Meet Fishing Champion Dean Rojas
Dean is originally from Mineola, New York, but discovered bass fishing later in his childhood home of San Diego.
He joined WON Pro-Am bass tournaments as an amateur at first, but quickly went pro and started winning. It was then that he bought his home in Lake Havasu City.
What does Dean Rojas think about Lake Havasu?
“When I decided to make a career in professional bass fishing at the age of 18, growing up in Southern California was not the most popular choice of places to start. I quickly learned that in order to learn everything I would need to know about bass fishing, I would need to move away from San Diego. Lake Havasu City had been a destination that I often visited. The vast shorelines, beautiful scenery, and great bass fishing it offered was a southwestern paradise. So, in the summer of 1998, my wife and I decided to uproot from San Diego and make the move to Lake Havasu City. This decision, I believed, would give me a great opportunity to strengthen by bass fishing knowledge and skills, giving me a boost for my career in the sport of bass fishing. I knew that if I was going to have success as a professional angler, Lake Havasu would be the perfect training ground with its wide array of fishing venues available. Fishing on Lake Havasu has given me the opportunity to learn, and perfect, the many fishing strategies that I need at the multiple tournament fishing arenas I visit each year. In addition, Lake Havasu hosts many fishing tournaments throughout the year, from local fishing club events to top tier Bassmaster Elite Series events that are televised on ESPN.Lake Havasu has so much to offer for the recreational angler. Whether you are fishing for bluegill, striper, or large and smallmouth bass, its crystal clear waters allow you see an amazing aquatic world. You can easily become immersed in the beauty of what Lake Havasu has to offer. With multiple launch ramps surrounding the lake, it is very easy to get out on the water for a day of phenomenal fishing, or other fun water activity I have been a resident of Lake Havasu City for nearly 18 years now, and not a day goes by that I don't feel like I'm still in paradise.”
Rojas placed second overall in the first Bassmaster Elite Series event of 2013, the Sabine River Challenge in Orange, Tex., and sat 9th out of 100 pros in the series.
“It’s fun to see how successful people are fishing here.”Dean Rojas
Dean has some tips for anglers visiting Lake Havasu:
“It’s a great lake, and the fish are not hard to catch, you just need right gear for the right day – ask John Galbraith at BassTackleMaster in town, and he’ll have information on what’s up with the lake that day. Make sure you’re prepared for the weather,” he added.
In 2014, Bassmaster Magazine ranked Havasu as 20th out of the top 100 bass lakes in the entire U.S.
Rojas has his own lure design, a Topwater frog made by Spro which retails for just over $10. The lure has been highly successful, with 500,000 sold since 2006.
For more about Dean, visit his website, www.deanrojas.com.
