BASS-KICKIN' GRANDMA MARTENS RAISED ONE PRO ANGLER; HER GRANDSON COULD BE NEXT.Byline: Bill Becher Special to the Daily News What's better than a grandmother who bakes you cookies? A grandma who can back a boat down a launch ramp and take you bass fishing, said 16-year-old Justin Martens of Lancaster. He was talking about Carol Martens of West Hills, his grandmother who's a pro bass angler. Bad news for those on the bass tournament circuit: Justin plans on joining his uncle Aaron Martens, Carol's son, as a pro. Aaron Martens, who has a home in Castaic, has been cleaning up on the BASS pro circuit for the past few years, finishing first at the Bassmaster Western Open at Clearlake last year and winning $55,000 for finishing second at the Bassmaster Classic, the Super Bowl of bass fishing. Mother and son Aaron fished at the Santa Monica pier The Santa Monica Pier is located at the foot of Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica, California and is a prominent landmark. Attractions The pier contains Pacific Park, a family amusement park with a large ferris wheel. and for trout on annual trips to the Sierra. But it was Aaron who always was focused on fishing, Carol Martens said. In 1988, the family bought a bass boat and started fishing local lakes in earnest. ``Aaron got the passion to fish all the time,'' Martens said. ``He showed me how much fun it was.'' The two soon were tearing up local bass tournaments. ``We made a good team because I had a good sense about where the fish would be,'' Martens said. ``Aaron has a natural instinct for fishing and likes to come up with his own ideas on how to catch them.'' At first Mom drove the bass boat because Aaron, now 31, was too young to drive. They won their first check in a tournament at Lake Casitas Lake Casitas is a lake in Ventura County, California. It was formed by Casitas Dam on Coyote Creek, two miles (3 km) before it joins the Ventura River. Santa Ana Creek and North Fork Coyote Creek also flow into the lake. , then started winning on a regular basis. ``We were the dreaded team `That woman and her kid,' '' Carol said. Sight fishing was the secret of their success in the early days, she said. ``Now everyone is doing it.'' Sight fishing means spotting fish, especially on beds during the spawn, and fishing to a targeted fish. Glamorous Carol Martens was going to be a model, but when she was told to lose 10 more pounds from her already-skinny frame and have her back teeth pulled, she decided against the fashion world. Now she models Team Crown Royal bass tournament uniforms. Both she and Aaron are sponsored by the Canadian whiskey whiskey [from the Gaelic for "water of life"], spirituous liquor distilled from a fermented mash of grains, usually rye, barley, oats, wheat, or corn. Inferior whiskeys are made from potatoes, beets, and other roots. maker, driving purple Ford Excursions pulling matching Ranger bass boats powered by 225-horsepower Mercury Optimax motors. Asked whether purple is her favorite color, Martens said: ``It is now.'' She even likes to fish purple bait, drop shotting a Zipper zipper Device for binding the edges of an opening, as on a garment or a bag. A zipper consists of two strips of material with metal or plastic teeth along the edges, and a sliding piece that interlocks the teeth when moved in one direction and separates them again when moved Sharker Margarita Margarita (märgärē`tä), island, 444 sq mi (1,150 sq km), in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Venezuela. With many smaller islands it constitutes the Venezuelan state of Nueva Esparta (1990 pop. 263,748). Mutilator mu·ti·late tr.v. mu·ti·lat·ed, mu·ti·lat·ing, mu·ti·lates 1. To deprive of a limb or an essential part; cripple. 2. To disfigure by damaging irreparably: mutilate a statue. Roboworm. Martens earned her fancy rig by years of driving beater beat·er n. 1. One that beats, especially a device for beating: a carpet beater. 2. A person who drives wild game from under cover for a hunter. cars pulling old boats. She'd find herself stranded in the middle of the desert with a breakdown, flat tire or burned-out trailer-wheel bearings. ``I know a lot about the trouble you can have fishing,'' she said. She has condensed con·dense v. con·densed, con·dens·ing, con·dens·es v.tr. 1. To reduce the volume or compass of. 2. To make more concise; abridge or shorten. 3. Physics a. her knowledge of how to fish for bass in a videotape, ``Bass 101: The Basics,'' which can help beginners avoid a painful learning curve and improve experienced anglers' success rates. Martens said women are good anglers because they use finesse. ``You don't have to be a lip-ripper like Bill Dance,'' Martens said. ``I'm sure when he sets the hook, the fish's eyes cross. That's not necessary.'' Martens said firm wrist action is enough to set the hook on Verb 1. hook on - adopt; "take up new ideas" fasten on, seize on, take up, latch on sweep up, embrace, espouse, adopt - take up the cause, ideology, practice, method, of someone and use it as one's own; "She embraced Catholicism"; "They adopted the Jewish a bass without breaking it off. Grandson Justin and Martens are now teaming up at local tournaments. Justin has been fishing since age 2, when his father hooked a trout at Rock Creek Rock Creek may refer to:
``I like fishing with Justin because he uses his head,'' Martens said. ``He makes very good decisions. This is just the beginning. We're going to be famous.'' Justin was shaking when he landed a 6-pound bass at their first tournament together, his grandmother said. Justin also likes to hunt for quail quail, common name for a variety of small game birds related to the partridge, pheasant, and more distantly to the grouse. There are three subfamilies in the quail family: the New World quails; the Old World quails and partridges; and the true pheasants and seafowls. and doves. But bass fishing is where the money is, if you have the talent, dedication and maybe the genes. ``Bass fishing is like a box of chocolates,'' Martens said. ``You never know if you're going to get a 10-pound fish, a crappie crappie: see sunfish. crappie Either of two deep-bodied freshwater North American fish species (family Centrarchidae) that are popular as food and prized by sport fishermen. Native to the eastern U.S. or a bunch of weeds.'' CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1) Carol Martens of West Hills, pictured, and her son Aaron started winning local bass tournaments when Aaron was a teenager. (2) Sixteen-year-old Justin Martens of Lancaster, left, plans to be a professional bass angler like his grandmother Carol Martens, right, and his uncle Aaron Martens. Aaron won the Bassmaster Western Open at Clearlake last year. (3) Carol Martens shares her knowledge of how to fish for bass in a videotape that can help beginners and experienced anglers. Bill Becher/Special to the Daily News |
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