By John Neporadny Jr. Before most of us woke up Monday morning to get ready for work, Dean Rojas was already on his job site.The Arizona pro got up at 4 a.m., downed a banana and put his boat in Kentucky Lake at about 5:15 a.m. to start a long day of practice for the Bassmaster Elite Series Tennessee Triumph.
When most of us were back home from work and sitting down for dinner, Rojas was working overtime, still trying to put together a game plan for the upcoming Elite Series event. "It wasn't an eight-hour shift," said Rojas of his day on the water that ran about 13 1/2 hours.
By Dean Rojas as told to Ed Harp No, I'm not talking about a gig and a frying pan. I'm talking about catching shallow summertime bass with one of my Spro Bronzeye Frogs. To do it right you'll need three of them and some basic tackle.
Spro Bronzeye65 in Midnight Walker
This is your general, go-to bait. It'll catch bass over weeds and thick vegetation, in lily pads and around laydowns under all conditions. Bass can't resist those piercing red eyes. As soon as you take it out of the package cut about an inch off both legs. That'll make it walk cleaner and with very little effort on your part.
Work it really slow right over the top of where you think the bass are hiding. Give them plenty of time to make up their minds.
Toledo wind at the Bassmaster Elite Series TroKar Battle on the Bayou
MANY, La. -- Dean Rojas walked off the weigh-in stage at the TroKar Battle on the Bayou and into a throng of reporters. But before any reporters could ask the tournament leader a question, Rojas turned the tables with a question of his own.
"Do you mind if we go over here where it's a little out of the wind?" Rojas said, pointing to a tournament equipment trailer that created a slight wind break.
2011 Battle: Straightening Out The Bend
MANY, La. -- As they met backstage, Dean Rojas and Gerald Swindle shook hands, then gave each other a man hug. Both smiled graciously, both teared up a little.
It was hard to tell who had just beat who, but it was Rojas who had bested Swindle by 1 ounce in the TroKar Battle on the Bayou. Rojas secured a wire-to-wire win, his second Bassmaster Elite Series victory. It was his fourth Bassmaster career win, one of which, like Sunday's win, was on Toledo Bend Reservoir.
