Kevin VanDam

Rojas’ 18-Pound Day Puts Him Solidly Out Front

August 10, 2008
(bassfan.com, August 10, 2008)

Dean Rojas’ bags at the Oneida Bassmaster Elite Series keep getting bigger and bigger, and they’ve now taken him as high as he can go on the leaderboard. If the phenomenon continues tomorrow, he’ll almost certainly cure his self-described “7-year itch.”

The veteran from Arizona boxed 18-03 today to complete his ascent to the top of the standings (he was 4th after day 1 and 2nd after day 2). It was the biggest stringer of the day by more than 2 pounds, and with a 3-day total of 50-10, he’ll carry an advantage of more than 3 1/2 pounds into the final day.

His closest pursuer is New Jersey’s Mike Iaconelli, the day-2 leader who exchanged places with him today. Ike’s 14-04 bag (which gave him a 47-00 total) was nearly 6 pounds lighter than the one he weighed yesterday, but he attributed much of that to the slick conditions and is confident he can go big once again if the gray, wet weather returns, as expected, tomorrow.

North Carolina’s Kevin Langill caught 14-10 today and remained in 3rd with a 45-14 total. He’s been solid every day, but will likely need to do something spectacular tomorrow to have a shot at his first tour-level win.

http://www.bassfan.com/news_article.asp?id=3001

---