Wheeler out-duels Rojas on Santee Cooper, lands seventh BPT win

Jacob Wheeler claimed his seventh career Bass Pro Tour event win on Sunday.
Photo by Garrick Dixon

By Mitchell Forde

BASS PRO TOUR

Presented by Fenwick, the Santee Cooper lakes that had churned out chunky bass all week simply shut down. At one point, the 10 pros duking it out during the Championship Round went 45 minutes without boating a scorable bass. They combined to catch just 18, none breaking the 4-pound mark, during the final frame.

The one angler who managed to manufacture consistent action – Jacob Wheeler. Wheeler accounted for five of those bass, which combined to weigh 14 pounds, 2 ounces and boosted his final-day total to 47-4, lifting him past Dean Rojas by 5 pounds for his seventh career Bass Pro Tour victory.

Bucking conventional Santee Cooper tactics by fishing offshore with a jighead minnow, Wheeler did what he’s done for the past six years, seemingly willing bites into existence. He started the third period 2-8 back of Rojas but promptly took the lead with a 3-12 largemouth. A little more than an hour later, with everyone else at a standstill, he boated three fish over 2 pounds in about 10 minutes. After Rojas closed within 2-6 in the final 30 minutes, Wheeler ran across Lake Marion to hit one more spot, where he added a 2-10 to all but seal the victory.

“I stuck to my game plan this whole week, and I stayed out offshore and I tried to fish isolated stuff,” Wheeler said. “It really came down to just keeping my head down and keeping my rotation going. I tried to make other tactics work, but those last two periods really came down to throwing that Freeloader, locking it in my hand. I’ve got so much confidence in it; I know it’s going to generate the bites if they are going to bite at all.”

Here’s how the Top 10 pros finished the Championship Round. Complete results can be found here.

1. Jacob Wheeler — 47-4 (15 bass)
2. Dean Rojas — 42-4 (17)
3. Jesse Wiggins — 29-14 (9)
4. Matt Becker — 19-10 (4)
5. Dylan Hays — 18-12 (5)
6. Casey Ashley — 16-8 (6)
7. Dave Lefebre — 15-5 (5)
8. Cole Floyd — 11-5 (5)
9. James Watson — 7-13 (3)
10. Justin Lucas — 4-8 (1)

If an instruction manual for fishing Santee Cooper existed, it would probably read

Jesse Wiggins Wins Stage 4 on Lake of the Ozarks!

Jesse Wiggins Wins Bass Pro Tour Bass Boat Technologies Stage Four Presented by Bass Cat. (Photo: MLF) 

MLF PRESS RELEASE

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. – All week long, Addison, Alabama, pro Jesse Wiggins said that when he closed his eyes, Lake of the Ozarks felt exactly like his home fishery – Lewis Smith Lake in North Alabama. That hometown “feel” was just what Wiggins needed this week. The 32-year-old Alabama angler caught 11 scorable bass Thursday weighing 27 pounds, 11 ounces to win the Bass Pro Tour Bass Boat Technologies Stage Four on Lake of the Ozarks Presented by Bass Cat in Osage Beach, Missouri, and take home the top prize of $100,000.

Link to Photo of Stage Four Winner Jesse Wiggins

Link to Photo Gallery of Best Shots from Championship Day

Link to Video of Fish Catch Highlights from Day 6

“Oh my gosh,” said an emotional Wiggins as time expired. “I’m shaking, my videographers shaking, my official is shaking – we’re freaking tore up. I’m just a redneck from Alabama that likes to fish and loves to throw a shaky-head.

“I get here, and the banks look identical to Smith Lake. I mean, identical. And the fish set up identical. It seemed like I could call my shot, all week long.”

Wiggins spent the tournament targeting boat docks with a homemade shaky-head rig. After winning the Group A Qualifying Round, he advanced directly into Thursday’s Championship Round.

Rojas, Pirch, Card,Pipkens and Aveda Move to Suzuki Motors in 2018!

Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. is proud to announce their roster of pro fishermen for the 2018 Bassmaster® Elite Tournament Series. “Suzuki is back in 2018, bigger and better than ever,” said Gus Blakely, vice president of sales for Suzuki Marine. “We’re eager to see our guys compete on the Elite circuit – all powered by Suzuki’s 250SS 4-stroke outboard.”

Suzuki stalwarts Brandon Card, Chad Pipkens and Clifford Pirch, will welcome Dean Rojas, Gerald Spohrer and Adrian Aveda to the team in 2018.

Dean Rojas

Suzuki welcomes veteran Arizona bass angler Dean Rojas to the team. Dean is a four-time winner on the Bassmaster® Elite Series tour and has 47 career Top 10 finishes. In addition, Rojas still holds the all-time B.A.S.S.® one day record catch of 45.2 pounds. With winnings totaling over $2 million dollars as a professional angler, Rojas brings a wealth of experience to the Suzuki team.

”I’m super-pumped to have a Suzuki on the transom of my new Blazer bass boat this year,” said Rojas. “I’ve watched Suzuki come alive over the past couple seasons and couldn’t be prouder to be on the team.” Look for Dean to be in the spotlight in 2018, as he campaigns for the first time with Suzuki Power.

Gerald Spohrer

Next up is Gerald Spohrer, a US Navy vet from Gonzales, LA. After starting out on the FLW Tour, Gerald moved to the Elite series last year. He was the Bassmaster® Central Open Angler of the Year in 2016 and broke into the Top 10 at last year’s Elite tournament on Lake St. Clair.

2018 holds a lot of promise for Spohrer. “Having a new Suzuki on my Bass Cat will be a first for me,” said Spohrer, “but not a first for Bass Cat. I can’t wait to get out on the water again and give ‘er a go.”

Adrian Avena

Adrian Avena also moved up to the Bassmaster® Elite Series after starting out on the FLW Tour and boasts career winnings approaching half a million dollars. Adrian grew up in New Jersey and counts the Chesapeake Bay as his home lake. Needless to say, he’s comfortable on big water.

Frog Fishing Gear with Dean "The Machine" Rojas

Who doesn't love to frog fish? Everyone has their own preferences when it come to gear. BASS Elite angler and frog fishing expert Dean "The Machine" Rojas has some tips for you. He'll help you become an expert.

2017 BASS Elite Lake Dardanelle Day 3: Mark Davis Leads by Ounces with 48-08lbs!

Davis found a honey hole way, way up the river.  
By Thomas Allen

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Mark has tiny side channel to himself up the river.
(Photo: BASS)

Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Ark., caught a five-bass limit that weighed 14 pounds, 15 ounces during today’s semi-final round to maintain his lead at the GoPro Bassmaster Elite at Lake Dardanelle presented by Econo Lodge.
 
With $100,000 on the line for Monday's champion, Davis still thinks 16 to 17 pounds will be required to win. He’s averaging just over 16 pounds with a three-day total of 48-8.
 
“I’ve really beat up on the fish I’ve been depending on this week,” Davis said. “I believe the right fish are still there, and that I can catch a decent limit tomorrow. But I didn’t get as many big bites today as I had hoped.”
 
Davis’ spot did receive some additional local pressure before he could get there, and that certainly could be contributing to the reduced action during Sunday’s competition.
 
“I have no problem sharing water with local anglers, heck they’ve got just as much right to fish there as I do — if not more so,” he said. “When I arrived he moved off and let me have it, which was appreciated.
 

Our 3 Picks to win the 2017 Bassmaster Classic

IBASSIN.com’s picks to win the 2017 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Conroe.

By Luigi De Rose

Predicting the winner of any sporting event is a challenge. Usually, there are just two teams so the odds are far greater you’ll get it right even with a spread. At the 2017 Bassmaster Classic, 52 anglers have a chance at victory. Sure, some anglers are lucky to just be at the Classic but the skill ranges from great and peaks at superb. Picking a winner for Conroe is exceptionally more difficult as it very new lake of almost all the competitors. Plus, the Classic is being held in March, which is much later than the past few Classics. Past TTBC on Conroe were summer tournaments and that is a world of difference.

For what’s its worth, here are my picks to win the 2017 Classic.

Alton Jones

Texas angler, Alton Jones is a wizard with a Yum dinger this time of year. He already has one Classic win but always seem to excel during the spawn. In all three stages of the spawn, Alton knows how to catch them. Especially if the bass are in transition.  The last three Classics crowned a home state winner and the streak might continue with Jones.

Skeet Reese

With a Classic win on the Red River, a shallow, cover filled fishery, Skeet has the expertise to do well here. We won the 2015 Elite tournament on Lake Guntersville by scraping his pre-spawn pattern and targeting shallow wood on the final day to sack a 4-day total of 92-11lbs for the win. Skeet is strong this seasonal time period and doesn’t shy away when the monster bass are chomping. Not sure if he’s prowess with a swimbait will be a huge factor this weekend but Skeet is very versatile.

Dean Rojas

Dean was recently added to the list of top anglers yet to win a Classic. With several wins in Texas and a master at sight fishing he might get himself off that list this weekend. Dean is always a top finisher when the bass are shallow. He has shown now to catch them in a range on conditions. Best known for casting to beds or zipping a frog around shallow cover he came in second when TAK won the Classic and he has been dying for a trophy of his own.  If it becomes a bed-fishing event, Dean should be very close to the lead everyday.

Part 2 coming tomorrow.

If you got something to say on my picks let us here about it on our Facebook page.

2017 BASS Elite Lake Okeechobee Day 2: Timmy Horton Sacks Monster Bag and 8 Pound Lead!

Big bags move many up leader board. 

BASS PRESS RELEASE
After weighing the second limit of the tournament that crested 30 pounds, Tim Horton of Muscle Shoals, Ala., took control on Day 2 of the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Lake Okeechobee. Today's 30-pound, 4-ounce limit pushed his two-day total to an impressive 56 pounds, 3 ounces.

Horton's performance vaulted the four-time Bassmaster champion ahead of Thursday's leader Ott DeFoe of Knoxville, Tenn., by almost 8 pounds.

This is what 30-04Lbs looks like.
(Photo: BASS)

Horton has a history of winning by a substantial margin: Three of his four victories carried a minimum of a 13-pound difference between first and second place.

But knowing how fickle Lake Okeechobee bass can be, he's not comfortable just yet.

2015 Bassmaster Elite Chesapeake Bay Day 1: Aaron Martens Lands Lead with 17lbs.

Flooding flakes out almost all anglers.

By Bryan Brasher

bass press release

NORTH EAST, Md. — Some fishermen like to play it safe when they’re leading the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year race late in the season.

 

Martens distances himself from Rojas for AOY!
(Photo: BASS)

They focus on getting a good limit, drawing a paycheck and earning valuable AOY points. But Aaron Martens seems to be taking a different approach during this week’s Huk Performance Fishing Bassmaster Elite at Chesapeake Bay.

 

The Alabama angler, who came into the event with a slim 11-point lead in the AOY standings, caught 17 pounds, 8 ounces of bass Thursday and claimed the Day 1 lead in a tournament that is shaping up to be a tough one down the stretch. Michigan angler Chad Pipkens is second in the tournament standings with 16-14, and Japanese pro Morizo Shimizu is third with 16-9.

 

“I had seven keeper bites, and I broke two of them off,” said Martens, who increased his AOY lead over Dean Rojas to 52 points. “My bites were spread out all day. I wish I could catch them faster. But no matter how fast or slow you move, it’s going to be a bite about every hour and a half.”

 

Justin Lucas Wins 2015 BASS Elite Sacramento River with 82-14lb!

Lucas Saves Secret Spot for Win!

By Bryan Brasher

bass press release

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Turning just 29 years old on Friday, it’s hard to imagine Justin Lucas has accomplished all he’s going to in professional bass fishing.

But wherever he goes from here, it’ll be hard for him to top what he experienced the past four days in the Sacramento Bassmaster Elite at Sacramento River.

“This one’s perfect,” a teary-eyed Lucas said after claiming the $100,000 victory in just his 23rd B.A.S.S. event. “For about 17 years, I’ve been dreaming of doing something like this. It’s cool. It’s just super cool.”

Lucas and Team enjoy his first win on the Elites.
(Photo: Garrick Dixon BASS)

Lucas began the week in eighth place with a solid catch of 21-13 Thursday. Then he bullied his way up to third with 25-14 Friday and took the lead with 19-3 during a Saturday round when difficult tidal conditions baffled much of the field.

He made at least a 90-minute run down the Sacramento River to the California Delta each of the first three days and targeted shallow largemouth with a Berkely Havoc Pit Boss in the vampire orange color pattern. He stayed with the same approach Sunday, but made an even longer run to an area he’d been holding in reserve.

2015 Bassmaster Elite Sacramento River Day 3: Justin Lucas Leads As Weights Sink.

Lucas Readies for Career Defining Win.

By Bryan Brasher

bass press release

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Justin Lucas knows he’s on the verge of something special.

But with the way fish are behaving on the California Delta, he knows he still has plenty of work to do if he’s going to raise the coveted blue trophy and pocket a $100,000 check in front of a crowd filled with his family and friends Sunday afternoon.

Lucas still sight fishing as the Delta becomes more difficult.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

A native Californian who now lives in Alabama, Lucas caught five bass Saturday that weighed 19 pounds, 3 ounces and took the lead in the Sacramento Bassmaster Elite at Sacramento River with a three-day total of 66-14.

Lucas will lead the Top 12 remaining anglers into Sunday’s championship round with a pair of fellow California natives in close contention. Aaron Martens, who like Lucas grew up in California and relocated to Alabama, is in second with 63-14, followed by San Jose, Calif., resident Chris Zaldain with 60-12.

2015 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Hartwell Day 2: Omori Leads Ounces Over Rojas and Ike!

By Bryan Brasher

BASS press release

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- The final day of the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro on Lake Hartwell is shaping up to be a free-for-all with a handful of former Classic champions sitting atop the standings with the coveted trophy and $300,000 first-place prize well within their grasp.

Takahiro Omori, a Japanese angler who now makes his home in Emory, Texas, caught five fish that weighed 16 pounds, 11 ounces Saturday and claimed the lead going into Sunday’s final round with a two-day total of 31-11.

Takahiro Omori jumped from seventh place into the lead going into the final day of the 2015 Bassmaster Classic.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

The 2004 Classic winner holds a razor-thin lead over Arizona angler Dean Rojas (31-9), New Jersey angler and 2003 Classic winner Michael Iaconelli (31-0) and 2014 Classic winner Randy Howell of Alabama (30-11).

Omori got off to a slow start Saturday. But with years of experience and one Classic title already under his belt, he didn’t panic and managed enough weight to jump from seventh into first.

2015 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Hartwell Day 1: Rojas Rules with Over 21 Pounds!

Despite Bitter Cold Dean was Red Hot!

By Bryan Brasher

bass press release

Doesn’t it just figure that after the coldest day in the history of the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro, four anglers from warm, sunny climates are sitting atop the standings?

Arizona angler Dean Rojas wowed the crowd at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C., with five Lake Hartwell bass that weighed 21 pounds, 2 ounces despite frigid temperatures that were in the neighborhood of 10 degrees just before takeoff at Green Pond Landing in Anderson.

Dean overcame the bass, weather, and
practice late penalty to take day 1 lead. He was
optimistic before the day started because this was
his 13th Classic, he is boat #13 and its was
Friday the 13th.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

Rojas also overcame a 28-minute penalty that he was forced to spend in the tournament “penalty box” as punishment for being late for check-in to Wednesday’s practice period.

He leads California angler Skeet Reese (20-2), Texas pro Keith Combs (18-8) and fellow Arizona angler Brett Hite (15-7).

“This is our biggest stage that we perform on, and to be able to catch a big bag like that on the first day is amazing,” Rojas said. “How could you script it any better than that? Obviously, I’d rather finish it that way. But hey, I’ll take it.”

Though Rojas hasn’t won a Classic in 12 previous appearances – and hasn’t finished first in an event since the 2011 Elite Series event on Toledo Bend Reservoir – he said he’ll be more excited than nervous to lead the field into Saturday’s second round.

He’s taking his Day 1 success in stride, much like he did the 28-minute penalty he endured Friday morning. He said the infraction was due to a Lowrance unit on his boat that he kept promising himself he would switch from Central Time to South Carolina’s Eastern Time, but never did.

2015 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Hartwell Day 1: Mid-day Report

Bass Biting Well Considering the Cold

By Luigi De Rose

BASS has been really trying to raise the bar of real-time coverage at the 2015 Classic. With five live camera feeds; on the water coverage plus studio commentary, the boys at Bassmaster are providing first-rate coverage. Fishing has been good to many with several anglers over 10 pounds with the warmest part of the day still to come.

Here is the unofficial top 5-leader board as of 1:10pm.

1. Keith Combs  15lbs 5oz
2. Dean Rojas     15lbs 0oz
3. Takahiro Omori   14lbs 4oz
4. Skeet Reese  14lbs 4oz
5. David Walker  12lbs 14oz