First cast! JVD

Jonathon VanDam wins the "First cast photo to make it on the Dardanelle live blog" award. Sorry, JVD, we don't have a prize for that. 

Rojas taking no chances

Dean Rojas is taking no chances with check-in time. At 2:30 he gave us the done sign, cranked up the motor and headed in.   He doesn't have a 3-pounder...

Rojas moving around

Dean Rojas just made two short moves north from the mouth of Housen Creek. I'm talking real short. He hit one spot for a few pitches, then idled over to...

Rojas will battle to end

Dean Rojas just had what has been a flurry for him today — a brief hookup and then catching one that didn't help him. Rojas is only about 10 minutes...

An Overstreet moment

Photographer James Overstreet and I were having a shorebird discussion, since several species have been "fishing" near Dean Rojas. Neither one of us knew conclusively the species of our discussion....

Rojas culls up by ounces

Dean Rojas just caught his sixth fish of the day. It allowed him to cull up by ounces. In this tournament, where lunkers have been game-changers, that could be a...

Big possums walk late

The late baseball announcer Harry Caray was best known for his “Holy Cow!” phrase that signaled a home run by the home team. But my favorite was: “Big possums walk...

Rojas has thrown a frog this week

Dean Rojas has caught some fish on a frog this  week, just not the Spro frog most recognize him for. It's a soft plastic Big Bite Baits Fightin' Frog that...

Rojas has five for 10 pounds

James Overstreet and I are finally back on Dean Rojas. It took a while, but we decided to stick with him because he has the best chance of still winning...

Ashley attracting a crowd

Casey Ashley returns to the spot we found him at more than an hour ago. Offshore, he is targeting some humps in 10 feet of water slow-rolling a crankbait. He...