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
Saturday Updates 2014 Bassmaster Classic
12:00 Kermit is in the house. Dean Rojas just set down his flippin' stick and reached into the rod locker for another stick. As he unwrapped the line and made his first cast with it, the assembled spectators let out a collective, "oooooooooooh," as they realized Rojas had broken out the frog.
11:55 We're back on Dean Rojas, and he tells me he hasn't upgraded in a while. He's working closer to the rip rap bank, much to the delight of the land-based spectators.
We're about to leave Rojas so Jerry Cunnungham can get more photos of other anglers. Rojas just said he's "married to this area." He's not leaving it today. There's a lot less wind today and the sun is bright and climbing higher, two factors that Rojas says will make his spot turn on in a big way. We'll probably be back with him a little later today, but for now we're on the move again.
Dean Rojas has a limit in the boat. It's not the kind of limit he needs to stay in contention or win this thing, but it's a good start. We watched Rojas fish this area yesterday, and he mostly stayed close to the rip rap bank that separates this pocket from the rest of the lake. But today he's expanding into other parts of this roughly 6 or 7 acre area.
Dean Rojas has a limit in the boat. It's not the kind of limit he needs to stay in contention or win this thing, but it's a good start. We watched Rojas fish this area yesterday, and he mostly stayed close to the rip rap bank that separates this pocket from the rest of the lake. But today he's expanding into other parts of this roughly 6 or 7 acre area.
