Meet the Hypertech Reel Team

Reel Talk

Hypertech has announced their newly formed fishing team, the Hypertech Reel Team. The team consists of Bassmaster Elite Anglers Buddy Gross from Chickamauga, GA, Mark Menendez from Paducah, KY, and Bassmaster Opens angler John Coble Garrett from Union City, TN.

The Hypertech Reel Team now has an awe-inspiring group of angler team members. The Bassmaster Elite 2021 tournament season opened February 11th on the St. Johns River with Palatka, FL as the tournament headquarters and launch site. The St. Johns River Elite Tournament will start a nine-tournament series for the Elites and will end in New York in July at the St. Lawrence River Elite Tournament. Both Gross and Menendez will compete in all nine events, with both having goals to win Angler of the Year and qualify for the 2022 Bassmaster Classic.

Menendez finished the St Johns River Elite tournament in fifth place with a total weight of 67 pounds and 5 ounces, winning $20,000 in the event. Gross finished in 28th place with a total weight of 41 pounds and 5 ounces, winning $10,000 in the event. This is an excellent start for the year for both anglers in both monetary winnings and in points totals towards AOY status. Menendez got a lot of exposure as Bassmaster posted many pictures online of Menendez fishing on days two and three of the event and in the weigh-ins for all four tournament days. Most of Menendez’s catches came on Strike King Game Hawg or Strike King Rage Craw soft plastics in the Junebug color, and Menendez was pitching these lures around cypress trees and scattered lily pads.

John Coble Garrett will also start his Bassmaster Opens tournament season in Florida on March 4th at the Harris Chain of Lakes and finishes the Opens series at Grand Lake of the Cherokees in Oklahoma in October. Garrett will be competing in all three of the Opens Regional Divisions (Southern, Central and Northern divisions with three tournaments each) and working towards point totals for the Opens AOY and Opens Divisional championships. If Garrett can accumulate enough points in the point totals at year-end, he could qualify for Elite status for 2022 and possibly even a spot in the 2022 Bassmaster Classic.

“We are thrilled to be a part of this talented trio of anglers and, most importantly, bring awareness of our brand to a very loyal base of enthusiast,” said John Lambert, General Manager at Hypertech. With over 35 years in the automotive performance industry, Hypertech expands its marking efforts into the outdoor markets. Most anglers and outdoor enthusiasts drive trucks, and Hypertech’ s current offerings include a wide variety of products to improve vehicle performance in power, torque, fuel economy, and drivability.

Teaming with Gross, Menendez, and Garrett will provide Hypertech with thousands of miles of real-world testing and feedback. “We are developing products specifically to enhance not only an angler’s towing experience, such as trailer tire pressure and temperature monitoring systems, but also products to improve launch ramp and towing experiences with our React Throttle Optimizer,” said Lambert.

Hypertech Reel Team Members Finish In The Money 2021 Bassmaster Elite Tournament at Guntersville Lake

Intrepid Hypertech Reel Team members Buddy Gross and Mark Menendez both finished in the money at the Bassmaster Elite Tournament at Guntersville Lake, May 20-23. Mark finished in 19th place with a total weight of 46 pounds and 3 ounces and was awarded $10,000 in prize money. Buddy finished in 43rd place with a total weight of 38 pounds and 1 ounce and was awarded $10,000 in prize money. More importantly, both anglers gained much needed Angler of the Year points with Buddy currently in 22nd place and Mark in 38th place. And, both anglers are inside the cut line to qualify for the 2022 Bassmaster Classic with two only Elite tournaments left on the schedule.

The water was especially clear at the Goose Lake facility near Scottsboro, Al. and there were a lot of submerged grasses in shallow areas; there were even some largemouth bass still in the spawning mode, although most of the anglers focused on post spawn patterns.

Mark had an outstanding day on the second tournament day when he bagged the heaviest limit of the day. Steve Wright’s blogged on Bassmaster.com:

Mark Menendez, a 56-year-old Elite Series veteran from Paducah, Ky., jumped from 45th place to 5th after weighing the big bag of the day – 21 pounds, 5 ounces. Menendez weighed 14-0 on Day 1.

“They were all just a better grade today,” said Mark. “The first fish I caught was the 6-pounder, so that calmed me down. I was running down the lake and I saw an area that looked right. So I pulled in there and immediately caught a 2-pounder.” And it just kept getting better. Menendez pitched a Strike King Structure Bug around in grass that was “10 inches to 7 or 8 feet deep” and filled out his 21-5 limit over the course of the day.

Buddy Gross used a large swimbait on shallow flats and ridges and alternated with a lipless crankbait to mix things up. Although he had solid limits on the first two days, Buddy struggled on Saturday and was not able to complete his limit, so he dropped in the standings.

Next on the schedule is the 2021 Bassmaster Classic for Buddy and getting ready for a swing to New York state for the final two Elite tournaments for both Mark and Buddy once the Classic is completed.