The guy who got the least amount of fishing time on an already-shortened day 1 of the 2015 Bassmaster Classic returned to the launch with the heaviest bag.
Dean Rojas, the veteran from Arizona who's fished himself out of contention on opening day more than once in recent Classics, grabbed the early lead with a 21-02 stringer from South Carolina's Lake Hartwell on the coldest day in the event's history. He compiled that impressive bag despite having to remain at the dock for 28 minutes after the rest of the field had departed – a penalty for being 28 minutes late to check-in for Wednesday's final practice session.
"It's the best day I've ever had in the Classic, by far," he said. "It was absolutely a surprise – I didn't think I was on that kind of quality. I thought most of my fish were in the 3- to 3 1/2-pound range, not 4 to 5 pounds." Read more