By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor
Dean Rojas has sat atop the Toyota Tundra B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year (AOY) race for the past 2 1/2 months. Now comes the tricky part – maintaining that advantage through a series of tournaments that seemingly don't set up as well for him as the first half of the Bassmaster Elite Series schedule did.
Rojas, whose career-best finish in the Elite points race was a 5th-place showing in 2006, leads a trifecta of anglers who've separated themselves from the rest of the pack as the circuit prepares to head north. The 43-year-old Arizonan has a 3-point edge over Justin Lucas, with two-time AOY Aaron Martens just 1 more point in arrears.
"Winning the Angler of the Year and winning the (Bassmaster) Classic are the two remaining goals I have in this sport," he said. "The desire to achieve those is what drives me and keeps me focused and keeps me at the top of my game. Winning (the AOY) would mean a lot to me.
"There's still a lot more fishing to do, though, and I'm not going to change the way of approaching tournaments I've used for the last 5 years or so, because I've been really consistent. The added pressure isn't really there – I know I just need to stay focused, fish what's in front of me and stay in the here and now."
Schedule's Not Everything
It's easy to point to this year's Elite schedule and say that the three AOY leaders (along with the remainder of the circuit's Western contingent) had a big advantage. Lucas won at the Sacramento River (where he grew up), Martens prevailed at Lake Havasu (where he's competed many times in regional events and won more than his share) and Rojas, who lives just 10 minutes from Havasu, logged Top-6 finishes in both events.
It's hardly that simple, though. For instance, Rojas also turned in his second straight strong finish (19th) at the brutally tough Sabine River and added an 11th at Lake Guntersville – a venue at which anybody who's fished at the tour-level for a handful of years is highly familiar.
He said that from a preparation standpoint, the "home game" at Havasu, where he finished 6th, wasn't nearly the cakewalk for him that it might've appeared to be.
"Don't get me wrong, it was great having an Elite Series event on my home lake, but it kind of threw me a curve," he said. "When I'm at home, I just relax and I take myself out of tournament mode. It's not like when I'm at Kentucky Lake or somewhere and the tournament is front and center all the time.
"I'd start doing things around the house and I'd totally forget about fishing. It was an awkward feeling and one I'd never had before. All things considered, I was happy with my performance."
As is usually the case when an angler is in the midst of a good season, most of his crucial decisions have been spot-on.
Rojas posted Top-6 finishes in both events in his home region.
"There've been times when just a minor adjustment in the last 20 minutes of a day has allowed me to cull up by 3 to 5 pounds, and that's happened more than once. That just shows the value of working hard and keeping my head down and never losing track of where I want to get to.
"It's important to pay close attention to the details and keep working (during) every minute on the clock you're given."
Hopes Prep Time Will Pay Off
The final three regular-season events will be conducted on Northern venues, where Rojas' record is a mixed bag. He's turned in some strong finishes above the Mason-Dixon line, but has also posted some bombs.
Two of the remaining events are at the St. Lawrence River and Lake St. Clair – venues that the circuit visited 2 years ago. Rojas logged finishes of 72nd and 81st, respectively, en route to ending up 26th in the 2013 points.
The third derby still to come in 2015 is at the Chesapeake Bay, where he's never competed.
"I have to do a better job up there this time and I've put in some extra work to accomplish that," he said. "It's been challenging over the years and I want to put all the resources I have into it to give myself every opportunity to succeed.
"It'll be my first time at the Chesapeake and I think that one will set up well for the vast majority of the field. It'll be largemouth-dominated and it's a tidal fishery, and that'll be a big factor. It's a big body of water and there's one good area that'll get quite a bit of attention, but there's also a lot of coves and bays you can catch them in."
Is there one of the three remaining venues that he's particularly looking forward to?
"No, I'm taking them one at a time. Right now, my favorite fishery is the St. Lawrence River. I'll worry about the others when they come around."
Notable
> Rojas and his family recently vacationed in Canada and the Washington, D.C. area. "I'd never seen all those monuments in D.C. before and that was really awesome," he said. "Especially the ones for the Vietnam and Korean wars – seeing them put a lot of things in perspective for me. It made me really appreciate what I have and that gives me a reason to fish even harder."
> His previous visit to the St. Lawrence was a frustrating experience. "On the second day I weighed in three 5-pounders and two 1-pounders for 17 pounds. I was on pace to catch a 25-pound sack, but I just couldn't get those other two bites I needed."
