> Day 2: 5, 24-15 (10, 44-13)As many good days as Rojas has had at Toledo Bend, today was the best he's ever had and it's got him in position to contend for a third career victory there.
"I've caught a lot of 20-pound stringers here, but nothing like close to 25 that I caught today," he said. "The water level is different this year and it's fishing really big. I had no aspirations of catching that kind of weight at all. I was just fishing around and it happened."
What's more telling is he thinks he has a chance to match or come close to that result tomorrow.
"For me to catch that again is possible," he added. "I saw a lot more fish today than I did yesterday. It's getting warmer and that could be good for me."
His front deck is littered with about 10 rods as he's prepared for just about anything.
“I’m just fishing, doing what I know how to do best,” he said.
A 5-pounder late in the day, plus a 6-03, his kicker, anchored his bag. He said he spent some time trying to locate more spots that can possibly get him through the weekend.
“I’ve got a lot of experience on this lake, and I know I can’t win in one area,” he said. “I have to have multiple areas. I'm just fishing and there isn't a whole lot up there. It's going to get slimmer and slimmer. I just hope more move up there." Read more
Dean finishes 2nd On St. Johns
Finishing in 2nd place behind Lane was Dean Rojas with a total weight of 76-9. The Arizona pro took the slow and steady approach to the top of the leader board. Over the first three days of competition, Rojas never broke the 20-pound mark or finished the day above 9th place in the tournament standings.
That all changed for Rojas on Sunday, as he was the only angler in the Top 12 to break the 20-pound mark on the final day, rolling up the scales with a limit of largemouth weighing 21-10. While many of the top finishers battled it out in the crowded eelgrass beds on Lake George, Rojas opted to key on less pressured water, mining several grass patches that were off the beaten path. Complete Story
2nd: Rojas Revved Up
> Day 4: 5, 21-10 (20, 76-09) Photo: B.A.S.S./Seigo Saito For 3 days, Rojas watched just about everybody else in the Top 12 tote 20-plus pound stringers to the stage while he hung around with 17- to 19-pound bags.
Today was his turn in the big-bag bonanza and it allowed him to climb seven spots and notch his third runner-up finish in the Elite Series.
"Aside from a 2nd place I had at Rayburn (2006) fishing with my frog, this was the funnest 2nd-place finish ever," he said. "Coming up from 9th like I did and catching a bag like I did today was a lot of fun. I felt like a lot of guys ahead of me were going to catch them like I did, but that didn't happen. Chris had such a big lead. I knew it would be difficult to catch him, so I'll take it."
He didn't make any major adjustments today. He just stayed with his game plan and it finally paid off.
"I did the same thing in the same area. Today, I just got three big bites," he added.
Arguably the industry’s No. 1 “frog fisherman,” has joined Duckett Fishing’s professional staff. Duckett Fishing president and CEO Boyd Duckett announced today that Rojas will work on the design of at least three signature rods: heavy-action and standard-action frog rods, as well as a cranking rod. Rojas will also serve as a consultant on the development of Duckett Fishing reels, which could be introduced as early as this spring.
“We are tremendously happy to bring Dean Rojas on board at Duckett Fishing. As a competitive angler, his amazing records speaks for itself. But even more important to us, Dean embodies the highest level of integrity,” said Duckett. Read Full Release
