sponsored by
Zeiner's Angler Supply
The Kansas Angler Online
and Swim Tail Lures |
Arizona's Dean Rojas Leads Bassmaster
Legends by Ounces Heading into Final Day
August 25, 2007 - RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. Seeking
his third BASS victory and first in more than six years, Dean
Rojas of Lake Havasu, Ariz., totaled 16 pounds, 14 ounces, Saturday
and took a 6-ounce lead over defending Bassmaster Classic champion
Boyd Duckett of Demopolis, Ala., into Sunday's final round of
the Bassmaster Legends presented by Ramada Worldwide at Lake
Dardanelle.
Fishing his proprietary Spro Frog to perfection,
Rojas keyed on shallow grass beds during Saturday's semifinal
round. A victory at the Legends and the $250,000 top prize would
push Rojas, BASS career earnings to more than $1 million, a feat
he is excited to accomplish.
Fishing fans can catch tournament coverage of the
Bassmaster Legends at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 1, on the Bassmasters
on ESPN2.
Also making the cut for the final round were Jason
Quinn of Lake Wylie, S.C., (14-14) in third, Kevin VanDam of
Kalamazoo, Mich., (12-8) in fourth, Tim Horton of Muscle Shoals,
Ala., (11-14) in fifth and Ish Monroe of Hughson, Calif., (11-11)
in sixth.
Takeoff for Sunday's final round will be at 9 a.m.
CT, and the weigh-in will begin at 6 p.m. at Lake Dardanelle
State Park.
Due to heavy cloud cover and a morning thunderstorm,
Rojas was able to find an abundance of big bass in shallow grass
beds throughout the six-hole course. Sunday's forecast calls
for clear skies and temperatures in the high 90s, but Rojas said
it shouldn't affect his pattern.
"The frog and I have a love-hate relationship,
Rojas said of his confidence bait. "Today, I loved it. It
was one of those days where it went really well. The places I
caught fish will replenish. There's plenty of deep water around
that grass, and fish move in and out of there all day.
By virtue of his 41st position in the Toyota Tundra
Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings, Rojas has last pick
of which hole to start in Sunday. The 36-year-old Rojas
said hole selection and fishing behind the other pros in the
preferred holes isn't a problem for him.
"Guys flip jigs and stuff through there and
don't get a bite, and then I go in behind them and catch them.
The fish know what that frog is. It looks natural to them, and
they react violently to it.
Because he is so specialized with the frog, Rojas,
who holds the BASS record for heaviest one-day catch with 45
pounds, 2 ounces, said he would like to win the Legends to validate
his faith in it.
"I want it so bad, Rojas said. "It's
one of those deals that if it takes you there, what are you going
to do, lay it down and go to something else?
In contrast to Rojas, Duckett, who weighed 16 pounds,
8 ounces, fished deep structure exclusively. This is the first
time he's ever fished the Dardanelle "course, but Rojas
has fished it twice, at the 2004 and 2005 Bassmaster Elite 50
tournaments.
"Half of my day today was spent eliminating
dead water, Duckett said. "I found two or three key areas,
but three holes are still pretty dead. It makes a difference.
Like Rojas, Duckett said a weather change won't
hurt him because the fish relate so strongly to specific features.
"This is similar to the Coosa River (in Alabama)
stuff that I fish all the time, said Duckett, who won the Bassmaster
Classic on Alabama's Lay Lake. "It's a river-run impoundment.
It's got a lot of water willow and a lot of structure. I,ve never
been here, but it's not terribly unsimilar to where I,ve been
in the past. I'm catching most of my fish offshore, so I have
to think clear weather will help tomorrow. I'm not afraid of
the sun.
After winning the Classic, Duckett suffered poor
outings in the first two Bassmaster Elite Series tournaments
of the year. He was 98th in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler
of the Year standings heading into the season's third event,
but since then he has made a tremendous comeback logging four
top-10 finishes and is now 10th in the AOY standings. He said
winning the Legends would help him earn some respect.
"After the Classic, I had two bad events,
Duckett said. "It's good to get back into the top 10, and
I feel like those top finishes legitimized my Classic win. I,d
love to win the Legends. It's a great tournament. It would be
a great complement to my Classic win.
Local Sponsors: Local sponsors of the Bassmaster
Legends presented by Ramada Worldwide include Russellville Advertising
and Promotion.
Bassmaster Majors Sponsors: Sponsors of
the Bassmaster Majors include Toyota Tundra, Purolator, Triton
Boats, Mercury Marine, Berkley, Advance Auto Parts, Lowrance
Electronics, MotorGuide, Costa Del Mar, Ramada Worldwide and
Evan Williams Bourbon.
2007 Bassmaster Legends 8/23-8/26
Lake Dardanelle, Russellville AR.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3
Angler
Hometown
No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Dean Rojas
Grand Saline, TX
5 16-14 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-08
Day 2: 5 16-08 Day 3: 5
16-14
2. Boyd Duckett
Demopolis, AL
5 16-08 0
Day 1: 5 13-08
Day 2: 5 12-00 Day 3: 5
16-08
3. Jason Quinn
Lake Wylie, SC
5 14-14 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-06 Day
2: 5 11-06 Day 3: 5
14-14
4. Kevin VanDam
Kalamazoo, MI
5 12-08 0
Day 1: 5 15-15
Day 2: 5 16-02 Day 3: 5
12-08
5. Timmy Horton
Muscle Shoals, AL 5
11-14 0
Day 1: 5 16-05
Day 2: 5 11-10 Day 3: 5
11-14
6. Ishama Monroe
Hughson, CA
5 11-11 0
Day 1: 5 18-05
Day 2: 5 11-15 Day 3: 5
11-11
7. Aaron Martens
Leeds, AL
5 11-09 0 $16,500.00
Day 1: 5 16-00
Day 2: 5 17-00 Day 3: 5
11-09
8. Greg Hackney
Gonzales, LA
5 10-08 0 $16,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-10
Day 2: 5 13-12 Day 3: 5
10-08
9. Scott Rook
Little Rock, AR 3
07-01 0 $15,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-13
Day 2: 5 15-06 Day 3: 3
07-01
10. Mark Tyler
Vian, OK
3 06-03 0 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-10
Day 2: 5 11-02 Day 3: 3
06-03
11. Fred Roumbanis Auburn,
CA
3 05-00 0 $15,100.00
Day 1: 5 20-05
Day 2: 3 06-11 Day 3: 3
05-00
12. Jared Lintner
Arroyo Grande, CA 2
03-10 0 $13,000.00
Day 1: 4 08-11
Day 2: 5 16-03 Day 3: 2
03-10
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
PUROLATOR BIG BASS
Day
1 Fred Roumbanis
Auburn, CA
06-12 $1,000.00
2 Tommy Biffle
Wagoner, OK 05-11
$1,000.00
3 Jason Quinn
Lake Wylie, SC 05-06
$1,000.00
BERKLEY HEAVYWEIGHT
Day
1 Fred Roumbanis
Auburn, CA
20-05 $1,000.00
2 Steve Kennedy
Auburn, AL
17-13 $1,000.00
3 Dean Rojas
Grand Saline, TX 16-14
$1,000.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish
Weight
1
28 203
521-13
2
32 202
516-04
3
8 51 128-04
----------------------------------
68 456
1166-05
Day 2 Story
Back to
Zeiner's Angler Supply | Kansas
Angler Online |
Swim Tail Lures
|