Brookeland, TX 5 10-11 93
Day 1: 1 01-12 Day 2: 4 08-15
92. Mark Burgess Norton, MA 5 10-08 91
Day 1: 1 01-14 Day 2: 4 08-10
93. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, AL 4 10-08 89
Day 1: 2 04-02 Day 2: 2 06-06
94. Kevin Langill Terrell, NC 5 09-15 87
Day 1: 2 05-01 Day 2: 3 04-14
95. Jeff Reynolds Idabel, OK 3 08-09 85
Day 1: 1 02-05 Day 2: 2 06-04
96. Michael Iaconelli Runnemede, NJ 4 08-07 83
Day 1: 2 03-05 Day 2: 2 05-02
97. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 2 05-06 81
Day 1: 1 02-06 Day 2: 1 03-00
98. Brent Broderick Oregonia, OH 2 04-15 79
Day 1: 1 02-10 Day 2: 1 02-05
99. Matt Reed Madisonville, TX 2 03-03 77
Day 1: 1 01-10 Day 2: 1 01-09
100. Grant Goldbeck Gaithersburg, MD 4 02-01 76
Day 1: 0 -01-00 Day 2: 4 03-01
———————————————————————–

BIG BASS
Day
1 Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 06-00 $0.00
2 Timmy Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 07-08 $0.00

———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 41 340 888-05
2 55 408 1136-10
———————————-
96 748 2024-15