|
Russellville,
AR – The skies over Lake Dardanelle greeted the Elite 12 Anglers at the Bassmaster Legends with an angry air. The Russellville Ark. experienced thunderstorms that brought cooler temperatures, clouds, wind and rain to the Illinois Bayou.
At stake for all of the anglers was not only the $250,000 first place prize money, but also the knowledge that he went head to head with 50 of the world’s best bass anglers and claimed the title of Bassmaster Legends Champion. Each of the anglers knew that this was the last chance to claim the title of Major Champion, as the Legends is not only the final Major for 2007; but is quite possibly the final Major ever.
As if the pressure of a big title and huge payday were not enough, the ambiguity of entering the six-hole course during the final round also lends itself to elevated heart rates. Most of these competitors had spent little time in the Illinois Bayou prior to the event, with the exception of riding the course after close of competition yesterday, or just before blast off today.
Add the unique variables that changing weather can provide to the outcome of a bass tournament, and the recipe is complete for a certain amount of anxiety. For one Bassmaster Elite Series angler, combination it was a welcomed sight.
Dean Rojas, of Grand Saline Tex., who has
qualified for each of the Elite 12 cuts at
the 2007 Bassmaster Majors, used the low
light conditions to his advantage to lead
the Super 6 going into the final day of
the Bassmaster Legends.
Rojas
spent the first two days on the
Arkansas River impoundment targeting
shallow, cover laden weedbeds with
his signature Spro Dean Rojas
Bronzeye Frog. Yet heading into the
finals, felt that the clearer water
in the Illinois Bayou left him
little choice but to keep an open
mind, until the clouds came in.
Rojas used his Spro frog to pound
out an early 16-pound, 14-ounce
limit that vaulted him to the lead
heading into the final day of the
Bassmaster Legends. Should Rojas be
able to close out the victory and
pocket the $250,000 grand prize, the
Skeeter pro would join the Elite
Ranks of the Bassmaster Million
Dollar club; signifying earning $1
million in career earnings. (His
current career earnings totals
$866,862.80).
However, despite his impressive performance, 2007 Bassmaster Classic Champion Boyd Duckett is in position to steal Rojas’ thunder. Duckett also weighed in a limit of Dardanelle largemouth the eclipsed the 16-pound mark; his 16-pound,8-ounce limit leaves him only six ounces behind Rojas in second place. |
|
|
Jason Quinn, the 35 –year-old pro from Lake Wylie, S.C. brought a 14-pound, 14-ounce limit to the Legends’ scales to grab 3rd place. Quinn’s weight was bolstered by the day three Purolator Big Bass, a 5-pound, 6-ounce Dardanelle beast that was worth the $1,000 daily bonus.
Quinn’s day gave him almost a two and a half pound advantage over three time Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year Kevin VanDam. Van Dam plied enough bass from the waters of Dardanelle to give him a shot at the top prize. His 12-pound, 8-ounce stringer was good for 4th position.
Timmy Horton of Muscle Shoals, Ala. is no stranger to success either, the former Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year connected with 11 pounds, 14 ounces to give him 5th place heading into the final day. Horton holds a three-ounce advantage over Ish Monroe, the 33-year-old California pro who is making his second Super 6 appearance in a Major this season. Monroe’s 11-pound, 11-ounce limit earned him the 6th spot going into the championship round.
Side
Notes
Love Them Majors
Like Monroe, Rojas is fishing in his second Super 6 at a major this year. However, Rojas is the only competitor to have been in the Elite 12 at all three majors this year.
Hate Them Dead Fish
For the second time in as many Majors, Aaron Martens suffered a four-ounce fish care penalty that cost him making a cut. At the Bassmaster American, Martens finished with 27 pounds, 10 ounces, only four-ounces behind Jeff Kriet, who made the cut. The two would have finished in a tie, but by virtue of Martens’ position in the Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year standings, he would have broken the tie and moved on.
The fish care penalty at Dardanelle cost Martens again, this time he finished in 7th place, only two-ounces behind Ish Monroe. Without the penalty, Martens would have bested Monroe by two-ounces.
My First Million
As stated before, Rojas is in position to become the fifth Bassmaster Elite Series angler to join the Bassmaster Million Dollar Club in 2007. He is not the only angler in position to do so with a win at the Legends. Timmy Horton’s career earnings total $964,237.30, should he be able to make up the five pound difference on Rojas, and win the legends, he could also break the million-dollar mark.
Dardanelle Elite 12: Stuff of Legends
The Elite 12 that competed today at the Bassmaster Legends has quite a pedigree of success. Among the 12 competitors on the water today, they share a total of 34 BASS wins, 60 Bassmaster Classic appearances, three Bassmaster Classic wins, five Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year titles, two wins in Bassmaster Majors, Two e50 victories, and a combined BASS earnings of $10,062,692.40.
Saddle
Up Your Froggy and Ride
Rojas has said many times that he has a love / hate relationship with the frog, but when it comes to delivering in the Majors this year, Kermit is like UPS overnight; right on time.
He spent the day shallow with his Spro Dean Rojas Bronzeye Frog targeting the shallow water willows. While he felt that the overcast skies and stormy weather might have helped his pattern, he doesn’t think it will let him down in the bluebird conditions predicted for tomorrow. “I think the weather helped me some today, but it was completely different the first two days, and they still ate it, so I think they’re just on it.”
He reported that he only lost one fish today, but that he had several big fish strike at the frog and not take it down, so he knows there are more fish there that can help him close out the win. |
|
|
Rojas is the one angler who has made the Elite 12 at all three Majors this year, and he feels that they just suit his style. “I like these events,” Rojas told the BASS ZONE. ‘I seem to perform better in these small fields when there’s a lot of pressure and big money on the line. I definitely want this one.”
|
|
|
Duckett Thinks Deep is the Key
Duckett is looking for his second huge win of the season, having claimed the Bassmaster Classic Crown in February. He said he found three areas in three holes that gave him his total weight, and looks forward to going after them again in the finals.
Duckett said that reading his Navionics chip in his Lowrance fishfinder paid off for him today. “Having the map right in front of us makes it easier to find structure,” he said. “I can pretty much drive right to something I want to fish, and it saved me a lot of time today.”
“I caught fish in three holes, and they were deep,” said the Demopolis, Ala. pro. “The other three holes didn’t produce for me, but I fished shallow in those, so I will try the deep bite in the other three tomorrow.” He also thinks that the weather may be a factor for him tomorrow. “I don’t think that the clearing weather will hurt the deep bite, but it could make it tougher for the shallow guys; I would really like to take this thing.” |
Quinn to Win?
Jason Quinn said that being at the Major was not the first priority for him as the season comes to a close; his mind is on Toho and qualifying for the Classic. (He is currently in 35th place in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year Points Race). But, since he is here; only two pounds behind with a shot at $250,000, he might as well go after it.
“I found a few key areas today that are holding a lot of fish, and it is just a matter of getting the right bites,” he said. “I caught a lot of fish today, just weeding through them to get my limit; I did lose one bigger than the 5-6 I weighed in, so it could have been a 20-pound day for me.”
| He kept the fine details of his pattern under wraps, but did let on that hey were in specific types of areas, and that he could not run through them. “I am fishing slow,” he said. “I am targeting the steeper banks with channel bends on them, and with what I found today, I feel really good about being able to contend tomorrow.” |
|
|
VanDam Six Pounds Down,
But Not Out.....
Van Dam said that the stormy weather made the fish more active today and that he was able to catch a lot of fish. But, he worked hard to get his 12-8 today, and knows he has to make a change if he wants to make up ground on the leaders.
|
|
|
“I lost a few fish today that hurt me, but I think most everybody did today,” said
VanDam. “But, it seemed that when I would figure something out in one hole, I couldn’t duplicate it in the next, so I will try and focus on those key areas I found today.”
He told The BASS ZONE that his approach was going to change tomorrow, but is already in a better position at Dardanelle than in previous trips. “I will throw a big fish bait in those key spots tomorrow,” he said. “But, whatever happens, I’ve never been able to make a top 6 cut here before, so I can go after it tomorrow knowing that I’ve done better than before.” |
| |
|
|
Horton Staying Shallow
Horton, like some of the others lost a couple of fish that would have made a difference for him, but the bites he had are going to make him stay in skinny water.
“I know that I need to catch like 18 or 19 pounds out there to catch up,” Horton said. “But, it can happen shallow so I will stay there. Going deep in this type of a format is too big of a risk, especially when they are biting shallow.” |
|
|
Monroe
Says Laziness Cost Him
Like he did in the qualifying rounds, Monroe said he focus on his Daiwa flipping rod rigged with 25-pound Maxima, and a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver rigged on a straight shank 5/0 Reaction Innovations BMF hook and ¼-ounce True Tungsten bullet weight.
|
|
|
He also said that a momentary lapse of discipline cost him better position heading into the final round. “I broke off my primary rig, and put my bait on a rod rigged with an extra wide gap hook for a tube instead of re-tying,” he said it cost him the next three fish he set on. “I finally retied with the BMF hook and put my next bite in the boat.” That next fish was his best one of the day. |
He said that he worked quickly until coming to a piece of wood surrounded by grass. “Wood cover was definitely a key for me today, I will do the same thing tomorrow, but won’t make the mistake of not re-tying again.”
Martens Focused on the Frog too
Martens said that of the 15 fish he weighed in at the Bassmaster Legends, 13 came on a white Reaction Innovations Swamp Donkey frog, one came on a War Eagle spinnerbait, and one on a Robo Worm, but it was a dead fish, and the hit or miss nature of the frog that have him packing up to go home. |
|
|
“It was an exciting week,” Martens told The
BASS ZONE. “I had a lot of fish blow up and miss the frog today, but that how that type of fishing is, I wish I could have fished the spot I found yesterday (where he bagged 17 pounds).
Martens first keeper of the morning died in the livewell before he had caught his second fish, and he is not sure why. “I know that these dead fish penalties have cost me a lot of money in these last two Majors,” Martens said. “I don’t know why it’s happening like this, but it’s kind of a bummer because I wanted to fish tomorrow.”
|
|
|
Hackney Scrambled to Disappointment
Hackney said that he started the morning with a hodgepodge of eight rods and baits in the morning, and when his day started off slow, ended up with 21 rods on the deck. “I was just hoping to get one good fish out of each hole today, but only got one really good bite, and I lost it trying to swing it into the boat.”
He said that his best action came flipping wood in hole number four and that he concentrated on water that was five feet deep or less. “I wasn’t able to put it all together today, and losing that one fish cost me,” he said. “Overall it was an okay week, but I’m pretty disappointed, this was our last shot at a Major, but I’ll get over it.” |
No More Moves for Rook
Defending Legends Champion Scott Rook feels good about his top 10 finish, but said that he just didn’t have anything going in the shallow backwater areas.
“I had a good week, I can’t complain,” said Rook. “I spent the qualifying rounds in the river throwing crankbaits around rocks in current, and just wasn’t able to put anything together in the grass. “I caught a lot of fish, just couldn’t get any good ones. I did try some of my old deep water haunts but those never produced for me.”
He said not going to the Super 6 doesn’t hurt his feelings too badly. ‘I only caught seven pounds today, so I would have had too much ground to make up.”
All Things Considered, Tyler Leaves Happy
Mark Tyler said he spent the practice days fighting illness that made him not want to be on the water. “I only caught three keepers the whole practice I was so sick; I didn’t want to be out there,” he said. “So being able to translate that into an Elite12 is fabulous.”
Tyler reported catching three keepers on deep brushpiles early, and said he made a decision to stay deep that cost him. “I spent the rest of the day on brushpiles and couldn’t catch anything over 15-inches,” he said. “I knew I could catch a limit shallow, but didn’t think that they would help me move on, but I’m happy with my finish.” |
|
|
Roumbanis Figured
Them Out Late
Roumbanis, who won the first major in North Carolina in May, said that he didn’t have a fish until the last 45 minutes of the event by throwing a Reaction Strike swimbait. “I got on a swimbait bite in the last session, and caught three but broke off a couple as well,” he said. “I didn’t plan on catching fish on swimbaits, I just wish I would have thought of it a little earlier, and would have re-spooled my swimbait rod last night; I think the heat damaged my line, and that’s my fault.”
But, for being his first trip to Dardanelle is very happy with an Elite 12. ”This has been an awesome week, especially when you consider I’ve never been here, I’m glad I only live three hours from here, I’ll come back here.”
Lintner: Uncharacteristically Closed Minded.
“I stunk it up basically,” Linter remarked to The BASS ZONE. “I got so locked in to flipping a jig after my good day yesterday that I never even picked up a frog; and I love throwing a frog; I’m such an idiot.”
Lintner usually prides himself on keeping an open mind and scrambling when he needs to, but just got too locked in, but that he is happy with the week. “I learned a lot about river fishing this week, and I made a big jump yesterday to make the Elite 12, so I am happy with it overall.”
Day
Three Standings
| Pl. |
Pro
Angler |
DAY
1 |
DAY
2 |
DAY
3 |
TOTAL |
| Fish |
Weight |
Fish |
Weight |
Fish |
Weight |
Fish |
Weight |
| 1 |
Dean
Rojas |
5 |
14-
8 |
5 |
16-
8 |
5 |
16-14 |
5 |
16-14 |
| 2 |
Boyd
Duckett |
5 |
13-
8 |
5 |
12-
0 |
5 |
16-
8 |
5 |
16-
8 |
| 3 |
Jason
Quinn |
5 |
13-
6 |
5 |
11-
6 |
5 |
14-14 |
5 |
14-14 |
| 4 |
Kevin
VanDam |
5 |
15-15 |
5 |
16-
2 |
5 |
12-
8 |
5 |
12-
8 |
| 5 |
Timmy
Horton |
5 |
16-
5 |
5 |
11-10 |
5 |
11-14 |
5 |
11-14 |
| 6 |
Ishama
Monroe |
5 |
18-
5 |
5 |
11-15 |
5 |
11-11 |
5 |
11-11 |
| 7 |
Aaron
Martens |
5 |
16-
0 |
5 |
17-
0 |
5 |
11-
9 |
5 |
11-
9 |
| 8 |
Greg
Hackney |
5 |
18-10 |
5 |
13-12 |
5 |
10-
8 |
5 |
10-
8 |
| 9 |
Scott
Rook |
5 |
12-13 |
5 |
15-
6 |
3 |
7-
1 |
3 |
7-
1 |
| 10 |
Mark
Tyler |
5 |
13-10 |
5 |
11-
2 |
3 |
6-
3 |
3 |
6-
3 |
| 11 |
Fred
Roumbanis |
5 |
20-
5 |
3 |
6-11 |
3 |
5-
0 |
3 |
5-
0 |
| 12 |
Jared
Lintner |
4 |
8-11 |
5 |
16-
3 |
2 |
3-10 |
2 |
3-10 |
|
