Terry Scroggins, Kevin VanDam and Dean Rojas all sit in the Top 10 of the Toyota Tundra B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year (AOY) race heading into the final regular-season Elite Series event at Oneida Lake this week. Here’s a quick Q&A with that trio, conducted by industry rep Alan McGuckin.
Coolest thing you did this summer during the long break between the Green Bay and Oneida Elite events?
> Scroggins: I went to the Florida Keys to catch lobster with Kelly Jordon, my family and friends.
> Rojas: I caddied for my 10-year old son in a Junior PGA Championship event.
> KVD: I spent four days chillin’ with family and friends, and smashing the smallmouth on Torch Lake.
Number of hours you drove to get to Oneida?
> Scroggins: I’ve been in that Tundra for 2 days – about 21 hours of driving all together.
> Rojas: Not far, my rig was in Buffalo.
> KVD: I worked a charity event 2 hours this side of home, and then drove another 8 hours to get here.
Three lures you won’t dare leave the dock without at Oneida?
> Scroggins: Pad Crasher frog, 1-ounce jig, and 3/8 ounce Texas-rigged Wooly Bug.
> Rojas: I ain’t sayin’.
> KVD: Frog, Sexy Dawg topwater and a Strike King Rodent for pitching.
What percentage of the winning angler’s creel will be largemouth?
> Scroggins: 70% of the winning creel will be largemouth.
> Rojas: I’m saying 50/50.
> KVD: Smallmouth will dominate. Only 25% of the winning creel will be largemouth.
How many pounds per day will you have to catch to assure yourself a Top-12 finish?
> Scroggins: 14 pounds
> Rojas: 13 to 14 pounds
> KVD: 14 1/2 pounds
What do you enjoy most about this particular tour stop?
> Scroggins: There’s so many fish in this lake.
> Rojas: We always come here at the end of summer and it’s nice and cool and refreshing outside.
> KVD: Catching smallmouth, and eating the walleye we catch in practice.
Most memorable Oneida moment?
> Scroggins: I broke down and was trolling back toward the dock for service when smallmouth started schooling around me. I caught enough of them to finish in the Top 25 despite my engine issues.
> Rojas: Winning here in August of 2008.
> KVD: Catching 75 smallmouth off of one spot in one tournament day.