Where Do Bass Go When the Water Level Drops?

The Serious Angler Bass Fishing Podcast sits down with West Coast Super 60 standout Joe Mariani to break down the toughest transition in bass fishing: the late-summer drawdown on Northern California reservoirs like Clear Lake, Berryessa, and Don Pedro. Joe explains why largemouth push shallow into dying grass while spotted bass and smallmouth abandon the bank entirely, why big square bills and topwater still fool giants in low, clear water, and how to locate suspended fall bass using forward-facing sonar on main-lake structure. The conversation also covers Joe's switch from Nitro to Bass Cat boats, tournament strategy for the no-practice BAM Super 60 series, and mental game lessons from grinding out top-10 finishes. A must-listen for bass anglers dealing with fall drawdown conditions, tournament anglers chasing forward-facing sonar techniques, and fans of West Coast bass fishing.

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Transcript

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SPEAKER_03 0:00

Episode coming to you with the man, the myth of legend, Joe Mariani. Joe is a hammer out west. He has uh won a uh a lot of tournaments, he's won boats, he's uh he's kicked my butt a lot. So this was a good one to have him on. He's joined us on the Super 60 this year, he's having a great season um right there in the AOI race. So it's been super fun to talk to him about a tough time of year, man. When we get into this August, September, early October, like really hard everywhere in the country. And in the West, we're dealing with like the lowest water levels um generally that time of the year because all the irrigation water has been pulled out and those fisheries are just uh you know kind of left right there. And those bass are adjusting on the fly and and we're having to figure out how to catch them. So uh great episode talking about kind of that grimy fall um transition that starts to happen and on these drawdown reservoirs. So it's a good one. Stay tuned. All right, folks. Now we are joined by the man, uh Joe Mariani. Dude, how are you?

SPEAKER_01 1:13

I'm doing good, man. Living the dream out here.

SPEAKER_03 1:18

Yeah, yeah, long day, harvest season in August, man. What uh what what are you harvesting? What's what's what's happening right now?

SPEAKER_01 1:27

Yeah, right now we're uh we're picking almonds, so we're doing the whole thing, shaking them, sweeping them, and then picking them up. Um just August through uh October. That's pretty much what we do.

SPEAKER_03 1:41

Dude, so cool. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 1:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:45

Um, brutal, man. Long, long days with anything with everything with harvest. Um, I can only imagine like you get probably pretty beat at the end of the day, and then sometimes you hook up the boat and go go fish uh fish a bunch of weekend derbies. I always see a Durbin somewhere.

SPEAKER_01 2:01

Yeah, yeah. If there's a derby, usually we're going. I mean, it's hard, it's hard to miss a derby. You never know what could happen, you know.

SPEAKER_03 2:10

That's right, man. I love it. Well, good stuff. Well, man, I thought this would be a good topic to have you on for. Um, just particularly, man, you've got an ag background, deal with irrigation. It's a time of the year where, like, at least in a lot of these western reservoirs, and I and I think in a lot of the parts of the country, we see a drawdown effect. Like these lakes get kind of the plug-pulled, the water sucked out of them. Um, I mean, like you you came here and fished Brownley a little while back, and that place will look, you know, I haven't been on it because there's been a bunch of fires, but it's probably 20, 25 feet lower than than when we were there. So all the trees and stuff, you know, where those fish were shallow, like all that's out of play. Um, so that stuff kind of all changes. So I'd love to just like talk a little bit about that today, um, and uh and dig into what you do when stuff starts. And and I'd love to know too on your bodies of water, when does that happen? Like, when do you guys start to see the water pulled out?

SPEAKER_01 3:15

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, so typically right around you know June, July is when you know the farming really kicks into full gear, and we're talking Berriessa, Clear Lake. Um, you got the east side reservoirs like Don Pedro, New Maloney's, all those lakes, Comanche, they all get used for irrigation for farming. So June and July rolls down, the lakes start dropping. There's no more rain that we get here in Northern California. Um, it pretty much summer kicks in and the lakes start dropping. And usually in like July, you really start to notice like, golly, you show up to the lake like, man, like they're stuck in the water. It's dropped quite a bit. Um, and you know, you really don't see a difference in the fishing quite as much until like August rolls around. Like the lakes are drawing down, but like the summer fishing is still really good. Like June, July, and like the first two to three weeks of August, pretty much till up until September, the fishing's good. Like the fish are still on the points, they're doing the jig, all they're they're crank, they're doing the whole thing, you know. But as soon as September rolls around, you know, your days get shorter, and the lake really now is officially like drawn down like quite a bit. Like you really can see the difference. Um that's when it like I couldn't tell you an exact week, but like all of a sudden, like Clear Lake, Berriester, which are like my two legs that I fished the most, like all of a sudden, like something switches. Like, and I couldn't tell you what it is, but like it switches, and like the fishing gets really tough really fast. Um, so like I don't know. The there's a lot of ways to look at it.

SPEAKER_03 5:20

Um things get so grimy, dude. I don't know what it is, it just gets grimy and hard and sucks. Like, I mean, dude, September fishing is some of the anywhere in the country freaking sucks, man. Like, go get in the elk woods, it's not fun. But we're gonna talk about how to try and catch them in September.

SPEAKER_01 5:40

But anyway, yeah, yeah, go get in the mountains. That's what I'm always thinking about. Like, I'm thinking I'm not right now, I'm not thinking about going fishing, I'm thinking about going deer hunting, you know. Uh-huh. Um but I mean, anyways, there's a couple things that I I either look at, you're either going dirt shallow, okay, and you're finding whatever grass is left in the lake that is healthy, or you're going out deep in the middle for suspended bass. It's like one or the other. You know, the points kind of turn into for the most part worthless, you know, uh what I see. So I look for either shallow dirt grass because you got the good oxygen up there, yep, or you're going out in the middle.

SPEAKER_03 6:27

Interesting. Man, the shallow oxygen stuff, I think I'd like to expand on more because you know, I think that's something a lot of guys when they think of this time of the year, they don't they don't go and go to those super shallow fish that you expect. You don't expect them to be there because the water's so hot, it's 112 degrees out, and you're like, dude, why would this fish be up here? Yeah, but they're the the point you're making is if you've got the grass or maybe it's a uh moving water, something coming in, there's the ability for the bait to be there and the fish to be there to survive. Talk through like how you find that. I mean, is it just literally going down the bank and looking for healthy grass? Like, how do you find some of those shallow fish?

SPEAKER_01 7:14

Yeah, I mean, um it really changes year to year. I mean, every lake is different depending on our rainfall here because we have no um really regulations on like how high they need to keep the water.

SPEAKER_00 7:31

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 7:32

So uh like they could, you know, suck the water way down, or they could, you know, keep it you never know what's gonna happen. So every year is different. You you can go to some areas that you thought you saw really good grass on in the fall, and there's no grass there the next year. So it changes a lot. It really just like and I'm referring to Clear Lake and Beriessa more so because they have a lot of grass in them. You gotta just go looking for it. Use your side scan, use your eyes. That's that's it's really that simple.

SPEAKER_03 8:07

Yeah, yeah. Now, do you notice a difference? Like in I'm thinking Beriesa, and I've never fished Beriesa, but like I'm thinking through other bodies of water than just Clear Lake because of the multi-species approach of smallmouth, spotted bass, like what's your difference and thought process there in that you know, grimy late August, September kind of time frame?

SPEAKER_01 8:32

Yeah. Um did when I think like smallmouth and spotted bass, because we have both smallmouth and spots in Berriessa.

SPEAKER_02 8:40

Right.

SPEAKER_01 8:41

And right when, like I was talking about where the lights just switch to like that grimy, tough September bite. The smallmouth in the spots and largemouth and bariassa, they all live together.

SPEAKER_03 8:53

Interesting.

SPEAKER_01 8:54

Like as soon as that switch happens in the fall, they do not live together. You stop catching them at the same time. And I really, yeah, you it's like you either catch largemouth or you're catching smallmouth and spots. So and they are out in the middle of the lake. The largemouth are the only ones that I ever see going, you know, dirt shallow into that grass and that that water up there, really is all I see.

SPEAKER_03 9:27

Interesting. Okay, so they're all together chasing bait, having a good time, and then it gets grimy, and the largemouth are like, Yeah, you guys can go float. I'm gonna go get in the grass.

SPEAKER_01 9:37

Yeah. And in throughout the year, like spring through summer, you'll catch the spotted bass and the smallmouth in the grass with the largemouth. Okay. But as soon as the fall switches, you will you will not catch a spotted bass. And typically good spotted bass live in the grass on barias, and you will not catch a spotted bass in the fall.

SPEAKER_03 9:58

Interesting.

SPEAKER_01 9:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:59

I wonder if it's just like an oxygen thing to where like they like largemouth. I know, like, like largemouth can live in like a freaking ditch, right? Like, I wonder if it's something that like spots and smallmouth just like can't make it as well up there, so they they resort to going out.

SPEAKER_01 10:13

It must be. I mean, I I haven't I haven't spent enough time on like you know, because we're going Don Pedro for a couple pro amps for the bam coming up here, and they don't really have much grass in that lake.

SPEAKER_00 10:28

I don't think so.

SPEAKER_01 10:29

The time that I've spent on that lake in the fall, it's like every single bass or every single spotted bass is in the middle of the lake, and you can catch a couple big largemouth up shallow. There's no grass, but they're still up there.

SPEAKER_03 10:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:44

So I don't know. It's it's it's very interesting.

SPEAKER_03 10:48

It's gonna be super interesting to watch that. I don't think I'm gonna make it to the pro-am just because of elk season, but if I if I get lucky and kill an elk early, then maybe I will. But that because that's September, but yeah, in our in our BAM schedule here, it literally goes Pedro, Pedro, Pedro. Yeah, so we're gonna see the full transition on on all of that. But I've kind of heard the same thing. Like, you can catch a big largemouth up on the bank, but like, yeah, this the spots will just be out there chasing bait.

SPEAKER_01 11:19

Everywhere, they're literally a hundred feet out there in the middle, and then you have to grind all day to get a big largemouth bite up shallow. So I think whether you have grass or not, the in the fall, the largemouth, there's big largemouth that goes shallow. Like it's just a fact, it's just what they do. I don't know why, but it's what they do.

SPEAKER_03 11:45

Yeah, yeah. I wonder too. I mean, they just they get up there, they can get a big snack on the bank or a trout or or something shallow. Like that's what always interests me, you're always thinking in a bass's mind, like they can eat anything, right? They can go eat a crawfish, they can go eat a bluegill, they could go eat shad, whatever, whatever is there. But the one that's always you know, like the stuff that that kind of makes me think about like frog fishing and stuff, like that can still happen even on a body of water that's drawn down and there's no vegetation. And I'm not saying a frog necessarily, but a big top water or something, because right in in in reality, like a mouse falls in the the bank, or you know, there's something that frog jumps on the bank, whatever they're freaking predators, right? And especially those big largemouth, they'll just sit and wait for something to happen on an opportune spot. So it's it's interesting to think about because man, you can absolutely like this time of the year get really big bites grinding the bank with like a big topwater, yeah, yeah, and just have a freak largemouth come out and and eat it, dude.

SPEAKER_01 13:01

It's a fact, and like when I when you talk about like Don Pedro, Berriessa, you know, the the deep reservoirs that we have here in Northern California, you think about like the big largemouth all year typically only eat trout and crawdads. That's what they eat.

SPEAKER_03 13:22

Like wow, all year, even like so.

SPEAKER_01 13:26

That was gonna be what I that was gonna be my point. Is like I've noticed that pretty much all three-quarters of the year it's trout, crawdad, and then the fall rolls around, and those big largemouth, they just they took it something changes, they they turn different, and you could fool them on a couple different things, like you know, like a crankbait, like a square bill up shallow, or a chatterbait if you have grass, or you know, a spook, like you were talking about. So, like there's times that you could definitely fool those big largemouth in these reservoirs in the fall time for some reason.

SPEAKER_03 14:03

But it's hard, like you're saying, like you feel like you can predict where like you can you are the are the largemouth more consistent for you in other type types of the year, or are you saying slightly? Yeah, okay. So this is when it starts to get like you just don't know where they go.

SPEAKER_01 14:20

Yeah, you don't know where they go, they're less predictable, but it's out there, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:25

For sure. It makes me think about like, and I it's not something I've really done on any of our western fisheries, but the the guys that will like, and this is a fall thing down in Texas on those like big clay points and stuff, they'll take like the big square bills, you know, like the strike king four-os and whatever the eight-o, like the giant square bills, and and grind those over shallow points and catch giants, dude.

SPEAKER_01 14:54

So that's so funny you bring that up. That is like my tournament partner, Luke. Yeah, like Luke, yeah, clear rolls around in its full time, like September. He loves to tie on that giant square bill, loves to tie it on. Like you you start banging that thing around shallow, and dude, you he uh catches big ones on it. Like that is definitely a thing, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:20

Okay, I love it. That's awesome, dude. Yeah, I mean, for some reason, it's just a big, big bait. I mean, and clearly it makes sense with like hitch and uh I mean, just just something big rolling by him and and uh make him react. But that's funny. I can see Luke doing that. That seems like a weird thing.

SPEAKER_02 15:37

He loves doing that.

SPEAKER_03 15:42

Oh man. Well, let's talk like the the fish that are out. So wherever it may be, Berriessa, Clear Lake, um, any other kind of highland reservoir where where they're they're gonna be out chasing bait, like where do you start? I think like you know, when when talking to guys that maybe aren't as familiar with their electronics or getting used to just looking for fish to fish for on forward facing, like how do you generally break that down on a new lake or or somewhere where they might be doing that in the fall time?

SPEAKER_01 16:18

Yeah, um it's a good question. I personally always start like on the most main lake stuff as possible. Because and the reason that I do that is because for one, I feel like the fish go into the coves and all that more late, late fall. And like right in the summer, like you, if you were to go back and like start at the springtime, right? Your spring fish start in the coves and they spawn, then they move out on the points into the main lake, and then now we're in summertime points, main lake. Well, while all the fish are transitioning out to the middle, I still feel like early fall, like when it's still hot, like September, early October, I think that those fish are still out on like the main lake stuff, like main lake river channels, like that's where I've had my most success. And then like you go late fall and you could get them up in the coves, and you know, when they start pushing the bait shallow, but the bait is still deep in early fall, you know. So I start, you know, a good place to start is like around houseboats and stuff like that. If we're talking Orville, Pedro, Maloney's, like out by the houseboats on the main lake is like a great place to start. So that's that's I like to start, you know, main lake stuff and then go from there.

SPEAKER_03 17:52

Totally, man. Yeah. No, I think that's wise. It's it's so funny to me the cycle is spot on, like, and it must you could almost probably track it with water temp of like your your spring cycle, winter, they're out, spring, they're coming to the bank, then they're working their way out, fall turns around, water temp starts dropping back, they start working their way back, and then they go back out. Like, it's just, I mean, really, there's kind of like two of the same cycles that happen every year with bass.

SPEAKER_01 18:24

Yeah, absolutely. They definitely do the same thing every year. Like, there's no question.

SPEAKER_03 18:31

Yeah. Have you ever seen any false spawners in the fall? I have not, dude. I haven't either that's all hearsay.

SPEAKER_01 18:39

It's all hearsay. Yeah, it's it's lies, dude. Yeah, they all talk. I mean, I don't they say it happens most on the Delta.

SPEAKER_03 18:48

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 18:49

But I don't spend enough time on the Delta in the fall to where I've seen it, but they claim it happens. I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 18:56

Dude, I've heard that from so many people and all sorts of different bodies of water, too. Like, I've heard about it on like some of those clear desert fisheries, too, just because you can see so well, like Havasu or Mead. Um like yeah, I've never seen it either. I've always wondered about it because I just love sight fishing, but I've never been like, oh yeah, that fish is on a bed. Like it might be a fish on a piece of wood, but it's not like sitting there because there's a bed.

SPEAKER_01 19:23

Right. Yeah, I I've I've never seen it. And like I you I think me and you are the same. Like, dude, when it's springtime, we're going, we're looking for them.

SPEAKER_03 19:34

Like I've going to the bank.

SPEAKER_01 19:36

Yeah, and I've never seen a bedfish in the fall, so I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 19:40

100%. That's awesome. Um well, this is like kind of switching gears. Man, I'm curious and and feel for you to go in as much detail or as not. You, I feel like, dude, like we're running that nitro making so much money. Hold on one second. You're good, man. We got a phone call. Yeah, I got you. No worries. Um, dude, you you are on freaking heater with that nitro making all these bonus bucks, dude. Like the the the what do you call it? Contingency program that Bass Power Shopper has. And then you roll into the Unreal, I think one of the best looking boats on tour with your rap, the Bass Cat. What's the what's been the differences in the nitro to the Bass Cat? Um and like again, feel free to go into as much detail as you want, but I'd love to just hear because you kind of went from two completely different boats, but I don't know, and I don't know if Bass Cat's contingency program is as good. But what was the thought process in kind of switching gears?

SPEAKER_01 20:54

Yeah, so yeah, I went from like two ends of the spectrum, and I've ran an I tro since I started bass fishing, started a Z18, went to a Z20, and then I went to a Z21. Dude, best by far the best contingency program. No doubt about it. Like we, me and my team partner were we were making good money doing that. Um, but the team fishing dive in California, like you need 75 boats or 60 boats or whatever it is to you know qualify. And there's one team trail in California now that does that. And we most people can't fish it because it's amateur only.

SPEAKER_03 21:38

That's right. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 21:40

So as soon as that happened, and I started getting more into the professional, you know, fishing the bam, one basses, all that stuff, you'd be professional or whatever you want to call it. Um I was like, I need a boat that can withstand all, you know, everything. Everything that I'm doing by nitrogen. It's like if we were on the Columbia River and I was in the nitro, there would be screws flying past my head left and right. I was like, I need a boat that I can rely on and trust.

SPEAKER_03 22:14

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 22:15

And um, that's when I ran into Tanner's lawn at Boat Pros.

SPEAKER_03 22:19

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 22:20

And uh yeah, got into a bass cat who messed. Dude. Sickest boat of all time. Like the thing is built like a rock. I'm yet to get a wave in it where I'm like, ah, that's you like hear something later.

SPEAKER_03 22:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:39

Yeah, like I mean, I've run in a lot of boats. Phoenix is great. Like, you Phoenix runs through water good, no call, but that that bass cat is unbelievable. And then when you want to go 77 miles an hour, you just go 77. So that was cool, you know, because the the contingency program, once you get to like the pro-level tournaments for Bass Cat in Nitra are basically the same.

SPEAKER_00 23:05

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 23:06

So if you're not fishing team tournaments, you're gonna want a more reliable boat. So that's where the Bass Cat really shines.

SPEAKER_03 23:14

Dang, man, that was a really good explanation. Um, to walk through. Yeah, those the this those are great boats, man. Like I've spent a lot of time in in buddies' bass cats in rough water, they fly like holy cow. I like I can count on one hand the amount of times I've passed a bass cat, and I'm in a fast boat in a Phoenix. It's very rare, but every once in a while I get one that's just running slow or something. Yeah, um they're super well bit but well built boats, and man, they have like such a cult following. Like, there's some guys who are probably on their like 20th Bass C. You know, they just never change. Like it's been a great yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:54

I I literally just ordered a new one.

SPEAKER_03 23:57

Did you?

SPEAKER_01 23:58

Yeah, right. Yeah, I'm switching over to the links. Yeah, no, I don't think I'll ever so the so the links and the Puma are the exact same bottom. Okay, it's just they switch the the top cap on them. Interesting, different deck layout, and I feel like the Lynx deck layout is way better with the way that it has the big like like ranger style, you know, middle um lid on it. So that's how I switch it up into that.

SPEAKER_03 24:29

Right on. Okay. Is your boat for sale?

SPEAKER_01 24:33

I've got it sold already.

SPEAKER_03 24:34

Nice, yeah. Heck yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:37

Yeah, yeah. So that'd be really cool.

SPEAKER_03 24:39

What are you gonna do with your rap?

SPEAKER_01 24:42

Dude, I want to go back to that rap. That thing turned out so sick.

SPEAKER_03 24:47

That is seriously the sickest rap I think I've I've seen. For people who haven't seen, go look at Joe's if you've got it on your social media at all. Like that boat is so clean. Uh, it looks different every time you look at it, and it's still sneaky. Like, that's what I like about it. It's still like dark. You don't know who it is going across the lake. But then you get close to it and you're like, this is such a cool wrap.

SPEAKER_01 25:10

Yeah, it well, so the design behind it all was actually my dad. He's like, he's like, dude, the you know, the bass cat looks really cool with the way that it has like all the stripes on it, all that. So we did we decided that we were gonna wrap the stripes because if you look at the whole boat, the whole boat isn't wrapped. Okay, like this. Yeah, if you really walk up and look at it, like the top part isn't wrapped, just kind of this striping part. The bottom part is all wrapped, so it's kind of a it's a cool looking wrap. It turned out so sick.

SPEAKER_03 25:44

Yeah, do the same thing over. That thing was super cool.

SPEAKER_01 25:48

Yeah, actually, the guy that is buying it, he's like, I want to leave the wrap on it. Just take the logos off. I'm like, that's cool, that's fine. No problem.

SPEAKER_03 25:56

Run it, run it. Just take my name off of there. I don't want to that's sweet. What are you thinking about for your next boat? Dude, I'm all over the board. Um, it might be this year. I may be selling the Phoenix this year. I'm kind of like, it's just I I like I like how how well my boat is set up right now, and it scares me to like change stuff up. Um, you know, and I understand like you get the same electronics or however you want to set it up and it'd be similar. And and I will say, shops have gotten and like Jones Marine, those dudes are so dialed, but like they've gotten so much better at just like setting it up exactly perfect day one. Um it comes out and you're like, sweet, like maybe a slight adjustment here. But I feel like the technology's gotten so much better that like you put a forward-facing transducer in the water now and it's like pretty dialed, or at least you know what potentially could be wrong. Um so I feel like there's less risk there. But I'm all over the place, man. Like, I think that there's so many quality boat brands right now. I think that like most boats, once you hit a certain threshold in tier, are you know, it's kind of like driving a Ford or a Chevy. Like it kind of comes down to personal preference. Yep at some point. But the contingency stuff is interesting. Like you look at some of the guys this year in the BAM. I mean, Ron Mace, dude, like if he's on Skeeter contingency and Yamaha contingency, like he just made a ton at the Columbia River. You know, um, I know Rich Kraft on the um uh Brownley, like that was another like 10 grand or something in Camus or 12 grand or something. So, like all that stuff interests me. I mean, I gotta go win a tournament first, but even like finishing in the top in the top 10 if you're higher than another.

SPEAKER_01 27:49

Yeah, you hit top 10 every tournament, and you're over here like uh, I don't know what it is. Dude, come on now. Guys got three top tens in a row. Come on now, dude.

SPEAKER_03 28:01

I've had a lucky, lucky year, man. I don't know, and I'm not, I mean, I've the last two tournaments have been freaking numbers. Um, yeah, which which has been fun, but it's frustrating that final day because you kind of put yourself in a little bit of a hole on like finding finding quality fish. I don't know if you felt that way too.

SPEAKER_01 28:19

I I've felt the same way. I I do feel like though that tournament series, like the bam super 60 with the keepers, is like so much fun. Like you get a like you get a bite and you are like pumped. Like it is just as equivalent as catching a five-pounder like in any other tournament. You're so pumped.

SPEAKER_02 28:43

And like I'm literally reaching over the side of the boat for 14 inches because you need them so bad. It's so much fun, bro.

SPEAKER_03 28:53

It's so true. Like, like, literally, it's it's uh every every like the amount of upsetness I I had losing two absolute that were like squeakers, you know what I mean? Like you're like, he would have gone because you've looked at so many that day, and it was like a 14 and a quarter, and you lose him at the boat, and you're just like ready to throw your rod in the water because like it matters, like every single one of the things.

SPEAKER_01 29:20

It literally matters just as much as a five-pounder. I mean, like if you look at the Columbia River, I'm one 14 inch away from a check, four grand, you know. Like it's the same as catching a five-pounder, literally.

SPEAKER_03 29:34

So it makes it so much fun. I totally agree. It is it is such a blast. Um, it reminds me honestly, like, I took these it these kids out fishing the other day, and they were pumped, you know what I mean? Every single bite. It could be an eight-inch largemouth, but like they were just pumped to get that bite, and it's that it's that it's totally that way. Like you you get bit and you're like, oh but you need to get the boat, like loosening the drag, making sure that the fish dude.

SPEAKER_01 30:05

It doesn't even cross my mind in the tournaments if it's a big one or not. Like it's a fish is a fish, it's so much fun. It's so much fun.

SPEAKER_03 30:16

It's so good. I know. Like for anyone out there that's trying to make it to the super 60 from the pro amps, do it because it's fun, it's stressful. I will say, like, it it changes your your um mindset. Like I struggle a lot with a lot of the times, like the first day at the Columbia. My first bite was a like I started shallow, I was sort of top water, and my first bite was a like two and a quarter. Next bite was like a 375, next bite was like a three pounder, but it had taken me like an hour or 45 minutes to go down this stretch, and I had three bites, and I was like, dude, that's not enough. Like, I don't like I think if I'm gonna go numbers, like I made the decision. I was like, I either need to like go for weight now because of these couple bigger bites, or I need to send it and go for numbers. And I and I'm glad I ended up making that decision, but I weigh that decision all the time. Like my my first Don Pedro uh Super 60 last year, I feel like I I waffled making a top 10 because I was like between should I go for numbers or wait? So it's it adds another layer, it's like another layer, another rule in chess or something.

SPEAKER_01 31:28

Like it's yeah, in the whole, I mean you never know, like, because you know, days of fishing are tough. It's not what it could have been a month ago, it's not what it could have been a week ago. So, like, you might have 15 keepers and you're like, I'm doing terrible, but really you're doing really good. So you're like at a full-on mind battle the whole time. I feel the same way, dude.

SPEAKER_03 31:50

I'm still mad at you from Havasu for freaking running up the scoreboard. Like, I I was I I mean, we we all talked about it, but like the final day at Havasu, losing, you lost a couple of great big ones. I burned a couple of big ones the the day before because I got nervous on making it with numbers or weight, and I made it so far in with weight, but like I got nervous. I had gone like an hour and a half, I kind of went pre-fishing in the afternoon and was looking for more. And then I look at the scoreboard and freaking Joe just like skyrockets, and I'm like, dude, I'm gonna get kicked out on numbers. So I went back and caught like bed fish that were good ones, like three plus pounders that I needed the next day because I was worried about it.

SPEAKER_01 32:37

Yeah, it makes it dude, it makes it so much fun. Oh, and then and then the fact that like if you do make the top 10, the weights are on zero for every like you very few times in your life do you get a shot at winning 50 grand and being leading the tournament because you can consider yourself leading the tournament and when everyone's at zero, so like that makes it so cool, dude.

SPEAKER_03 33:05

That final day, like, is uh it's a really cool feeling going out there of like, dude, it's a one in ten chance right now. I think playing field, there's not like a winner.

SPEAKER_01 33:14

You can make a decision that you completely throw away what you did the first two days and like fully gamble and like really make something happen, which makes it like super fun, and you got nothing to lose, you know.

SPEAKER_03 33:27

Dude, that's what, yeah, like that's probably it's it's good to think about this because I feel like I've I've kind of bombed the final days on the on the top three top tens this year, like a seventh, a ninth, and a ninth. And I'm thinking through like why, like, obviously, it it's hard to go find big ones after you've been chasing numbers, but I think part of it is like not fully committing to the send on that. Like Havasu, I started in my area where I had been doing things, but I knew it wasn't going to be enough. And then I made the decision to like make a huge run, go to a whole new section of the lake, and I started finding them. And I'm like, man, what could have been if I did that at hour one versus hour four or whatever? And then same like on the on the Columbia, I kind of gave up on an area where I had just finally started seeing some big ones, and and it happened to be where Bo ended up taking second and almost won it. And it's like, dang, dude, like he stuck it out and figured them out, and I just left. Um so it's uh it's it's true. Like it's like you think about one-day derbies, like local derbies, and the wins that I've had locally, it's like you know, it's a one-day you maybe it's a smallmouth and a largemouth fishery, but I stuck to my guns and fished for largemouth all day and had five bites, and but they were freaking 24 pounds, you know.

SPEAKER_01 34:54

Yeah, because you knew what it took to win, like you were fine with getting last place, or you're gonna win, you're either gonna win your local tournament or you're gonna get last place, and you're not even worried about it. That's how you have to look at the final day of the super 60. Like, you have to be all in convinced on how you're gonna win, and you gotta stick to it.

SPEAKER_03 35:15

And then if you get 10th place or whatever it is, it is like your check, like the the check difference between, I mean, first, second, there's obviously like incremental stuff, but like right that between 10th and 5th, like it's not, you know, there's the same, like that's the same check versus going for 50 grand.

SPEAKER_01 35:33

100.

SPEAKER_03 35:34

Yeah, dude, that's cool. Well, man, uh, as we kind of wrap things up here, what else do you have planned fishing-wise this fall? Um, what are your plans for next year? And just sounded like you're running a new boat, so that's sick, but like what uh what does stuff look like for you?

SPEAKER_01 35:51

Um I can't I think not much is gonna change, really. I mean, closing out this year, I've got ABA team championship coming up on Clear Lake, um, which is really cool. You could win a bass cat doing that deal. Um, yeah, and then uh just the three Don Pedro programs for BAM, and then that's pretty much gonna close out the year for us. Uh and then uh going in an extra, I'm gonna fish super 60, fish the one basses that I can fish. Just the team tournaments to pop up, kind of just do the same exact deal. I don't plan on doing anything different.

SPEAKER_03 36:33

Dude, heck yeah. Heck yeah. Awesome, man. Well, dude, you've been it's been it's been awesome to watch you on the West Coast just crushing. Um, it's been cool to watch like the the build-up in your career, like just from afar and then being able to come and fish more west. Um, so it's it's been uh it's been a cool journey and cool to see kind of the balance um between like work and fishing that you kind of have. I uh I guess I I'm the same way.

SPEAKER_01 37:01

So yeah, you do the same exact thing.

SPEAKER_03 37:04

I appreciate that we have the opportunity, uh like with BAM and otherwise to be able to do that. Like that's my not to keep a soapbox on the on the Super 60, but I love the no practice, dude. I don't know about you, but I think it's yeah, dude.

SPEAKER_01 37:17

It's the it's the working man's professional team or like series. Like there's no question about it. Roll out Thursday, work all week, and then show up and fish against guys that haven't been on the water for 30 days. Like we're all on the same playing field when typically maybe me and you are behind because we haven't been able to fish.

SPEAKER_03 37:37

Dude, dude, the last, like I was just saying, like this is I have the fish the least this year than I have ever fished, and I don't know why that like is making me do okay, but like, dude, I had not touched my boat between Brownlee and the Columbia River. Dude, that's the best. Just hook it up and let it rim, dude. I tied some new leaders on some spinning rods. I literally picked up the same topwater as on Brownley, didn't even tie it differently, threw it right out there on the Columbia River. Nice. Nice. It's crazy, dude.

SPEAKER_02 38:12

It's the best way to go. 100%.

SPEAKER_03 38:16

Oh, good stuff. Well, Joe, dude, how can folks follow along with you, man? Um, and uh and keep track with everything you've got going on.

SPEAKER_01 38:25

Yeah, I mean, I really I kind of just keep it simple. I have an Instagram, Joe Mariony Fishing. If anyone wants, like I said, to check out a bass cat or wants to get to know more about a bass cat, there's Tanner at Boat Pros, or you can hit me up on my Instagram and I mean, come ride in the best boat you could ride in. I'll uh I'd be more than happy to give you a ride, or Tanner would as well.

SPEAKER_03 38:51

Awesome. Awesome, dude. Well, thanks for taking the time, man.

SPEAKER_01 38:55

Yeah, dude. It's fun talking.

SPEAKER_03 38:57

All right, guys, that wraps things up with the dude, Joe Mariani. And uh, man, he uh he's an entertaining guy. It's fun to hear him get excited about the Super 60 and and how stuff has been going for him. But heck of a fisherman, huge knowledge base, someone who always shoots it straight. That's what I've always really appreciated about Joe. So um go follow along with everything he has going on. We've got a lot in the hopper. Um, Bailey and I are on a good schedule to where we're around ripping a bunch of shows. So um excited to have that all go through. And we are uh right in the mix of things in the Super 60. Um sitting second in Angler of the Year right now. So excited about that. And um just gonna try and keep the uh the train rolling on the tracks. Don Pedro is the next Super 60 event and then our championship. So um looking forward to it all. Thanks for tuning in, following along with everything that we have going, and we will catch you on the next one.