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780x600 ej5c4778 bass-seigo saito> Day 1: 5, 13-00 Dean Rojas fished areas on Friday that he thought would harbor above-average fish. While they still might, he didn’t encounter any on day 1.

“You always try to improve on what you did in previous years,” he said. “I just never had a big bite today. If I would’ve had a 5-pounder, I’d be right up there. It just didn’t happen.”

He caught eight keepers and planned to start day 2 where he finished day 1 – the back of a pocket where the water temperature had climbed to 46 degrees and produced two 3-pounders.

“It’s not like it’s the glory out there,” he added. “It’s hard.”

Rojas roughs out lead

Photo B.A.S.S. / Seigo Saito ORANGE, Texas — Must be something in the water.

Dean Rojas of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., with a history of wins on Toledo Bend Reservoir, shone equally bright Thursday on the Sabine, the big lake straddling the river to the north.

He took the first-day lead in the March 14-17 Sabine River Challenge presented by STARK Cultural Venues, the season opener of the Bassmaster Elite Series. Read Story

Rojas Sacks 15-10, Davis 2 Back At Stingy Sabine

Photo: James Overstreet Alton Jones called them “weekers,” a reference to the bounty of Sabine River bass that’s been caught the past few days only to fall just shy of meeting the 14-inch length requirement.

“That means in about a week, they’ll be keepers,” Jones quipped on stage after he was one of just 17 anglers to bring a limit of bass to the scale. That’s right – out of 100 competitors on day 1 of the season-opening Elite Series event in Orange, Texas, only 17 brought five back to shore. 

It’s only been one day, but the Sabine may turn out to be the toughest venue to catch a limit out of in Elite Series history (2006 to present). For many, though, simply attracting a keeper bite was a chore as 40 anglers caught either one or zero bass on opening day.

Dean Rojas, owner of an Elite Series trophy from his 2011 triumph upstream on the Sabine at Toledo Bend Reservoir, was able to avoid such misfortune and captured the day-1 lead with a 15-10 bag. It was anchored by a 5-15 brute that took big-bass honors for the day. The Arizona pro is nearly 2 pounds clear of Mark Davis, who caught 13-13. Read Story

 

Dean Rojas Leads Day 1 At The Sabine

Photo B.A.S.S. / Seigo Saito Orange, TX On Thursday, only 17 of the 100 Elite Series pros brought a five bass limit to the scales at the 2013 season opener on Texas’ Sabine River.  Even more surprising is the fact that 13 Elite Series pros failed to cross the stage with a single keeper, and 27 anglers managed just a single keeper bite over the course of the day.  

Arizona’s Dean Rojas took top honors on Thursday with a limit of largemouth weighing an impressive 15-10 that was anchored by a 5-15 brute.  Rojas will enter cut day with a lead of just under 3-pounds over 2nd place finisher Mark Davis, who weighed-in a limit to the tune of 13-13.   Louisiana’s Cliff Crochet rounded out the top three with 13-0 on the day.  Read Story

 

2nd: Rojas Settling In Day 2

Photo B.A.S.S. / Seigo Saito > Day 2: 5, 10-14 (10, 26-08) It wasn’t hard to figure out the reason why Rojas’ weight fell off 5 pounds from day 1. He caught all 2-pounders and didn’t get a chance at another 6-pounder like he had on Thursday.

“Basically, all I needed (today) was the big fish,” he said. “The fish I’m catching are about the size I thought I could catch in there. Everything was pretty much the same. The only difference was not having a big bite today.”

He caught seven keepers today and plans on remaining in the same area tomorrow.

“It was just a grind all day long. It’s just a matter of going out and staying focused,” he said. “It’s not easy to get them so I’m happy to get every one. I don’t have anywhere else to go so I’m going to take my shot where I’m at and ride it however long it takes me.”  Read Story