Story and Photos by Alan McGuckin
Van
Halen’s chart-topping 1984 hit “Jump” blared overhead as Dean Rojas jumped in
victorious joy at the Bassmaster Elite Series tournament on Toledo Bend.
Seconds
later his thoughts turned to the man he had just outmatched by a mere ounce.
Rojas
is a Van Halen fan, but he’s also a fan of Gerald Swindle. “I wish Gerald was
still standing here, I’d give him a big ole hug,” said Rojas. Then Swindle, a
sportsman to the core, heard the comment and walked back on stage to allow
Rojas the chance. The two instantly shared an embrace anchored in respect.
Backstage,
Rojas again repeated his compassion for Swindle. “Gerald is a friend,” Rojas said with deep
sincerity. “We share Quantum and Oakley as sponsors, so we spend a lot of time
together working for the same companies. And losing by an ounce is as tough as
it gets,” said Rojas.
Not
far away, Swindle held his head high, and kept life in perspective as his
gorgeous wife LeAnn and loyal dog Myrick stood waiting patiently while “The G
Man” smiled and signed autographs for dozens of fans that seemed to simply
treasure a moment with him.
Minutes
earlier Swindle described the details of his outstanding week to the media. “I
was primarily fishing a jerkbait on 12-pound Vicious line with a 6.3:1 Quantum
Smoke reel and a 7-foot medium action Smoke Rod. I made repeated casts into points with enough
of a curved bend in them to catch the wind. If the wind was blowing across or over the point, it wasn’t nearly as
good. I’d sit out there and make repeated long casts at those points that the
wind was blowing into, and if there was a drop in depth in the wind blown bend
of those points -- that’s where I’d get bit,” explained Swindle.
“I’m
not out here to beat Dean, KVD or anybody else. I fish within myself. It was Dean’s tournament to win,” concluded
Swindle.
