"This
is something that I've been
working on for a long time."
Story
by Matt Pangrac
Posted
- January 8th, 6:12am CST
Lake
Havasu, AZ - It has been a tough off-season to be a professional bass angler. With many endemic and non-endemic sponsor companies reducing or eliminating angler sponsorship, both FLW and BASS pros are scrambling to secure funding for the rapidly approaching 2010 tournament season.
There is some good news, however, coming from the professional ranks. Bassmaster Elite Series pro Dean Rojas, recently inked a multi-year deal with the outdoor retail store Gander Mountain. Rojas talked with The BASS ZONE about the partnership with Gander Mountain and his in-depth involvement with the creation, design, and introduction of the X Factor series which Gander Mountain will debut during the first week of March as part of their First Cast Fishing
Fair.
Photos
by Mark Jeffreys and Matt Pangrac
“Without a doubt, this is something that I’ve been working on for a long time, and to be affiliated with a company that’s as big as Gander Mountain is, it’s an honor to represent them,” said Rojas. Gander Mountain was looking for a pro angler to put a face on their fishing department and the Arizona pro matched perfectly with their needs.
“Gander Mountain is a huge customer of all my current sponsors like Quantum,
SPRO, Gamakatsu, and Big Bite Baits,” Rojas explained. “They sell a tremendous amount of product through Gander Mountain, so it’s a really natural fit for me. All of my current sponsors are on board because many of them will be involved in building these products for Gander Mountain’s private label.”
The “X Factor”
Spend any time with Rojas, and his passion for designing and perfecting new baits is apparent. As part of their private label called “X Factor,” Gander Mountain will be debuting five new soft plastics and new colors designed by Rojas.
However, the line-up of soft plastics is only the beginning. Over the past five months, Rojas has been working on an entire line of “X Factor” products including rods, reels, raingear, shoes, and boots. “It’s going to be a product line that will be the upper echelon of the product that Gander Mountain currently stocks now,” explained Rojas. “It will be a great value for what the customer will be getting.”
The development of the “X Factor” line is only part of Rojas’ partnership with Gander Mountain. There will also be an aggressive marketing campaign that will include in- store promotions with Rojas, print advertising, web-page content, and a monthly feature written by Rojas and posted on Gander Mountain’s web site,
www.gandermountain.com.
Inking a partnership with a “big box store” like Gander Mountain has been a longstanding goal for Rojas, not because he feels like it validates his career, but because he knows what he can offer the right company. “As far as feeling validated, I think that I already did that with my frog,” said Rojas. “For me, I’ve always wanted to be involved with a big box store because I know what I can provide for them and what kind of job I can do for them.”
Road to the Classic
Looking ahead, Rojas said that this past week he began preparations for his eighth Bassmaster Classic which will be held on Lay Lake in February. “I’ve been going over all my tackle and just making sure that everything is in tip-top shape. My new product is coming in from my companies, so all my equipment is brand new.”
For
Rojas, who has posted three Top 10 Classic
finishes, it’s all about preparation.
“You don’t win the Classic there; you
win it at home by making sure you are
totally prepared. Classic week can be very
hectic with the amount of time that is
demanded of you. The more prepared you are,
the more you are able to fish with a clear
mind.”
One
of those Top 10 Classic finishes came
on Lay Lake during the 2007 Bassmaster
Classic, and Rojas is eager to get
another chance on a body of water that
he understands a little better
now.
“I know what it feels like to lead the Classic going into the final day and all the attention that goes with it. I’ve matured a lot as an angler and as a person to handle that stuff. I’m ready for it, and I welcome the opportunity to be in that position again. Come February, it will be interesting to see what happens because I’m going in there with guns blazing.”
Looking Ahead
to 2010
While the Classic is in his immediate
sights, Rojas is just as excited about the
2010 Elite Series regular season schedule.
He can rattle off each lake and his
history on that body of water within
thirty seconds.
“We start out on the West Coast, and
that’s where I grew up fishing. I
finished third on Smith Mountain Lake last
year. Pickwick is going to be really good
at the end of April. I have had three top
10 finishes on Guntersville and I’ve
also done well at Clarks Hill. Then there’s
Kentucky Lake and the River, and those
will be froggin’ deals.”
Without
a doubt, it has been a very busy “off-season”
for Dean Rojas, who said that he hasn’t had time
to fish since winning the inaugural Fish &
Chips tournament in Oklahoma this past October.
Between working with Gander Mountain and spending
three weeks shooting promotional material for
Yamaha’s new four-stroke SHO Engine and the new
SKEETER FX Series bass boat, Rojas also partnered
with one of the largest rep groups in the nation,
The Hanson Group.
“Their slogan is ‘representing your passion,’” said Rojas. “They are being very aggressive in their campaign to represent their companies at the highest level and get them the most exposure possible.
“Times are tough right now, and I just want to keep my nose to the grindstone and make sure that everything is going to set up for a wonderful 2010 season.”
