Yamaha Pros Dominate Elite 12 Standings at Sabine

ORANGE, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Veteran Yamaha Pro Todd Faircloth won the season-opening Bassmaster® Elite tournament on the Sabine River Sunday, March 17, bringing in 14 pounds, 9 ounces the final day for a four-day total of 49 pounds, 6 ounces. Fellow Yamaha Pro Dean Rojas finished second with 42 pounds 12 ounces.

Overall, Yamaha Pros dominated the event, capturing not only first and second, but also fourth through ninth places, as well. Those anglers included Ish Monroe, 4th; Bill Lowen, 5th; Bobby Lane, 6th; Jeff Kriet, 7th; Alton Jones, 8th; and Mark Davis, 9th.

The win was Faircloth’s fourth in the Bassmaster® Elite Series, but it was also his most difficult; his winning weight was the second lowest in Elite history. On Thursday, the opening day of competition, 40 pros either failed to catch a keeper bass or caught only one to bring to the scales.

“It definitely was a grind,” said Faircloth, who caught his fish on soft plastic jerkbaits and stickbaits in water less than eight feet deep. “On the second day I caught 16.5 pounds, all before noon, but on Saturday I only caught four that weighed 7 pounds 14 ounces, while throwing back more than 20 non-keepers.

“Throughout the week I really felt my area had the potential to produce the winning fish, so on Sunday I fished more slowly and as thoroughly and as carefully as I could. I stayed in the same area, a large flat about three-fourths of a mile long, and worked it back and forth all four days. I couldn’t see them, but I’m pretty sure the bass were on spawning beds, because I caught fish that were ready to spawn and others that had already spawned.”

Rojas, who took the opening day lead with 15 pounds, 10 ounces, fell to second the second day when he weighed in just 10-14. He regained the lead by bringing in 11 pounds 14 ounces the third day, but brought in only one bass on Sunday. He caught many of his fish on a plastic frog, but he also had to share his water with two other fishermen.

The pros now head immediately to Lake Falcon in Zapata, Texas, for the second event of the 2013 season, which begins Thursday, March 21. Catches there are expected to be much higher. When the Elite pros last visited Falcon, the winner brought in 132 pounds, 8 ounces, and 10 others topped 100 pounds.

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