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
Rojas will be fishing trial-and-error
Dean Rojas has been spending time breaking in his new boat and motor and getting his boat wrapped. Plus, he's getting all his tackle situated because when he leaves his home in Arizona for the Bassmaster Classic next week, his truck won't make it back home until the end of the season.
In this blog post, he told fans that he'll spend his practice perioddriving around Grand Lake O' the Cherokees, looking for fish. "If I see some, I'll stop and try a couple of things," wrote Rojas. "I fish completely on trial-and-error, from my bait selection to the types of structure I’ll key on. I’m just trying to eliminate water and find new water, hoping to come across the stuff that will let me do well in the tournament.
"I feel like I have a pretty good handle on Grand Lake and how it’s all laid out. I’m excited to get there and am really looking forward to it."
What is it?
A new color palette for Spro’s iconic bait, the Bronzeye Frog, made famous by topwater guru Dean Rojas.
What does it do?
Gives your topwater offerings a natural-looking flavor. With the addition of these four new tones, there are now 30 color options.
To give the fish something different to look at!
