With a catch of 18-4 Friday for a two-day total of 30-9, the pro from Bixby, Okla., kept two South Carolina challengers at bay, but just barely. Eight ounces back was Casey Ashley of Donalds, S.C., who put up 30-1 for two days. A home-lake favorite, Davy Hite of Ninety Six, S.C., fell one spot into third with 29-7 after two days.
Fourth and fifth places were secured by pros from Missouri: Brian Snowden with 28-5, and Rick Clunn with 27-12.
Roumbanis struggled on the first day, but was able to turn it around and establish a pattern he said is strong enough to carry him to a repeat win. He encountered a slight hitch: The pattern drew strikes from stripers, too.
“It was a little slow because I started catching striped bass. Every time I’d hook a fish, I’d say, ‘Please be a bass, please be a bass.’”
But after about two hours of fishing, the fish he was hooking into began to be largemouth. The action picked up speed, and it was success for the remainder of the day.
“I caught a good 15-pound bag in an hour,” he said. “And then it really picked up even more.”
He said his pattern held from spot to spot, producing a fish every time he put the trolling motor down.
At one point in the day, he tried to catch a fish that wrapped a tree and broke off the first day. He made up for it Friday by patiently playing a 4-pounder that was wrapped in a tree in deep water, probably a Christmas tree someone planted as a fish attractor, he said.
“I hooked it and could feel it getting stuck in something. I could look down and see the tree. I held there for 15 minutes, going back and forth on the trolling motor to make it move just a little each time. I knew it was a big one.”
The bass popped free from the tree branch, and Roumbanis reeled it in. Added to a 5-5 earlier, he was pumped for the day.
“It’s so much easier when you can catch a couple big ones from the get-go,” said Roumbanis, whose 2008 win on Murray was his most recent Bassmaster win, and first Elite-level victory.
South Carolina native Ashley climbed from seventh place to take the runner-up position. His second-day bag was 15-4, not too off from his first-day catch of 14-13, but it carried him past others who were not as consistent.
Ashley keyed on the early morning blueback herring bite.
“I got a big bite this morning,” he said. “I watched that fish come up, blowing bait on a point, five times yesterday, but I couldn’t get her to bite. This morning, I pulled in there and pretty much just waited for it to come up.”
Ashley patiently waited five minutes, and the fish hit the bait as soon as it hit the water on the first cast. He said he could see other fish on the same spot, but he could not get them to bite.
“These banks have been beat by everybody throwing topwaters, everybody throwing flukes,” he said. “The fish are still there, they are just very educated.”
Hite, who lived in Prosperity before moving to the nearby town of Ninety Six, fell one place Friday with 13-0, not as good as his first day of 16-7. He’s confident he can move back up.
“I missed a couple opportunities,” he said. “You don’t get many opportunities for good quality fish, and yesterday I capitalized on the ones that bit, today I didn’t.
He said the bass are “hook-shy” due to pressure and don’t commit to the bait, so it’s easy to lose one.
Friday’s biggest bass, a 5-9, was by Dean Rojas, the winner of April’s Battle on the Bayou in Louisiana. Thursday’s biggest bass of 6-9 brought in by Day One leader Jami Fralick still holds the lead in the Big Bass of Tournament competition for a $500 bonus.
The competition for $100,000 and an instant entry into the 2012 Bassmaster Classic will continue Saturday with the top 50 finishers from Friday. The field will cut to the top 12 for Sunday’s competition.
Free and open to the public, the 3 p.m. ET weigh-ins will be at Dreher Island State Recreation Area on Lake Murray.
DAY 2 STANDINGS- CAROLINA CLASH
2011 Carolina Clash - Columbia, SC 5/12-5/15
Lake Murray, Columbia SC.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 10 30-09 305
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 18-04
2. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 10 30-01 295
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 15-04
3. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 10 29-07 290
Day 1: 5 16-07 Day 2: 5 13-00
4. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 10 28-05 285
Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 5 13-01
5. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 10 27-12 280
Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 5 12-00
6. Jeff Connella Bentley, LA 10 27-09 276
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 13-05
7. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 10 26-15 272
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 13-02
8. Kevin Wirth Crestwood, KY 10 26-14 268
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 13-03
9. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 10 26-09 264
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 12-04
10. Jami Fralick Martin, SD 10 26-05 265
Day 1: 5 17-09 Day 2: 5 08-12
11. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 10 26-05 257
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 14-07
12. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 10 26-02 254
Day 1: 5 12-15 Day 2: 5 13-03
13. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 10 26-00 251
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 5 12-15
14. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 10 25-09 248
Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 5 10-15
15. Dustin Wilks Rocky Mount, NC 10 25-08 245
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 11-06
16. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 10 25-07 243
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 5 15-10
17. Morizo Shimizu Matsugaoka JAPAN 10 25-07 241
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 5 11-11
18. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC 10 25-04 239
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 5 15-02
19. David Smith Del City, OK 10 24-13 237
Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 5 11-11
20. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 10 24-12 235
Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 5 10-13
21. Nate Wellman Newaygo, MI 9 24-12 233
Day 1: 5 10-08 Day 2: 4 14-04
22. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 10 24-07 231
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 10-03
23. Clark Reehm Lufkin, TX 10 23-15 229
Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 5 11-05
24. Dean Alexander Georgetown, TX 10 23-12 227
Day 1: 5 12-12 Day 2: 5 11-00
25. Rick Morris Virginia Beach, VA 10 23-10 225
Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 5 11-00
26. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 10 23-04 223
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 11-04
26. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 10 23-04 223
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 11-04
28. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 10 23-04 219
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 09-10
29. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 10 23-02 217
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 5 13-02
30. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 10 22-15 215
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 08-15
31. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 10 22-12 213
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 5 11-03
32. Peter E Thliveros St Augustine, FL 10 22-09 211
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 5 10-07
33. John Murray Phoenix, AZ 10 22-09 209
Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 5 10-02
34. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 10 22-08 207
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 5 10-09
35. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 10 22-07 205
Day 1: 5 12-12 Day 2: 5 09-11
36. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 9 22-05 203
Day 1: 4 07-14 Day 2: 5 14-07
37. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 10 22-00 201
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 08-13
38. Matt Reed Madisonville, TX 10 21-15 199
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 09-01
39. Kelly Jordon Palestine, TX 10 21-15 197
Day 1: 5 11-10 Day 2: 5 10-05
40. Lee Sisson Winter Haven, FL 10 21-13 195
Day 1: 5 09-12 Day 2: 5 12-01
41. John Crews Salem, VA 10 21-13 193
Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 5 06-02
42. Terry Butcher Talala, OK 10 21-11 191
Day 1: 5 08-09 Day 2: 5 13-02
43. Bobby Lane Lakeland, FL 10 21-11 189
Day 1: 5 09-00 Day 2: 5 12-11
44. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 10 21-08 187
Day 1: 5 10-14 Day 2: 5 10-10
45. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 10 21-04 185
Day 1: 5 10-10 Day 2: 5 10-10
46. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 10 21-04 183
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 5 08-09
47. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 8 21-01 181
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 3 07-00
48. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 10 20-15 179
Day 1: 5 09-14 Day 2: 5 11-01
49. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 10 20-12 177
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 06-10
50. David Walker Sevierville, TN 10 20-10 175
Day 1: 5 10-10 Day 2: 5 10-00
51. Randy Howell Springville, AL 9 20-09 173
Day 1: 4 10-11 Day 2: 5 09-14
52. Keith Poche Troy, AL 10 20-06 171
Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 5 07-13
53. Kevin Short Mayflower, AR 10 20-05 169
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 5 08-10
54. Billy McCaghren Mayflower, AR 10 20-02 167
Day 1: 5 08-07 Day 2: 5 11-11
55. Derek Remitz Grant, AL 10 20-02 165
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 09-01
56. Timmy Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 10 19-12 163
Day 1: 5 11-03 Day 2: 5 08-09
57. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 9 19-10 161
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 4 05-14
58. Shaw E Grigsby Gainesville, FL 10 18-13 159
Day 1: 5 09-12 Day 2: 5 09-01
59. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 7 18-09 157
Day 1: 3 06-10 Day 2: 4 11-15
60. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 7 18-01 155
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 2 02-09
61. Dave Wolak Wake Forest, NC 10 17-14 153
Day 1: 5 11-03 Day 2: 5 06-11
62. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 10 17-04 151
Day 1: 5 08-01 Day 2: 5 09-03
63. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 10 17-00 149
Day 1: 5 09-03 Day 2: 5 07-13
64. Pete Ponds Madison, MS 10 16-13 147
Day 1: 5 07-11 Day 2: 5 09-02
65. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 10 16-10 145
Day 1: 5 09-02 Day 2: 5 07-08
66. Ben Parker Union City, TN 10 16-09 143
Day 1: 5 08-08 Day 2: 5 08-01
67. Jason Quinn Lake Wylie, SC 8 16-06 141
Day 1: 3 04-14 Day 2: 5 11-08
68. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 10 16-03 139
Day 1: 5 08-15 Day 2: 5 07-04
69. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 10 16-01 137
Day 1: 5 09-08 Day 2: 5 06-09
70. Zell Rowland Austin, TX 9 16-00 135
Day 1: 5 09-12 Day 2: 4 06-04
71. Kenyon Hill Norman, OK 9 15-12 133
Day 1: 4 07-12 Day 2: 5 08-00
72. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 9 15-08 131
Day 1: 5 09-11 Day 2: 4 05-13
73. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 9 15-06 129
Day 1: 5 08-13 Day 2: 4 06-09
74. Dennis Tietje Roanoke, LA 10 15-05 127
Day 1: 5 07-00 Day 2: 5 08-05
75. Craig Schuff Watauga, TX 9 15-02 125
Day 1: 4 07-00 Day 2: 5 08-02
76. Russell Parrish Riesel, TX 8 15-02 123
Day 1: 4 05-11 Day 2: 4 09-07
77. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 8 15-00 121
Day 1: 5 08-02 Day 2: 3 06-14
78. Travis Manson De Pere, WI 9 14-12 119
Day 1: 4 05-02 Day 2: 5 09-10
79. Scott Ashmore Broken Arrow, OK 10 14-11 117
Day 1: 5 06-01 Day 2: 5 08-10
80. Matt Herren Trussville, AL 8 14-03 115
Day 1: 3 05-02 Day 2: 5 09-01
81. Pat Golden High Point, NC 7 13-06 113
Day 1: 2 02-02 Day 2: 5 11-04
82. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 10 13-05 111
Day 1: 5 07-10 Day 2: 5 05-11
83. Matt Greenblatt Port St Lucie, FL 9 12-04 109
Day 1: 5 08-03 Day 2: 4 04-01
84. Denny Brauer Camdenton, MO 10 12-01 107
Day 1: 5 05-14 Day 2: 5 06-03
85. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 5 12-01 105
Day 1: 5 12-01 Day 2: 0 00-00
86. James Stricklin Texarkania, TX 7 11-13 103
Day 1: 2 02-01 Day 2: 5 09-12
87. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, AL 7 11-12 101
Day 1: 2 03-13 Day 2: 5 07-15
88. Alton Jones Waco, TX 9 11-11 99
Day 1: 4 05-05 Day 2: 5 06-06
89. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 8 10-14 97
Day 1: 3 03-14 Day 2: 5 07-00
90. Chad Griffin Cresson, TX 5 10-12 95
Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 0 00-00
91. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 6 10-08 93
Day 1: 4 07-10 Day 2: 2 02-14
92. Ryan Said Wixom, MI 8 10-07 91
Day 1: 4 04-08 Day 2: 4 05-15
93. Jonathon VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 8 10-06 89
Day 1: 4 05-12 Day 2: 4 04-10
94. Bradley Hallman Norman, OK 5 09-11 87
Day 1: 5 09-11 Day 2: 0 00-00
95. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 7 09-08 85
Day 1: 3 05-08 Day 2: 4 04-00
96. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, GA 6 09-02 83
Day 1: 5 07-14 Day 2: 1 01-04
97. Brent Broderick Oregonia, OH 6 07-00 81
Day 1: 2 03-06 Day 2: 4 03-10
98. Grant Goldbeck Boerne, TX 3 05-15 79
Day 1: 1 01-02 Day 2: 2 04-13
99. Boyd Duckett Demopolis, AL 1 01-11 77
Day 1: 1 01-11 Day 2: 0 00-00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 78 455 1009-07
2 77 446 905-14
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155 901 1915-05