By Jonathan LePera
Special to BassFan


Dean Rojas is no stranger to top tier competitive bass fishing, nor the pressure and expectations that come with it.

He’s qualified for the Bassmaster Classic in 14 of his 17 years on the Bassmaster trail and finishes in the money nearly 70 percent of the time. It wasn’t an easy road, though, for the Southern California native who now calls Lake Havasu City, Ariz., home.

Learning the Game

Rojas credits some West Coast outdoor writers for taking him under their wing early on. They advised him not to worry about the win as much as learning to strategize on how to fish a multiple-day tournament. There were about five techniques he’d learned well that he would use to catch a limit as he worked toward his goal of qualifying for the Classic and hopefully winning an event along the way. It was a year-to-year process getting to where he’s at today.

It’s the second and third years that tend to be the most challenging, Rojas says.

“When these young guys come on the tour, everything is new and exciting, like a brand new girlfriend,” he said. “You have a great year, you have a lot of momentum, then year 2 and 3 come around and all of the sudden, this is becoming a grind. They have to catch them. Sometimes they’ll get sidetracked. It becomes a social event for them where they hang out with other guys and they are getting a little more relaxed and they don’t have the killer instinct anymore.”

The following two years are critical, he says. Learning on the go while managing fish and learning the other anglers are key steps. Anglers must be able to handle the pressures of managing their sponsorship portfolios, the stresses that can come from home, yet keep their goals within reach.

“It’s important to have goals,” he said. “Guys that have gone past the 4- to 5-year mark find a groove. They’re mature enough that they know how to deal with situations on the water and what the fish do. They understand the business side to where they can keep the funding growing. That’s when guys are pretty much established. If they can consistently make the Bassmaster Classic, they can continue doing what they’re doing.”

The Mental Side

Anglers who refuse to change their approach and evolve eventually break down and succumb to the mental pressures of losing to top-level anglers on the tour.

“I feel like I am fishing at my best right now,” Rojas said. “It’s still not good enough. I still have to get better.”

While he’s always trying to hone his craft, he admits it doesn’t take much to motivate him.

“There are certain anglers that I want to beat every time during the tournament,” he added.

Rojas doesn’t hide the fact that he didn’t have a perfect upbringing.

“Growing up poor and not having anything, I feel like I’m one season from losing it all,” he said. “Whether that happens or not, that’s the fear that I have only because of where I grew up from. That motivates me a lot. I don’t ever want to go back to that.”

That’s part of the reason he opts to avoid o the buddy networks and waypoint sharing on tour. He enjoys going it alone. When he does well, it’s by his own design. Same with his failures.

“It’s hard, what I do – I don’t talk to anybody,” he said. “Man, when I find them and I’ve got them, I don’t tell nobody. It’s so cool because I can fish whenever I want to wherever I want to. I feel comfortable in my ability to do that. Some guys don’t have the confidence. A lot of that has to do with my childhood and having to fight for everything in trying to make something out of nothing.”

Meaningful Relationships

Rojas realizes that his sponsors invest good money in him. Not only does he want to prove his worth, he also wants to find success because of the relationships he’s formed with them.

For those who have followed his career, Rojas has had a steady sponsor portfolio that doesn’t change too often.

“Skeeter was the very first boat I bought when I was 18 years old,” he said. “I fell in love with the brand and I am very loyal to my companies. I listen to them and communicate very well with them, with them telling me what they need and I provide that for them.”

When Failure Strikes

Early on, Rojas was his own worst critic. After breaking the B.A.S.S. record for the heaviest five-fish limit at Lake Toho in 2001, the following two years were a grind. He found himself miserable. His wife tried to prod a smile back to his face. He’d be furious with himself because he felt he was letting his sponsors down and that he was underachieving.

Now, he’s learned to let things go.

“The minute I walk off the stage, it’s done and over with,” he said. “I’m done with it. It stops the bleeding.”

Rojas has four B.A.S.S. victories and finishes in the Top 10 in 25 percent of the events he competes in. Still, he’d like to win more than he has, but rather than second-guessing himself, he finds the positives in his consistency.

“Momentum is so big,” he said. “Any time you can bust the Top 10, your confidence is high heading into the next event.”

If he’s struggling, catching a simple limit fish or two helps to break the ice and gain some momentum.

“Your whole demeanor changes, you are more relaxed,” he said.

On day 2 of Elite Series tournaments, Rojas goes for the kill in an effort to make the Top-50 cut. Sometimes, changing conditions or another emerging pattern shifts his mindset to "catch all I can."

“There are mini gambles where I’m willing to burn up an area to get me to Saturday,” he said. “Once Saturday rolls around and you made the cut, you’re going to get paid, earn good points and can’t fall below 50th.”

Saturday then becomes all about making the Top 12.

“On Sunday, you just go for it,” Rojas said. “There’s been a lot of times where I’ve scrapped everything on Sunday and do something totally different because I burned them all up to get to Sunday.”

He’s hoping all those Saturdays and Sundays will one day lead to an Angler of the Year title or a Classic win.

“Those are two big carrots that I want,” he said. “It’s just one fish at a time. I’ll catch my first one, my second one and slowly take it from there.”