COLUMBIA, S.C. – Confidence, luck with a frog and a big fish he named “Shug” did the trick Sunday for Fred Roumbanis of Bixby, Okla., as the Day 3 leader carried through to win the Carolina Clash presented by Evan Williams Bourbon on Lake Murray. Roumbanis brought a five-fish limit of 17 pounds, 14 ounces, to the weigh-in stage on Day 4 of the event, holding off Alabama’s Steve Kennedy for another day.
Roumbanis finished with 66-13 overall, while Kennedy ended up with 65-4. Rounding out the top five were Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla., with 64-13, local favorite Davy Hite of Ninety Six, S.C., with 64-1, and Bradley Hallman of Norman, Okla., with 63-5.
Fishing fans can watch the on-the-water action from the Carolina Clash on The Bassmasters, which airs Saturday, May 24, at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN2. As always, streaming video of the daily weigh-ins in addition to photo galleries and analysis can be accessed on www.Bassmaster.com.
Roumbanis, 29, said confidence was key for him throughout the tournament as he fished differently than most of his competitors. He threw a frog all day Sunday and got roughly one bite per hour, and he landed the Purolator Big Bass of the day, at 6 pounds, 13 ounces.
“It really, truly makes me feel like I’m a pretty good angler,” he said. “I feel like I can trust my own instincts and run with it, not worry about what everyone else is doing, what the typical pattern is on the lake.
“There’s so many pieces to the puzzle, there’s probably five different patterns at any body of water you go to. This is just one of those different patterns.”
The 6-13 largemouth, which gave him the boost in confidence that he would bring a good bag to the weigh-in stage, was one he believed bit for him every day he fished Lake Murray this week.
“I kept getting one giant bite around that vicinity,” Roumbanis said of the fish he named. “I just wanted it to give me some sugar, get in the livewell, so we named it ‘Shug.’ ”
With the win, Roumbanis takes home $100,000 and valuable points in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year race. He is ninth in the standings now with 1,341 points, just 134 behind new AOY points leader Mike McClelland of Bella Vista, Ark. Coming into the Carolina Clash, Roumbanis was 20th in the standings. The top 37 at the end of the season will qualify for the 2009 Bassmaster Classic, set for Feb. 20-22 on Louisiana’s Red River.
Kennedy said he went looking Saturday and found productive spots while the water was slick and calm, in preparation for the final day, but he struggled early Sunday, going without a fish from his first spot.
“I managed to catch a limit,” Kennedy said of his limit Sunday that weighed 16-12. “I think I caught all my weight off of new spots … there was one spot that I caught a fish off of that I caught them on previously.”
Kennedy caught his biggest fish of the day, a 5-pounder, on a jig – a bait a lot of other pros struggled with on Lake Murray.
“As long as the wind was blowing, I could catch them on it,” he said. “They were just the right bites. There’s all those fish out there and you’re making that first cast and you’re getting a 4- or 5-pounder instead of a 2- or 3-pounder throwing the jig, that’s the key to it.”
Evers had the Berkley Big Bag of the final day with his 19-4, and Day 1 leader Grant Goldbeck’s 8-7 lunker caught Thursday held on to earn him the Purolator Big Bass of the tournament and the additional $1,000 bonus.
Next, the Elite Series circuit will visit Alabama’s Lake Wheeler on June 5-8 for the seventh event of 11. Bobby Lane, 12th in the AOY standings, leads the Advance Auto Parts Rookie of the Year race over Texan Billy Brewer.
The local sponsor of the Carolina Clash is Capital City/Lake Murray Country RTB.
For more information, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208 or visit Bassmaster.com. Visit ESPNMediaZone.com for ESPN’s latest releases, schedules and other news, plus photos, video, audio clips and more.
Sponsors of the Bassmaster Elite Series include Toyota Tundra, Advance Auto Parts, Berkley, Lowrance, Mercury, Purolator, Skeeter, Yamaha, Evan Williams Bourbon, Longhorn, OPTIMA Batteries, Triton Boats, Costa Del Mar, MotorGuide and Ramada Worldwide.
About BASS
For 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. With its considerable multi-media platforms and expansive tournament trail, BASS is guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer and comprehensive web properties in Bassmaster.com and ESPNOutdoors.com, the organization is committed to delivering content true to the lifestyle. Additionally, television programming on ESPN2 continues to provide relevant content from tips and techniques to in-depth tournament coverage to passionate audiences.
The organization oversees the prestigious Bassmaster tournament trail which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, Women's Bassmaster Tour and the Bassmaster Classic, the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing. Through its grassroots network, the BASS Federation Nation, BASS sanctions more than 20,000 events annually.
BASS also offers an array of services to its more than 525,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.
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