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 bass fishing tournament 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.
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 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 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 tournaments of the year. He was 98th in the 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."
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
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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
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
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 28 203 521-13
2 32 202 516-04
3 8 51 128-04
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68 456 1166-05