Mark Menendez is an affable chap, but if you’re peddling the quantity vs. quality premise, he’s going to cross his arms and turn his head every time. Why? Because he’s dialed in on a game plan that affords him plenty of the former with significant expectation of the latter.
Entrusting his shallow-water game almost exclusively to a craw bait, Menendez feels he has a mental advantage by eliminating the constant internal debate over limits and kickers. He’s partial to the Strike King Rage Craw, but his wisdom fits, regardless of your preference.
“I use the Strike King Rage Craw because this bait allows me to get that bigger bite without cutting out the quantity of keeper bites,” he said. “I might take a jig and craw combo and only get five to eight bites a day, with just that Rage Craw, I’m going to get 15 to 20 bites a day.
“The more bites, the more chances I have of getting that bigger fish. Given the efficiency of the Rage Craw on a Texas rig, I have to make myself fish a jig now.”
So, big fish, huh? How big? Well, in Elite competition, Menendez says the humble craw has fooled hogs up to 9 pounds, 6 ounces at the St. Johns River, an 8-12 at the California Delta and numerous quality fish of 5-plus.
The attraction: Of the craw’s game-winning potential, Menendez says this: “If you put a smorgasbord of forage out there — a crawfish, a bluegill, a shiner, a shad — I think that, if given a choice, a bass will grab a crawfish quicker than any of those other (options).
“I think particularly big bass want the greatest amount of food value and that crawfish, with all that protein, the fish come to depend on that at certain times of the year as their number one food choice. I think they’re looking for that at any opportunity they can get it; so I’m going to do my best to make sure they find one.”
All seasons: Previous point not withstanding, Menendez knows the wisdom of matching the hatch. Simply put, there are times when the fish will be so heavily focused on rounding up mouthfuls of shad that it serves him well to join the parade. By simply adjusting his bait colors from the greens and browns to whites and grayish patterns, Menendez can match the seasonal images of crustacean or finfish, depending on his desired presentation.
Now, when it comes to touch-up colors, Menendez often dips his craw pinchers in orange or chartreuse Dying to Fish dye, but he offers this tip for cosmetic strategy: Use a Q-tip to add an orange streak to the bait’s belly. This resembles a bluegill’s underside and for northern waters where yellow perch abound, this addition can be a straight-up deal closer.
Diverse appeal: In addition to a Texas rig for flipping/pitching, Menendez says the craws looks awfully good on the business end of a Carolina rig. Complementing these slower tactics, he won’t hesitate to put the crustacean impostor to a faster pace. Burning a craw like a buzz toad is one option.
“I also feel that the Rage Craw is just as effective as a swimbait type presentation as a swim jig with a twin tail trailer,” Menendez said. “I think they can get that smaller profile better because there are times when they slap at a swim jig, and they just won’t get it. But with a Texas-rigged craw, that hook’s closer to them, so they get hooked a lot more often.
Good fit: Speaking of hooks, Mendez arms his craw with some serious firepower. A 5/0 round bend Gamakatsu straight shank hook fits right into the bait’s nose, thereby aligning the point as far back as possible.
“This does two things: it helps my hooking percentage,” Mendez said. “Plus, with that big, beefier hook, when I get one of those grown ones on, I don’t have to worry about it coming off.”
Bottom line, Menendez says efficiency drives his singular focus. Rather than sifting through multiple packs of various bait styles, Menendez keeps it lean and mean. Minimal downtime, equals maximum fishing time.
“Having multiple Rage Craws rigged with multiple size sinkers, I can cover all ranges of the water column with one soft plastic bait,” he said.
