For much of the year, Major League Fishing pro, Fred Roumbanis, is traveling the country and fishing the professional tournament schedule. During the offseason, he's likely on the water and often fishes around his home near Arkansas' Lake Dardanelle. In fact, as he picked up the phone for this interview, he was launching his boat on his adopted home lake with his son, Jackson.
A post-trip report confirmed that the duo fished Fred's plan described below and had success during the cold weather trip. The program included a heavy dose of jerkbait fishing with the help of his Garmin LiveScope and some shallow cranking, something Roumbanis has found to work just about anywhere this time of year.
Forward-Facing Has Changed the Jerkbait Game
The use of forward-facing sonar has dramatically changed how bass target bass and it has also altered how anglers look at bass behavior.
"This time of year, I spend a lot of time searching for individual fish and making casts to them with a jerkbait," said Roumbanis. "It's a lot like hunting and you are always searching for those clouds of bait because those fish are so keyed in on shad out deep this time of year. It's so much fun chasing those single fish and tricking them into biting."
Roumbanis' jerkbait of choice is the ima Flit 120, the same bait Fred's son Jackson used to double up on bass during their recent trip. "It's a really good jerkbait that will dive deeper than a lot of similar-sized baits," he said. "It will reach 6 to 8 feet deep, a couple of feet deeper than other baits on the market without going to a deep-diving version. That little extra depth is important for many of those fish you see on your Livescope around bait, and I'll add some #5 Hayabusa TBL930 trebles to give the bait a little more weight and get down just a little bit more."
When casting toward fish that he can see on his screen, Roumbanis says that one of the most critical factors is casting distance. To ensure he maximizes it, he downsizes his line and uses a soft rod.
"When the water is denser because it's cold, a lighter fluorocarbon, whether it's 8 or 10-pound test, will get down your bait down much deeper than 12-pound test," he said. "I like a 6-foot, 9-inch Sixgill Heimdall jerkbait rod because it has a softer tip and casts the baits extremely well and the Flit is already a great casting bait. Good casting distance helps you reach more of those fish you see a way out there on your screen."
One tool that has greatly helped Roumabanis be more effective with his Flit 120 jerkbait while watching his graphs. He has a piece of equipment from All Aboard Marine called the All Scan transducer mounting system.
"Whether you are on a ball of bait or trying to stay on a brush pile, it keeps your LiveScope focused directly on the target," he said. "It's independent of your trolling motor, so you can still hit Anchor Lock and not lose picture of what the fish are on. It lets you stay on fish much longer and stay in one spot."
Shallow Cranking
Besides throwing a jerkbait, Roumbanis also searches for a shallow bite; most of the time; he searches for some mixture of rock as it holds more heat.
"I always keep an eye on the shallow bite because you can find some aggressive fish that are only up there to feed," he said. "A crankbait is a good tool because you can cover a lot of water and find the best areas and most aggressive fish."
Roumbanis employs different baits based on the action he's seeking, from a crawfish imitator with a bigger kick to a flat-sided bait for a tighter action.
"Everyone uses all of the wart-style baits when the water is cold, especially in clear water around rocks," he said. "My favorite bait with that same action and profile is the ima Pinjack 200. It gives the fish a little different look than what others are throwing and does very well with a nice, slow winding retrieve."
As the water temperature tips into the 40s, Roumbanis opts for a flat-sided bait like the ima Shaker. "It's a great shallow bait when the water is cold and really does 'shake' more than other flat-sides," he said. "It's not your typical flat-side, but still has that great tight action that fish want when the water is cold."
During the winter, Fred Roumbanis significantly reduces his tackle selection and generally sticks with the baits that have proven themselves every winter. Using crankbaits around shallow structure and pairing a jerkbait with his forward-facing sonar is about all he needs to have success, even on the coldest days of the year.
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