SHASTA LAKE, Calif. - While most anglers were catching 30 to 45 bass during Day 1 of the Bassmaster Western Open bass fishing tournament, Fred Roumbanis - the leader of the day - secured his 13-pound-plus bag by catching fewer than nine fish.
"I decided that to be in the final day competition, I needed to concentrate on fewer fish, but bigger fish in the first two days," said Roumbanis, 27. "I needed to get one or two large fish so I could round out the balance of my limit with good, but smaller fish."
The Auburn, Calif., angler was throwing large swim baits, hoping to entice suspended bass to come up from the deep water and strike. While other anglers reported hooking numerous fish in an hour, Roubanis only hooked one fish every hour and a half. His technique was enough to edge second-place Cameron Smith, 29, of Dana Point, Calif., who had 11-8. Smith was just four ounces ahead of third place Jared Lintner, who won the Bassmaster Western Open on Clear Lake last month.
Smith took his first three fish of the day within 20 minutes with a topwater bait. "I really love fishing this lake and even if you don't catch a big fish, the scenery, people in the area and the numbers of fish you can catch make this a great time and a great tournament stop." he said.
Meanwhile, Lintner of Arroyo Grande, Calif., is searching for back-to-back Open wins. "Action first thing this morning was absolutely on fire," he said. "In the first 10 minutes, I had my two largest fish of the day. I spent the rest of my day catching and culling the 35 to 45 fish I caught on a variety of baits."
After Day 2, only the top 35 boaters and non-boaters will fish the last day, with their weights carrying over. The winning boater takes home a $50,000 prize package and the winning non-boater takes a Triton boat with Mercury motor valued at $25,000.
This is the last of three Western Opens that will send the top 15 boaters and non-boaters in the points standings to the Bassmaster Open Championship on the Alabama River, Dec. 1-4, in Prattville, Ala. The top five boaters from that tournament advance to the 2006 Bassmaster Classic, Feb. 24-26, on Lake Tohopekaliga in Kissimmee, Fla.