Bassmaster Elite TroKar Battle on the Bayou Day 3: Rojas Still Reins

Dean Rojas Still Standing Strong on Wind Whipped Day 3
By Deb Johnson
B.A.S.S. Communications
MANY, La. -- He has led for three days running, amassing 57 pounds, 7 ounces of Toledo Bend bass, so there's no reason Dean Rojas shouldn't believe he can close the deal Sunday in the TroKar Battle on the Bayou.
And believe he does.

"I need one more big bite to finish this thing off tomorrow, and I know I can do it," he said Saturday after weighing 14 pounds and 9 ounces for a lead of more than 4 pounds over runner-up David Walker, who had 53-6.
Rojas won a Bassmaster tournament on Toledo Bend in 2001, but it wasn't a Bassmaster Elite Series victory, and that's what Rojas wants now. It would be his fourth win, and second since 2008. He claims not to be thinking about the instant qualification for the 2012 Bassmaster Classic, and not even about the $100,000 he'd get for a win.

"Right now, I'm just fishing for the win," he said.
"I'm in position, I'm just going to go for it. I've been fishing relaxed the last three days -- it's been really weird," he said. "Whatever happens, happens. I know I'm doing the best I can do, and I know I'm fishing for the right fish to win with."
Rojas said his third day of competition didn't go quite as planned -- he wanted one more bass to widen the margin -- but it was close. Like Friday, Saturday started slowly for him, with the bite picking up about 11 a.m. He continued to target spawning fish, moving to new areas each day. He has plenty more fish to go to and wrap it up, he said.
"I saw 20 pounds of bass today, just swimming around," he said.

Walker working the wood.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

Four pounds back, Walker is still in range to catch Rojas. On Toledo Bend, 4 pounds is one decent fish. Besides, Walker has already discovered where one break can get you: On Day Two, thanks to a 24-pound bag, he moved from a dismal 53rd place into fourth.
"It was a grind today," he said. "I tried to not let the demons tell me, 'You need to go do this, you need to go do that.' I knew I was doing the right thing to catch the bigger fish, and I stuck with it."
The "right thing" was flipping, his strength.
"With the wind laid down, I could do it, make better casts. All it takes is one cast -- Ish Monroe proved that yesterday (with his 10-15)."
Gerald Swindle improved two places Saturday, from fifth to third with 52-0. He said he stuck with what he did the first two days -- throwing a square-lipped crankbait, jerkbait, chatterbait, and covering a lot of water.
Wind is his friend. He's been picking out windblown points. More specifically, he's hitting the section of the point that has the most wind on it.
"A couple of my primary spots, guys are finally figuring out where they are, but there's nothing I can do about that so I'm having to dig for nhim into the cut as No. 7.ew water."

Bassmaster Elite TroKar Battle on the Bayou: Toledo Bend getting Wild

Toldeo Bend: A Wild Finish
By Luigi De Rose

Wind was whipping before Day 3 started.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

Toledo Ben Lake is a famed east Texas fishery. Part of the Sabine river that straddles Texas and Louisiana, it is an immense impoundment. Its encompasses an area of 185,000 acres and is the largest man-made body of water in Texas and the fifth largest (surface acre) in the United States. Anglers have always flocked to the great fishing here but it can be difficult to fish. This place is a maze of flooded stump fields and timber. Much of the old timber has decayed  but remnants of the trees make driving this lake a bit of a nail biter. Making matter worse, this spring the lake is very low.

What's Happening
The lake is low but there is plenty of cover to keep the fish positioned around targets. Elite pro are in two schools of though: spawning or post spawn fishing. Many anglers felt that the shallow bass would be too spooky and unreliable due to the low water levels. They might be right.
Targeting the many off shore ditches, creek channels and  lanes in the stumps fields with cranks, Carolina rigs and jigs is a strong pattern. Success should be good but post spawn bass can be fickle. One problem is navigation. Anglers simply cannot jump from spot to spot  which is so common to off shore fishing. Countless minutes are eaten up idling around dangerous stumps. Many complain that they cannot fish enough spots to make their milk runs truly successful.

Tournament WeekToledo Bend is wide and long. Wind can whip up from any direction making fishing and running difficult. Ish Monroe on day 2 speared a wave racing back to the weigh-in  and wash away all his rods off the deck. Heart broken of his $10 000 loss, he make it back with not time to spare to capture big bass honours with a 10-15.
Wind will hurt almost everyone fishing. Luckily, this lake has thousands of nooks to hide a bass boat. With strong winds predicted for all of Saturday and maybe Sunday, anglers will have to account for the wind.  Takahiro Omori, in 7th, stated that the wind will only make him change his fishing style. The stronger the wind will mean more of a reaction bait and the calmer means more flipping. As long as the angler can adjust, fishing should be good.
Mid April is still spawning time. Dean Rojas, the tournament leader both days stated in an interview with Bassmaster.com that, “we are in a full moon so they (bass) know its time to get it done.” Dean also alluded to the quality of the fish that are being caught on beds. “there’s not a whole bunch up there (spawning bass) but there are a few big ones.” If Rojas is correct and he can find the beds  he might be able to lead this event  wire to wire.
The weather will play a huge role this weekend and whom ever can adjust will win. Toledo Bend bass can be caught almost anyway you wish as long as the wind doesn’t get to wild.

FLW Tour on Lake Chickamauga: What's Happening?

Lake Chichamauga: A Lake in Flux.
By Luigi De Rose

Water is dropping!
(Photo: Rob Newell FLW)

Lake Chichamauga located near Chattanooga Tennessee is part of the fames TVA system. This reservoir is  immediately downstream from Watts Bar Lake and immediately upstream from Nickajack Lake. Being part of the Tennessee river system, spring time usually means high water. Not this year, the lake is several feet below normal pool and much of the shoreline cover is high and dry. The lake’s numerous boat houses and docks are not as valuable as they usually are due to the very low water.
Lake Chichamauga has had many years of turmoil due to fisheries departments spraying the milfoil grass. This destroyed acres of habitat. The last few years, the fishing has improved greatly compared to the fishing in the late 1980s.

What’s Working
FLW Pros have been catching numerous  bass but the size is not large. Scan the standings and the weights are very close. There is only a four pound difference between 8th place and 41st  so finding one big bass here can make a whole tournament.
Top anglers have had good success fishing any remaining shoreline wood or grass. Japanese sensation, Shinichi Fukae, stated that he saw the water in his primary area recede. After the strong rain on Friday, he noticed the water starting to rise. His fishing got much better and he was able to produce a near 20 pound stringer.  He is currently in second but only 3 ounces off the lead.
Tom Monsoor, in forth, has caught the majority of his fish swimming a jig along  the inside grass line. If the water continues to drop, many bass should relocate to these adjacent grass lines.



Any brush in the water has bass. Note how much the water dropped. 
(Photo: Rob Newell FLW)

What to Expect
Surprisingly, many tops have targeted spawning bass. Either sight fishing for visible bass or fishing around bedding areas.  If the water drops even more this might be a loosing pattern and if the water rises with the rain, it might be too stained to see them. Sight fishing is definitely a dicey game but if the bass are there the risk is worth it. Anglers who find the last remaining shallow cover might have a chance to survive. Fishing pressure might ruin the best areas but the fishermen who have done their homework might know of secluded areas with biting fish. 

FLW Tour Lake Chickamauga Day 2: Pirch Jumps to Top

Arizona's Clifford Pirch take a slim lead over Shinichi Fukae

Day 2 Leader.
(Photo: Rob Newell FLW)

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Clifford Pirch of Payson, Ariz., caught a five-bass limit weighing 20 pounds, 6 ounces Friday to capture the lead on day two of the Walmart FLW Tour on Lake Chickamauga presented by National Guard. His two-day catch of 10 bass weighing 43 pounds, 11 ounces gives him a slim 3-ounce lead heading into the third day of the tournament. There were 154 pros and 154 co-anglers from across the United States and Canada that started the tournament. The top 20 will fish day three and the top 10 will compete for the title on day four.

“I had a slower start today,” Pirch said. “I did get a couple sight fishing this morning. But by midday I started to get on them a little bit and had a couple of good passes where I was able to get a limit and then cull and got some momentum. It ended up working out real well.

“I had a great end to the day,” Pirch added. “It wasn’t action all day long, but it worked out well.

Pirch said he caught about a dozen keepers throughout the course of the day and relied on Typhoon polarized optics to help him spot bedding bass. He said he targeted those bass with a Roboworm creature bait.

“There’s a lot of fish in this lake and it’s a fun place to fish,” Pirch said. “There’s a lot of big ones. Hopefully I can go out and do it again tomorrow.”

Pirch said Friday’s rain hampered his sight fishing a bit, but other than making the fishermen uncomfortable the weather didn’t play a major role in the fishing.

“It didn’t change the fishing much,” Pirch said. “I’m hoping we won’t have too much muddy water (Saturday). Either way, I’ll try to roll with it and find some clean water and try to catch them just fishing.”

Rounding out the top 20 pros that will fish another day on Lake Chickamauga are:

Bassmaster Elite TroKar Battle on the Bayou Day 2: Rojas Repeats to Keep Lead

Dean Rojas maintains lead with almost 20. Ish lands a true Texas Lunker
By Deb Johnson
B.A.S.S. Communications
(BASS Press Release)

MANY, La. -- Dean Rojas outsmarted the wind Friday to hold the lead for the second day in the TroKar Battle on the Bayou.

Another for Dean's box.
(Photo: Rob Russow BASS)

"Where I was fishing was pretty well protected," said Rojas, who had 19-13 Friday for 42-14 over two days on Toledo Bend Reservoir. "In some of the areas I was fishing the prevailing west wind was OK, and my area wasn't getting beat up. I was even able to sight-fish a few and catch that big one."

That "big one" went 7 pounds, 15 ounces. He caught it about 1 p.m., when he already had a limit, allowing him to cull up and keep his lead in the fourth event of the Bassmaster Elite Series season.
Rojas put away Day One's hottest challengers and staved off Aaron Martens by 2 pounds, 10 ounces. Martens charged from 13th to second place on the strength of a 21-13 sack, one of the day's best weights. Randy Howell moved into third place with a bag that almost duplicated what he did on Day One, for 37-11 over two days. Fourth was the day's biggest mover, David Walker. He shot from 53rd place with 24-0, the day's biggest bag. Rounding out the top-five was Gerald Swindle with 36-5.
They lead the top-50 field for Saturday's third round. On Sunday, only the best 12 will compete for the top prize of $100,000 and an automatic entry in the 2012 Bassmaster Classic.
Rojas kept his lead even though he had to abandon his water from the first day. He moved to an area that got him away from the brunt of Friday's sustained afternoon winds of up to 25 mph punctuated by gusts of 40 mph.
He said he was casting and sight-fishing in the new area.

"Once I get around them, I set up and caught them," he said.
After that, he said he went scouting.

"I burned up a couple of hours just looking, and I figured out that I need to move even more tomorrow. I left a couple on beds today for tomorrow. I figured it wouldn't help me much today, only give me couple pounds, and they be worth a lot more to me tomorrow."
Like most others, Martens bucked the wind. He also fought off the flu, feeling feverish through most of the day.
"It was a lot of work, I'll be cramping up tonight," he said of his day perched on his boat deck, keeping his balance as he cast into the high winds. "I fought the wind all day long and this cold has me feeling weak."
Martens said his best spot was crossed by a trotline, and he kept tangling his jig in it. He had five or six spots, main lake and in a creek, from which he pulled about 20 keepers.
Randy Howell produced 19-0 Friday on an offshore pattern, almost repeating his 18-11 on Day One.
"Yesterday I had one 7-pounder, and that gave me a lot of my weight," he said. "I had two 5-pounders today and a good, solid bag."

Ish' Whopper!
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

He had 16 to 17 pounds on one spot, but the wind blew too hard and he had to abandon it. He returned to a place he'd hit the first day, where he got one of the 5-pounders.
"I think the sunlight helped, kind of scrapped it out," he said. "I'm hoping for less wind, tomorrow, though."
The day's big bass was a 10-15 by Ish Monroe. The fish put him not only in contention for the Berkley Big Bass of the Tournament bonus of $500, but into the cut at place No. 21 for Saturday's fishing.

FLW Tour on Lake Chickamauga Day 1: Shin Fukae Steals First

Fukae Takes Day 1 with 23-11
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.
FLW Official Press Release

Shinichi leads Lake Chickamauga.
(Photo: Brett Carlson FLW)

Cheez-It pro Shinichi Fukae of Palestine, Texas, crossed the stage Thursday with a five-bass limit weighing 23 pounds, 11 ounces to lead day one of the Walmart FLW Tour on Lake Chickamauga presented by National Guard. Fukae holds a 6-ounce lead over Clifford Pirch of Payson, Ariz., who caught five bass weighing 23-5 in a tournament featuring 154 anglers from all across the country and Canada.


“Two days of practice I was looking for bedding fish,” said Fukae, who said he was surprised he ended the first day of competition in the lead because he spent the day “junk fishing” - fishing using a variety of baits or methods. “But the water level got lower and everything was gone. Then on the third day of practice I found a couple of fish close to the bank. I didn’t have any confidence today, but I do have confidence right now.”


Fukae remained tight-lipped about the methods he used during the first day of competition, although he did say he was fishing near the bank and caught fish both shallow as well as a “little deeper.” Fukae said his bigger fish came in shallow water and looks for the more of the same with the lower water levels on Friday.

Bassmaster Elite TroKar Battle on the Bayou Day 1: Dean Rojas Takes Top Spot

Rojas Sacks 23-01 For First on Toledo Bend
TroKar Battle on the Bayou
Toledo Bend — Many, La.
April 14-17

By Luigi De Rose

One of Toledo Bend's famous stump fields.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

Foggy weather greeted anglers on Day 1 on Toledo Bend. This famed east Texas, stumped filled lake is below normal pool and anglers are met with daunting fishing. Elite pros admit that the lake is full of bass but catching quality fish is the true problem. Scanning through the top 25 places today, its clear that one or two larger bass can really make a difference. The focus on Toledo Bend is not to hope for a giant but to try and find concentrations of 3 to 4 pound bass. Big bass exist in Texas, like Chris Lane of Guntersville, AL netted today's big bass honours with a 7-14 brute.

Day 1 is not the place to find answers. Keen anglers will try to focus on patterns. Will Toledo Bend hold true to the Elite trend of the top anglers being bow to bow? We'll have to wait and see.



Top 25
1 Dean Rojas 5 23- 1 5
2 Fred Roumbanis 5 21- 3
3 Brandon Palaniuk 5 20- 6 
4 Todd Faircloth 5 20- 4 
5 Steve Kennedy 5 20- 0 
6 Ott DeFoe 5 19-11 
7 Gerald Swindle 5 19- 9 
8 Takahiro Omori 5 19- 3 
9 Randy Howell 5 18-11
10 Michael Iaconelli 5 18- 8 
10 Davy Hite 5 18- 8 
10 Rick Morris 5 18- 8  13 Aaron Martens 5 18- 7 
14 Casey Ashley 5 18- 5
15 Jason Williamson 5 17-10
16 Chris Lane 5 17- 2 
16 Paul Elias 5 17- 2
18 Andy Montgomery 5 16-10 
19 Terry Scroggins 5 16- 8 
20 Scott Rook 5 16- 7
21 James Stricklin 5 16- 6
22 Cliff Pace 5 16- 4 
23 Gary Klein 5 15-15
24 Grant Goldbeck 5 15-10 
24 Britt Myers 5 15-10

FLW Tour: Lake Chickamauga

Bassmaster Elite Alabama Charge: Dam Busy

It was that crazy!
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

Once again the trend of 2011 is fishing in a crowd. Since the Bassmaster Classic, the first official Bassmaster tournament of the year, anglers have battled it out bow to bow. This past week at Pickwick Lake was no different. The tail water area below the Wilson Dam was very popular. Surprisingly, during this tournament many of the Top 30 anglers fished it. Each day the water current dictated which areas were fishable. Many anglers targeted the many giant rocks just below the raging waterfall. Others, like Davy Hite, the eventual winner also cast along the dam.

How crazy was it? How crowded was it? Well, It looked more like opening day of trout on a Great Lake tributary river than bass fishing. Instead of wader to wader, it was trolling motor to trolling motor. Many anglers complained of tangling with other competitors. If someone latched into a frisky drum or striper tangles were inevitable. Davy Hite and Keith Poche worked one section of the dam that was only a few yards long. Both has their boats beside each other and cast to the exact same spot.

Photo: James Overstreet (BASS)

Fishing shoulder to shoulder is not for everyone. But, when a win on the Elite tournament trail is possible, anglers have to just deal with it. Once again, the question is raised concerning the possibilities of how good this area could be if an angler had it to them self. After this Pickwick Lake tournament, the chances of anyone getting that fishing hole to yourself is slim to none.


Next week, the Bassmaster Elite anglers are at Toledo Bend in Texas.