California’s Fred Roumbanis Takes Commanding Lead in Bassmaster American
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Bassmaster Elite Series pro Fred Roumbanis of Auburn, Calif., didn’t catch many keepers on Lake Townsend during the third day of the Bassmaster American presented by Advance Auto Parts, but the quality fish he put in the livewell gave him a commanding lead of more than 5 pounds over Brian Snowden of Reeds Spring, Mo., heading into the tournament’s final-day showdown among the six advancing anglers.
Their weights zeroed at the start of the day and most of the 12 anglers struggled on Townsend, a 1,500-acre water supply reservoir in Greensboro that was divided into a six-hole course for Saturday’s action. The 51 pros who started the tournament spent the first two days at High Rock Lake.
Roumbanis had just three keepers, but they weighed a total of 14 pounds, 10 ounces, enough for a comfortable cushion over Snowden, who was the only angler to bring a five-fish limit to the scales Saturday.
Coverage of the Bassmaster American presented by Advance Auto Parts can be seen on ESPN2 at 9 a.m. ET Saturday, May 26.
“I’m not catching many fish, but they’re big fish,” said Roumbanis, whose 6-pound, 3-ounce bass earned him his second consecutive Purolator Big Bass award a day after he pulled a 6-pound, 6-ounce bass from High Rock.
The 28-year-old angler said the two $1,000 premiums were going to be put to good use in a bank account for his first son, Jackson, who is due Monday.
“He’s going to have two grand in his bank account and he’s not even born,” said an excited Roumbanis, who is seeking his first BASS win.
The other anglers advancing to the final day of action were Mike McClelland of Bella Vista, Ark., in third with 5 pounds, 14 ounces; Mark Tucker of Saint Louis, Mo., in fourth with 5 pounds, 9 ounces; Ish Monroe of Hughson, Calif., in fifth with 4 pounds, 15 ounces; and John Murray of Phoenix, in sixth with 2 pounds, 13 ounces.
As they did Saturday, the anglers will rotate through the six holes on the Townsend course on the final day.
Roumbanis didn’t expect to be fishing Saturday, let alone Sunday. After a tough first day on High Rock Lake he was in 30th place, and had packed up his things and was ready to make the drive back to California.
“I was just going to fish and go,” Roumbanis said. “Then I made the cut.”
Having his mind on something other than fishing may be helping his performance, Roumbanis said.
“It might be the baby,” said Roumbanis, who caught two of his keepers on a drop-shot rig and the other sight-fishing. “I’m not stressing because I’m so excited about having the baby. Throughout the day I’m thinking about taking him fishing and then I stumble across something.
“It kind of mellows me out.”
Snowden, also seeking his first BASS win, said he got off to a slow start, and had only two keepers heading into the final fishing segment, during which anglers can fish any hole they choose. Casting a Senko around stumps and laydowns he caught three more keepers during the “happy hour.”
“It took me until the end of the day to finally figure out how to catch some,” said the 34-year-old Snowden, who added he felt he could catch Roumbanis as long as he gets a few big bites. “Anyone can have a good day out there.
“And anyone can go out there and zero.”
Meanwhile, Landon Siggers of Danville, Va., won the 7-10 age division with 100 points at the Bassmaster CastingKids competition staged Saturday at the Greensboro Convention Complex. Darius Davis of Raleigh, N.C., was the champion of the 11-14 age division with 100 points. The winners will move on to the state CastingKids semifinals later this year.
Weigh-ins of the fourth day of the Bassmaster American presented by
Advance Auto Parts will begin at 4 p.m. ET Sunday from the Greensboro
Coliseum and can be viewed at
www.espnoutdoors.com. Fans can visit
www.espnoutdoors.com and watch “Hooked Up” as a preview to the final
weigh-in. Tommy Sanders and Mark Zona host.
For related photos of the event, click here
Purolator Big Bass
Pro: Fred Roumbanis, Auburn, Calif.; 6-3
Location
and Field
Bassmaster American
High Rock Lake: Days 1 & 2
Lake Townsend: Days 3 & 4
Greensboro, NC
May 17-20, 2007
Field
51 pro anglers
Cut to top 12 after Day 2
Cut to top 6 after Day 3
Launch
Days 1 & 2
Southmont Abbots Creek
US Coast Guard Auxiliary
1 Wildlife Recreation Access Rd.
Southmont, NC 27351
6:15 a.m. ET
Days 3 & 4
Lake Townsend Marina
6332 Townsend Road
Brown Summit, NC 27214
6:15 a.m. ET
Weigh-in
Greensboro Coliseum Complex
1921 West Lee Street
Greensboro, NC 27403
4 p.m. ET
Local Sponsors: Local sponsors include the Greensboro Sports Commission and The Greensboro Convention & Visitor’s Bureau.
Bassmaster Majors Sponsors: Sponsors of the Bassmaster Majors include Toyota Tundra, Purolator, Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Berkley, Advance Auto Parts, Lowrance Electronics, MotorGuide, Costa Del Mar, Ramada Worldwide and Evan Williams Bourbon.
For more information, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208 or visit www.bassmaster.com. Visit www.espnmediazone.com for ESPN's latest releases, schedules and other news, plus photos, video and audio clips and more.
BASS is the worldwide authority on bass fishing, sanctioning more than 20,000 events through the BASS Federation Nation annually. Guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans, BASS sets the standard for credibility, professionalism, sportsmanship and conservation, as it has for nearly 40 years.
BASS stages bass fishing tournaments for every skill level and culminates with the Bassmaster Classic. Through its clubs, youth programs, aquatic resource advocacy, magazine publishing and multimedia platforms, BASS offers the industry's widest array of services and support to its nearly 530,000 members. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.
2007 Bassmaster Majors
May 17-20 Bassmaster American, High Rock Lake Greensboro, N.C.
July 26-29 Bassmaster Memorial, Oneida Lake Syracuse, N.Y.
Aug. 23-26 Bassmaster Legends, Arkansas River Little Rock, Ark.
2007 Bassmaster American 5/17-5/20
High Rock Lake, Greensboro NC.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Fred Roumbanis Auburn, CA 3 14-10 0 0
Day 1: 4 11-09 Day 2: 4 16-11 Day 3: 3 14-10
2. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 5 09-00 0 0
Day 1: 5 18-10 Day 2: 5 21-09 Day 3: 5 09-00
3. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 4 05-14 0 0
Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 5 11-14 Day 3: 4 05-14
4. Mark Tucker Saint Louis, MO 3 05-09 0 0
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 14-02 Day 3: 3 05-09
5. Ishama Monroe Hughson, CA 2 04-15 0 0
Day 1: 5 11-12 Day 2: 5 17-03 Day 3: 2 04-15
6. John Murray Phoenix, AZ 2 02-13 0 0
Day 1: 4 14-01 Day 2: 5 19-08 Day 3: 2 02-13
7. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 2 02-12 0 16250
Day 1: 5 19-08 Day 2: 5 13-15 Day 3: 2 02-12
7. Lee Bailey Boaz, AL 2 02-12 0 16250
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 13-04 Day 3: 2 02-12
9. Ray Sedgwick Cross, SC 2 02-04 0 15500
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 5 15-11 Day 3: 2 02-04
10. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 1 02-01 0 15000
Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 12-09 Day 3: 1 02-01
11. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 1 01-03 0 13100
Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 5 13-10 Day 3: 1 01-03
12. Dean Rojas Grand Saline, TX 0 00-00 0 13000
Day 1: 3 08-01 Day 2: 5 21-09 Day 3: 0 00-00
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Big Bass
Day
1 Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 06-09 $1000
2 Fred Roumbanis Auburn, CA 06-06 $1000
3 Fred Roumbanis Auburn, CA 06-03 $1000
Big Bag
Day
1 Edwin Evers Talala, OK 19-08 $1000
2 Dean Rojas Grand Saline, TX 21-09 $1000
2 Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 21-09 $1000
3 Fred Roumbanis Auburn, CA 14-10 $1000
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 38 224 588-15
2 37 217 558-06
3 1 27 53-13
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76 468 1201-02