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By Mark Hicks Texas immigrant Dean Rojas wields heavy tackle whenever bedding bass will tolerate it, as they did when he caught a Bassmaster record of 108 pounds, 12 ounces in 2001 at Florida's Lake Toho. His primary outfit there was a flippin' rod and 25-pound Izorline.A stout rod and strong line will let you put the wood to a heavy bass and horse it into open water before it can burrow into cover. Rojas typically matches his flippin' rod with a 1/4- to 1/2-ounce sinker and something on the order of a 6-inch lizard with a 5/0 hook. He can easily pitch this size bait for distance and accuracy. It's the best of all worlds. Until, that is, the bass grow fickle.
Rojas doesn't like to talk about it, but he fishes finesse plastics for bedding bass about 70 percent of the time. This shouldn't surprise anyone, considering that Rojas learned how to bed-fish on small, San Diego lakes. Bedding bass in these waters quickly grow timid, due to heavy fishing pressure.

Bitty baits

If you sneak a peek into Rojas' bed-fishing tacklebox when his back is turned, you'll see a variety of little lizards, craws, worms, tubes, and other baits he refuses to discuss. Given the fact that Wave Worms is one of his sponsors, he does admit that the 3 1/2-inch Tiki-Drop (a reaper-type bait), the 3-inch Tiki Grass Craw, and the 4-inch Tiki-Stick regularly produce bedding bass for him.You'll also notice that all of these bitty baits are white, chartreuse and other obvious colors that help Rojas see them beneath the surface. He wants to know exactly where his bait is on a bed and in relation to the bass. When a bass picks up the bright bait by the tail, Rojas can see it.Sometimes a bass has to take a couple of slurps to get the whole bait in its mouth," Rojas says. "If I can see my bait, I won't set the hook too soon."

Rojas fishes his finesse baits with relatively heavy tackle, including a 7-foot medium-heavy Quantum PT baitcasting rod, 12-pound Izorline, and a 2/0 to 3/0 offset wide gap hook. If the bass are bedding in water no deeper than 3 feet, he opts for a 1/8-ounce bullet sinker. In deeper water, he may go as heavy as 1/4 ounce.

"I use the heaviest tackle that lets me fish those little baits efficiently," Rojas says. "I don't feel confident casting to bedding fish with light line and a wimpy rod."Finesse baits have duped bass for Rojas just about everywhere he has fished for them, from California to Florida. He used a "smorgasbord" of small baits when he competed in a Bassmaster MegaBucks event at Lake Murray. A major tournament on Murray the week before had hammered the bass on the beds. The remaining spawners had been hassled to the point that they were lure shy. During the first two days of competition, Rojas caught two limits of bass that weighed just under 28 pounds, and missed the cut by mere ounces.

Those bass were intimidated by regular-size baits," Rojas says. "But when I put something small in their beds, a lot of them would get the attitude that they could take that little runt. Bait and switc In most bed-fishing situations, Rojas employs finesse baits as well as larger baits with heavier tackle. He keeps several rods rigged with different baits in several colors so he can quickly show a bass the various offerings."I usually start out with a flippin' rod and heavy line," Rojas says. "I'd much rather hook the bass on that outfit. If the bass don't bite after five or six casts, I'll switch to a small bait. Sometimes I have to switch back and forth between large and small baits several times to get a bass fired up."

In many instances, it is the larger lure that works the bass into a frenzy and the smaller bait that actually induces the strike. This bait-and-switch approach came through for Rojas when he fished a major tournament on Lake Okeechobee in January 2004. Several other boats were fishing the same spawning flat Rojas was working, which made the bass less inclined to inhale big baits.

Rojas would first tempt these bass with a 6-inch lizard or a 5-inch tube. When they refused, he served up a diminutive offering. A 3-inch craw worm proved especially effective. Enough so, in fact, that it carried Rojas to a seventh place finish that included a 10-pound bass."One advantage with a small bait is that it stays in the bed longer when I'm shaking it," Rojas says. "I could add a heavier weight to a bigger bait to make it stay put, but then, it stirs up a mess down there and might spook the fish."Whatever size bait Rojas works in a bed, he never pegs the sinker. He claims to get more secure hookups when the bass sucks in only the bait. The sinker, he believes, forces the bass' mouth open when the hook is set and interferes with the hook's penetration.

Rojas imparts the same actions to large and small baits when he fishes for bedding bass. He tries shaking the bait in the bed, hopping it, darting it ahead in quick spurts, and other "secret" tricks."Getting a bedding bass to bite is a real cat-and-mouse game," Rojas says. "Every bass is different. I just go through a series of things to try and make the fish react. If I can figure out what trips her trigger, I can get her to bite."More often than not, it's a small bait that does the trick.Size mattersWhen Rojas fishes a lake where the bass average less than 2 pounds, few of the bedding bass he locates weigh more than 3 pounds. In this situation, he knows limits of bass that weigh 2 to 3 pounds each can place him high in the standings."As a general rule, small bass on the beds are more inclined to hit small baits," Rojas says. "However, many of the big bass I've caught wouldn't even look at a little bait. I had to show them something substantial to get their attention."

Dean Rojas' victory at last week's Toledo Bend Bassmaster Elite Series was a testament to the concept of having a plan and sticking to it.

He went to the giant impoundment on the Texas/Louisiana border with a determination to sight-fish throughout the event. The result was a wire-to-wire victory – his second at that venue (he won a Top 150 there in 2001).

He bags decreased in size each day, but when the final fish had been weighed, he'd caught just enough to hold off a valiant rally by Gerald Swindle. His margin of victory was a single ounce.

The win was his fourth at the tour level and second since the inception of the Elite Series in 2006. It garnered him $100,000, an automatic slot in the 2012 Bassmaster Classic and 320 Toyota Tundra Angler-of-the-Year (AOY) points that improved his standing in that race from 31st to 8th.

Here's how he did it.

Practice

Even though the bass reproductive period was nearly complete by the time practice started and the lake was getting slammed by powerful winds, Rojas spent his entire 3-day practice period searching for bedding fish.

"That's what I designed everything around because I thought there would be enough of them up to see me through all 4 days," he said.

He threw a Spro Hydro-Pop ahead of the boat as he searched and found that tactic to be quite productive. It would play a key role in the tournament.

He covered a tremendous amount of water over the 3 days and discovered that just about all of the quality fish that were still on beds were in grassy locales on primary or secondary points just off the main lake.

"There was no reason to go too far back into the creeks – there was nothing there."

Competition

> Day 1: 5, 23-01
> Day 2: 5, 19-13
> Day 3: 5, 14-09
> Day 4: 5, 13-08
> Total = 20, 70-15

Rojas opened the tournament by catching a quick 16-pound limit of sight-fish. He spent little time his best area – where he'd staked out five females of at least 5 pounds each – because it was getting pounded by a strong westerly wind. He managed one 4-pound male there, but figured the females might have departed.

He culled up three times with the Hydro-Pop, and one of those fish was a 7-pounder. At the end of the day, his sack was nearly 2 pounds heavier than that of 2nd-place Fred Roumbanis.

The wind blew hard again on day 2, but it changed directions. That brought his primary area back into play, and he pulled an 8-pounder from it to go with four solid keepers to extend his lead to a little over 2 1/2 pounds.

His weight fell off by more than 4 pounds on day 3, but some of his closest pursuers suffered much worse fates and his advantage grew to 4 pounds. His stringer was topped by a 6-pounder that came from a bed less than 50 feet from where he'd roped the 8 the previous day.

He caught a 5 1/2-pounder on the Hydro-Pop early on the final day, but could do no better than a 2-pound average for the other four slots in his bag the rest of the way, and he needed a key cull in the afternoon just to achieve that.

He thought he'd been beaten when he found out how strongly Swindle had finished, but was able to celebrate when his sack landed on precisely the number he needed.

Winning Gear Notes

  • Sight-fishing gear: 7' medium-heavy Quantum PT Smoke rod, Quantum Smoke casting reel (6.6:1 ratio), 22-pound Sunline Shooter fluorocarbon line, 3/16-ounce Eco Pro Tungsten weight, 4/0 Gamakatsu SuperLine offset extra-wide gap hook, Big Bite Baits WarMouth (green sunfish, shell cracker, threadfin shad or bluegill).
  • Popper gear: Same rod and reel, Sunline Super Natural monofilament line, Spro Hydro-Pop (easy money).
  • > Both baits are his own design.

     

    The Bottom Line

    > Main factor in his success – "Just fishing my strengths and targeting bedding fish."

    > Performance edge – "My Skeeter/Yamaha performed flawlessly all week, but I couldn't have seen those fish without a great pair of Oakley sunglasses. They were pivotal with the wind and the waves and all that stuff."

     

  • Drop-shotting has received a lot of attention this year, as yet another West Coast technique that seems to produce bass when nothing else will. And just like any finesse technique, it does, but it's not something most pros pull out every day.

    Arizona's Dean Rojas prefers to flip and fish spinnerbaits, but he will use a drop shot rig under the right circumstances.

    "I do it mostly where there's spotted bass or deep, clear water," he says. "It's a hard technique because it's not a fish-locater, is a fish-catcher once you have them located."

    For that reason, Rojas doesn't have a drop-shot rig tied on when he practices for tournaments, though he notes that some pros do. But when he's fishing a tournament, he will have a drop shot rig ready.

    The Rig

    For drop-shotting, Rojas likes a 6 1/2- to 7-foot Quantum Tour Edition spinning rod and Quantum Energy spinning reel. He spools up with 6- to 12-pound Izorline, with line size being determined by how deep he's fishing.

    "Weight size also depends on how deep you're fishing," Rojas says. "Out West, when you're fishing for spotted bass in 40-60 feet of water, 1/4- or 5/8-ounce is good. And obviously, the shallower you fish the rig, the lighter weight you'll use. Use whatever weight you feel comfortable with," he adds.

    Rojas likes a regular worm hook in 1/0, 2/0 or 1, though he notes that some anglers favor a Kahle-style hook. With these hooks an angler doesn't have to set the hook; he just reels.

    For baits, he likes the standard hand-poured worm or reaper (leech) in natural colors, though a variety of drop-shot-specific baits are now on the market (e.g., the 3 3/4-inch Zipper Dropshot Shaker). Nose-hook the bait.

    The Presentation

    The drop-shot rig requires a vertical presentation. As Rojas notes, "It works well when you cast it, but it works better when it's right below you."

    When the rig hits the bottom, "all you're doing is shaking the slack in the line," he says. Whereas a Carolina rig's egg sinker would absorb that action, the drop-shot rig will transfer it to the bait.

    Leader length and height off the bottom should coincide with where your electronics show the bass are, he notes. "If the fish are suspended off the bottom, as opposed to lying on the bottom, put 2, 3 or 4 feet of leader on."

    Bottom Line

    "The bottom line is that it's a numbers technique," Rojas says of drop- shotting. "You're going to get a lot of bites on it, though generally the fish are going to be smaller because it's a small-fish presentation, with the small baits and light line.

    "It's a technique that has its place, and when it's called for it's probably the best thing to use at that time," he says. "It's in my arsenal and I use it when I need to, but only as a last resort."

    Tournament Story

    Bear in mind that even though drop-shotting is a finesse technique, it isn't just for deep spotted bass -- even for Rojas.

    At the 2001 BASSMASTER MegaBucks tournament he used a drop-shot rig on days 2 and 3 to catch largemouths in 5-8 feet of water. He lost that tournament to Rick Clunn by a mere 7 ounces.

    Several of the more memorable moments in recent televised bass-tournament coverage are action shots of wild strikes on Dean Rojas' frog baits. Explosive hits and Rojas' front-deck victory dances make for great TV. And any BassFan's blood pressure soars at the thought of a good bass smacking a frog.

    Rojas has elevated frog fishing from a specialized tactic for certain situations to a primary gameplan with enough oomph to propel him high up the leaderboards. His success with soft-plastic amphibians has earned him a solid reputation as a master frogger worthy of an exclusive bait with his name on it.

    While developing his frog prowess, he's learned how to overcome two of the major drawbacks commonly associated with the lures – a miserly strike-to-boat ratio and a relatively limited application.

    Not Just for Weeds Anymore

    "Probably the number-one misconception about the frog is that it only works over matted vegetation," Rojas said. "That simply isn't true. I've taken lots of bass – good ones – in open water. I've caught big spotted bass on the frog in 25 feet of water at Smith Lake in Alabama."

    He counsels anglers to try frogs in more places than they would typically expect. Any place a topwater lure might work is potential frog water.

    "Don't overlook open water. That's the beauty of the frog – particularly the new one I designed after last year's Bassmaster Classic for Spro/Gamakatsu (more on the Dean Rojas Classic Frog below). It can be fished in so many different ways," he said.

    "The whole key is presentation. It can be skipped under docks and overhanging brush and across matted vegetation. If you fish the frog in places average anglers avoid, it really pays off."

    Get More Hookups

    Rojas said the missed strikes – so common in frog fishing – can be overcome.

    "It's tough, when you see that explosion, to avoid jerking too early," he said. "But I find that when a bass goes to eat a frog, it really wants to kill it. They don't just want to bounce it around."

    As with any topwater strike, he said an angler needs to wait to be sure the fish has the bait securely in its mouth. That means waiting to feel the weight of the fish, or watching the line zip from the scene of the blowup.

    He said a key to solid hookups is in the design of the frog. "I wanted a frog that's user friendly for everybody – including those who are just learning how to fish that way."

    He's a stout advocate of braided line to increase hook penetration and to wrestle fish from snags.

    "You can use 20-pound mono, but I highly recommend you throw the frog on braid. I use 65-pound-test Izorline. It lays nice and limp and it's soft, so it casts really well."

    The Dean Rojas Classic Frog is designed around the 4/0 Gamakatsu Double EWG hook. "The body collapses easily and fits perfectly inside the hooks, making it weedless and increasing the hookups," he said. "The bait was designed for a high hookup ratio. I'm landing 85 percent of the bass that take the bait and most of them are caught back in the roof of their mouths. I wanted a bait that weekend anglers could land fish on and get the same enjoyment that I get."

    When and Where

    Rojas breaks out his frog as soon as topwater conditions arrive. "Around 63 or 64 degrees (water temperature) is the start," he said. "They really get on it when the water hits 67, 68, 69 degrees and then all throughout the summer."

    Frogging gained a loyal following in the West among a corps of anglers who dedicated much of their fishing time to perfecting their skills with the bait. But he said recent tournaments in other parts of the U.S. have helped spread the word about the bait's potential.

    "It catches them all over – Lake Havasu, Toho, Champlain, the Potomac River, everywhere. Bass eat frogs all over the country. In fact, I never knew how many enemies frogs had until I started fishing it. Turtles, snakes, grinnel, gators – they all love frogs."

    He also noted a good frog bait can be made better as an angler experiments with modifications. Weights and rattles can be added to the lure's hollow body to change the way it performs and sounds. He said the new Spro/Gamakatsu frog has legs that are 3 1/2 to 4 inches long and can be trimmed if desired.

    Walk, Pop, Skip

    Rojas said his frog retrieve changes on any given day, depending on the mood of the fish.

    "The best way usually is a walk-the-dog cadence," he said. "The longer you walk the bait in place, the better. When you make that perfect cast, you want it to sashay in the strike zone as long as possible.

    "But sometimes the fish want it fast, so you chug it across the water, and other times they want it slow, so you throw it out and just pop it a little."

    He acknowledged that frog fishing can be hit or miss, especially for neophytes.

    "But when they're on it, they're on it. You can get big bites that will catapult you to the top of the standings."

    Notable

    > Rojas' frog rod is a medium-heavy Quantum. "It's the Dean Rojas Frog Rod and has a fast tip and a lot of backbone. The tip helps a lot in avoiding backlashes when you're skipping the bait back into cover."

    > The Dean Rojas Classic Frog features a body that's narrower than many other baits in that genre. "It goes through the cove really well," he said. "After the Classic last summer, I got hundreds of emails asking about frog fishing and what's the perfect frog. Now I've designed it."

    > The new bait will be available exclusively through Bass Pro Shops around the first week of July, he said. Seven colors will be available, including black with red eyes. "It's the most intimidating frog you'll ever see. It looks a lot like Darth Vader."

    > He noted the frog is designed to land belly-down. "It's weighted that way – in the design of the belly and the hook. We've also beefed up the barbs on the hook so it has better holding power."

    Depending on your location in the country, Rojas believes frogging can be done almost year-round. In the South, Rojas believes that you can throw a frog 12 months out of the year, whereas it works best in Northern lakes when the water temperature is at or above 65 degrees.