Is It Really That Easy? by Mark Menendaz 1-12-2012

Is It Really That Easy?

There is something that happens as we gain experience in life. We make mistakes. We learn. We try not to make the same mistake twice. I really feel as if fishermen fit that mode. Well, I will restate that and say some fishermen fit that mode. This may not be true. How many new and exciting colors of baits are introduced each year? How many of those new colors readily enter our tackle boxes?

For most fishermen (including myself), we are collectors. “Collector” is actually a nice word for a hoarder. Most of us could actually find our garages on a reality television show dealing with the subject of hoarding! I still have baits from the early 80’s. I must have thought some of those gimmicks would catch me a fish. There are a few (ever so small percentage) of my old baits that still see action on the Bassmaster Elite Series.

As we age, we must feel an entitlement to keep all of our stuff we have accumulated over the years. I have packed it away. When I was in my formative years of fishing, Bob Cobb of “The Bassmasters” television show sold me more lures than a snake oil salesman! The bait that won the featured Bassmaster Tournament was in my box on Monday morning. That was the beginnings of my collecting!

Does this look like a familiar garage?                                                                     Mark Menendez photo.
There will be an incident that will turn the tide for some of us collectors. For me it was two years ago at the end of a long Elite Series season. My truck had remained parked in the same place for three weeks after the final event. Reluctantly, I made myself go out to the vehicle and start to unload. It was as if a giant bean stalk was growing out of the bed of my truck. I returned trip after trip packing heavy boxes in to the garage. There must have been in excess of 1,000 lbs. of collections in my truck! Shortly thereafter, I read an article about how weight affects gas mileage in one’s vehicle. That season we had rolled from California to New York. The odometer had posted over 40,000 miles packing that extra half ton of collection. That equated to lost revenues due to a loss in gas mileage. That hit me where it hurt, right in the wallet!

During that fall break I moved one of the boxes. It tore open and I spilled the contents of the collection. The baits that lay on the floor of the garage were baits that I had carried since I won my first Redman event in 1987! This was the clarifying event I needed to clear all of the collection out of my fishing life. It had become a monster. To remember the inventory, load it, and carry it around the world was becoming over whelming.

Last spring I was in Knoxville, Tennessee at a collectors dream. The Fishing Show in Knoxville is one of the last remaining true fishing events left in the country. I was there to represent Skeeter Boats.

I took a little stroll around the building to find booth after booth of handmade crankbaits. I already had a healthy collection started of baits from this area. An old Bassmaster roommate was from the area. He led me to the promise land of which ones were the real fish catchers.

In all of the temptation, I did not buy a single bait! During that stroll, I was introduced to system that has helped my fishing immensely. The originators of the Line Rite Rod and Tackle Tab system were at that show.

The guys from Line Rite gave me a few tabs to try. I’m so glad I followed through with their request to give them a try! These adhesive labels have defined my tackle for the coming years. I have been able to find the box in which my prized baits are housed. It has taken me less time to find the box labeled “Crankbaits Shallow” when looking for a Strike King KVD 1.5! It is just like getting better gas mileage in a tournament.

Get the proper bait in to the water gives me a few extra casts per day! I now have “Crankbaits Deep”, “Topwater”, “Creature Baits”, “Jigs”, and so on labeled with brightly colored Tabs on all of my tackle boxes. While adhering the tabs, I was able to clean out all of the collection that I have not used in years! It is really scary how much I have been able to eliminate from just the boat collection. I am looking forward to see how well my boat is going to run with less of the collection to haul around.

As I sit worrying over the lost revenues of the missing gas mileage, I see a flash of brilliance in my future. It is really that easy! One simple word….EBAY!

— Mark Menendez

Mark Menendez is a professional angler from Paducah, Kentucky. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and at www.Markmenendez.com