COLUMBIA, S.C. - Getting all the fish that bit into the boat made the difference Saturday for Fred Roumbanis of Bixby, Okla., as he claimed the lead heading into the final day of the Carolina Clash bass fishing tournament on Lake Murray. Roumbanis' five-fish limit of 20 pounds, 9 ounces was enough to withstand a hard charge by Auburn, Ala.'s Steve Kennedy, who climbed to second with the of the day: 22 pounds, 4 ounces, the biggest of the tournament thus far.
Roumbanis, who started the day tied for 15th, has a three-day total of 48-15, while Kennedy had 48-8 as he shot up from 31st.
"Yesterday, I definitely had the bites to be leading it," Roumbanis said. "But I totally failed on those opportunities. Today I got them in the boat."
Roumbanis, 30, said he went against the grain Saturday, giving up on the blueback herring that Lake Murray bass feed on primarily, instead seeking out the bluegill. Saturday's clear skies and sunshine helped, too, as Roumbanis said he was waiting for those conditions all week. He used a bait and rod that he designed himself.
"It's pretty cool that I was able to catch fish on something that I came up with," he said. "There's so much water, if you don't have the right water, too bad. I had to figure out the right color, I went through half a dozen baits to even figure out which one worked."
Roumbanis is going after his second Bassmaster Elite Series win, worth $100,000 and valuable points in the Bassmaster Angler of the Year race. Coming into the Carolina Clash, he was 20th in the standings, while Kennedy was in a three-way tie for 37th. 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 had a few unlucky breaks Thursday and Friday, with a local on his preferred spot Thursday morning and other pros already on some spots he wanted to fish Friday. But Saturday, he returned to those spots.
"I got on that first spot this morning and I had that 5-14," Kennedy said of his first fish, which won him the $1,000 bonus for Purolator Big Bass of the day. "I had another 4 ½, I had four keepers off the first stop, on the second stop I caught another 4-pounder.
"I've only caught two since 8 o'clock. That's just how this bite is, when it's slicked over and all those boats start getting out there, waking everything, it got painful tough."
Kennedy caught all of his keepers Saturday on four different baits.
Rounding out the top five were Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., in third with 47-2 overall, Brian Snowden of Reed Springs, Mo., in fourth with 46-5 and Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla., in fifth with 45-9.
The top 12 anglers who will compete on the final day Sunday include local favorite Davy Hite of Ninety Six, S.C., tied for sixth with 45-1; three-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year Kevin VanDam, in 11th with 42-11; and Day 1 leader Grant Goldbeck, in eighth with 44-5. The 2007 Bassmaster Angler of the Year, Skeet Reese, finished 22nd with 39-9, and 2008 Bassmaster Classic champion Alton Jones ended up 48th with 29-5.
In the co-angler division, Virginia's Jeff Freeman, who was the only amateur to bring a five-fish limit to the scales all three days, surged to take the victory Saturday with 38-2 overall to claim the top prize of $25,000. Freeman won the 2007 BASS Federation Nation Championship, which afforded him a slot in February's 2008 Bassmaster Classic in Greenville, S.C. He finished 28th in the Classic. This was his second co-angler victory in the Elite Series format.
Two-day leader Travis McDermott of Georgia finished second with 33-7 overall, and South Carolina's Clay Lowder was third with 30-4. Other co-angler finishes of note included Alton Jones Jr., tied for 32nd with 14-8 overall, and Mary Delgado, who finished 34th with 14-6.
2008 Carolina Clash 5/15-5/18
Lake Murray, Columbia S.C.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, Okla. 15 48-15
Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 5 13-02 Day 3: 5 20-09
2. Steve Kennedy Auburn, Ala. 15 48-08 $2,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 5 15-04 Day 3: 5 22-04
3. Aaron Martens Leeds, Ala. 15 47-02
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 5 16-07 Day 3: 5 18-12
4. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, Mo. 15 46-05 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 18-11 Day 3: 5 13-13
5. Edwin Evers Talala, Okla. 15 45-09
Day 1: 5 19-05 Day 2: 5 14-10 Day 3: 5 11-10
6. Bradley Hallman Norman, Okla. 15 45-01
Day 1: 5 16-12 Day 2: 5 14-04 Day 3: 5 14-01
6. Davy Hite Ninety Six, S.C. 15 45-01
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 10-10 Day 3: 5 19-04
8. Grant Goldbeck Gaithersburg, Md. 13 44-05 $2,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-04 Day 2: 5 14-00 Day 3: 3 10-01
9. Dave Wolak Wake Forest, N.C. 15 43-14 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 18-08 Day 3: 5 10-09
10. Kelly Jordon Mineola, Texas 14 43-12
Day 1: 5 17-13 Day 2: 5 12-05 Day 3: 4 13-10
11. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, Mich. 15 42-11
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 14-10 Day 3: 5 16-01
12. Ish Monroe Hughson, Calif. 15 42-00
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 9-15 Day 3: 5 18-00
13. Mark Tucker Saint Louis, Mo. 15 41-12 251 $10,800.00
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 13-08 Day 3: 5 14-11
14. Matthew Sphar Pavilion, N.Y. 15 41-11 248 $10,700.00
Day 1: 5 18-14 Day 2: 5 9-13 Day 3: 5 13-00
15. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, Ala. 14 41-10 245 $10,600.00
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 5 14-11 Day 3: 4 15-04
16. Marty Robinson Lyman, S.C. 15 41-04 243 $10,500.00
Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 5 13-05 Day 3: 5 13-05
17. Greg Hackney Gonzales, La. 15 41-03 241 $10,500.00
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 16-00 Day 3: 5 11-01
18. Rick Morris Virginia Beach, Va. 14 41-01 244 $10,500.00
Day 1: 5 18-00 Day 2: 5 17-07 Day 3: 4 5-10
19. Boyd Duckett Demopolis, Ala. 14 41-00 237 $10,500.00
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 5 16-11 Day 3: 4 12-13
20. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, Ark. 14 40-13 235 $10,500.00
Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 5 16-06 Day 3: 4 6-00
21. James Niggemeyer Van, Texas 14 40-03 233 $10,250.00
Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 4 9-06 Day 3: 5 16-03
22. Skeet Reese Auburn, Calif. 15 39-09 231 $10,250.00
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 15-15 Day 3: 5 10-05
23. Casey Ashley Donalds, S.C. 14 39-07 229 $10,250.00
Day 1: 4 13-05 Day 2: 5 13-06 Day 3: 5 12-12
24. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, Okla. 15 38-10 227 $10,250.00
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 14-15 Day 3: 5 11-05
25. Corey Waldrop Fort Worth, Texas 14 38-06 225 $10,250.00
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 12-12 Day 3: 4 11-13
26. Chris Lane Lakeland, Fla. 15 38-05 223 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-10 Day 2: 5 10-05 Day 3: 5 9-06
27. Dustin Wilks Rocky Mount, N.C. 15 38-03 221 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 14-10 Day 3: 5 10-09
28. Byron Velvick Del Rio, Texas 13 37-15 219 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 3 10-13 Day 3: 5 13-14
29. Matt Amedeo Clinton, Ohio 15 37-13 217 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-01 Day 2: 5 14-02 Day 3: 5 13-10
30. Jeff Connella Bentley, La. 15 37-12 215 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 5 11-08 Day 3: 5 11-11
31. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, Calif. 15 37-08 213 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-02 Day 2: 5 13-14 Day 3: 5 12-08
32. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, Ariz 13 36-09 211 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 5 13-09 Day 3: 3 9-12
33. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, Fla. 15 36-03 208 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 8-05 Day 2: 5 16-09 Day 3: 5 11-05
33. Jeremy Starks Charleston, W.Va. 14 36-03 208 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-12 Day 2: 5 10-05 Day 3: 4 8-02
35. Bobby Lane Lakeland, Fla. 15 36-02 205 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 5 12-09 Day 3: 5 10-01
36. Pete Ponds Madison, Miss. 15 35-10 203 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 5 12-12 Day 3: 5 11-15
37. John Murray Phoenix, Ariz. 15 35-09 201 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 5 16-15 Day 3: 5 6-00
38. Mike Wurm Hot Springs, Ark. 15 35-08 198 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 9-09 Day 3: 5 9-12
38. Todd Faircloth Jasper, Texas 15 35-08 198 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 7-05 Day 2: 5 17-12 Day 3: 5 10-07
40. Jami Fralick Martin, S.D. 12 34-15 195 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 15-12 Day 3: 2 3-12
41. Ken Cook Lawton, Okla. 15 33-02 192 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 5 10-14 Day 3: 5 8-08
41. Kenyon Hill Norman, Okla. 14 33-02 192 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 5 11-07 Day 3: 4 8-07
43. Kurt Dove Fairfax, Va. 15 32-12 189 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 9-05 Day 3: 5 8-11
44. Russ Lane Prattville, Ala. 12 32-06 187 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-04 Day 2: 3 7-05 Day 3: 4 6-13
45. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, Kan. 15 31-15 185 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 13-14 Day 3: 5 5-03
46. Peter Thliveros St Augustine, Fla. 13 31-03 183 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 5 10-06 Day 3: 3 5-08
47. Jon Bondy Windsor, Canada 10 29-07 181 $10,000.00
Day 1: 3 8-02 Day 2: 5 15-03 Day 3: 2 6-02
48. Alton Jones Waco, Texas 12 29-05 179 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-07 Day 2: 5 8-05 Day 3: 2 4-09
49. Mark Davis Mount Ida, Ark. 12 29-03 177 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 5 12-02 Day 3: 2 2-07
50. Bryan Hudgins Orange Park, Fla. 12 28-09 175 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 13-06 Day 3: 2 2-00
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Purolator Big Bass
Day
1 Grant Goldbeck Gaithersburg, Md. 8-07 $1,000.00
2 Dave Wolak Wake Forest, N.C. 6-08 $1,000.00
3 Steve Kennedy Auburn, Ala. 5-14 $1,000.00
Berkley Big Bag
Day
1 Grant Goldbeck Gaithersburg, Md. 20-04 $1,000.00
2 Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, Mo. 18-11 $1,000.00
3 Steve Kennedy Auburn, Ala. 22-04 $1,000.00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 86 500 1229-05
2 86 496 1194-07
3 33 220 553-12
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205 1216 2977-08
2008 Elite Series - Carolina Clash CO 05/15-05/18
Lake Murray, Columbia S.C.
(NON-BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Jeff Freeman Max Meadows, Va. 15 38-02 0 $25,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-04 Day 2: 5 15-07 Day 3: 5 12-07
2. Travis McDermott Kennesaw, Ga. 14 33-07 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 13-13 Day 3: 4 5-15
3. Clay Lowder Mayesville, S.C. 14 30-04 0 $5,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 5 8-02 Day 3: 4 9-07
4. Lane Wright Loganville, Ga. 12 28-03 0 $3,500.00
Day 1: 5 10-01 Day 2: 4 10-01 Day 3: 3 8-01
5. Mike Kirkley Gastonia, N.C. 13 24-01 0 $3,000.00
Day 1: 5 9-03 Day 2: 4 6-10 Day 3: 4 8-04
6. Paul Ham West Columbia, S.C. 11 21-06 0 $3,000.00
Day 1: 5 7-06 Day 2: 2 2-14 Day 3: 4 11-02
7. Chris Jones Conway, S.C. 14 21-05 0 $2,250.00
Day 1: 5 7-05 Day 2: 5 6-09 Day 3: 4 7-07
8. Jason Seaton Martinsville, Ind. 7 21-03 0 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 1 6-01 Day 3: 1 4-03
9. Chris Gould Martinez, Ga. 10 20-13 0 $1,750.00
Day 1: 5 7-05 Day 2: 3 8-12 Day 3: 2 4-12
10. Chad Kallina Nada, Texas 10 20-04 0 $1,375.00
Day 1: 3 6-01 Day 2: 3 5-10 Day 3: 4 8-09
10. Mike Lewis Ponca City, Okla. 8 20-04 0 $1,375.00
Day 1: 3 8-05 Day 2: 4 8-15 Day 3: 1 3-00
12. Barry Hooper Monticello, Ga. 10 19-15 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 3 2-11 Day 2: 5 11-15 Day 3: 2 5-05
13. Dane Odom Irmo, S.C. 13 19-12 0 $750.00
Day 1: 3 4-09 Day 2: 5 8-14 Day 3: 5 6-05
14. Joel Etheredge Springville, Ala. 10 19-11 0 $750.00
Day 1: 3 6-05 Day 2: 5 10-10 Day 3: 2 2-12
15. Wayne Hauser Mooresville, N.C. 12 19-07 0 $750.00
Day 1: 3 3-05 Day 2: 5 9-08 Day 3: 4 6-10
16. Bob Sanders Ulmer, S.C. 12 19-05 0 $750.00
Day 1: 5 7-08 Day 2: 4 4-06 Day 3: 3 7-07
17. Brent Laney Pauline, S.C. 11 19-03 0 $750.00
Day 1: 5 11-02 Day 2: 5 7-00 Day 3: 1 1-01
18. Brian Purvis Eastover, S.C. 10 19-01 0 $750.00
Day 1: 4 8-12 Day 2: 1 1-04 Day 3: 5 9-01
19. Steve Hauge Savage, Minn. 10 18-13 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 4 7-13 Day 2: 1 1-12 Day 3: 5 9-04
20. Kelly Wolfe Eagle Springs, N.C. 8 18-07 0 $750.00
Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 1 1-10 Day 3: 2 4-10
21. Mike Baumgardner Enoree, S.C. 12 18-04 0 $750.00
Day 1: 4 6-07 Day 2: 4 5-07 Day 3: 4 6-06
22. Marcos Malucelli Fort Mill, S.C. 10 17-13 0 $750.00
Day 1: 5 8-08 Day 2: 1 2-13 Day 3: 4 6-08
23. Lad Hunter Conway, S.C. 8 17-12 0 $750.00
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 1 2-03 Day 3: 2 2-05
23. Mike Frazier Clermont, Fla. 7 17-12 0 $750.00
Day 1: 3 10-13 Day 2: 2 3-02 Day 3: 2 3-13
25. William Wilson Lexington, S.C. 10 16-06 0 $750.00
Day 1: 1 3-05 Day 2: 5 6-09 Day 3: 4 6-08
26. David Whyte Augusta, Ga. 6 15-14 0 $500.00
Day 1: 2 5-13 Day 2: 3 9-02 Day 3: 1 0-15
27. Patrick Brown Swainsboro, Ga. 9 15-12 0 $500.00
Day 1: 5 7-05 Day 2: 3 5-15 Day 3: 1 2-08
28. Lancen Halbert Enoree, S.C. 9 15-07 0 $500.00
Day 1: 3 5-07 Day 2: 5 8-01 Day 3: 1 1-15
29. Chris Heath North Augusta, S.C. 9 15-00 0 $500.00
Day 1: 4 4-00 Day 2: 4 8-01 Day 3: 1 2-15
30. Ron Chapman Lake Quivira, Kan. 8 14-13 0 $500.00
Day 1: 4 10-01 Day 2: 2 2-14 Day 3: 2 1-14
31. Brian Easler Inman, S.C. 7 14-11 0 $500.00
Day 1: 1 1-10 Day 2: 5 11-03 Day 3: 1 1-14
32. Joseph Kastner Leesville, S.C. 10 14-08 0 $500.00
Day 1: 2 3-04 Day 2: 5 7-08 Day 3: 3 3-12
32. Alton Jones Woodway, Texas 8 14-08 0 $500.00
Day 1: 5 8-05 Day 2: 1 2-03 Day 3: 2 4-00
34. Mary Delgado Tampa, Fla. 7 14-07 0 $500.00
Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 1 2-08 Day 3: 1 1-00
35. Harold Chapman Greenville, S.C. 9 14-06 0 $500.00
Day 1: 4 8-00 Day 2: 3 3-09 Day 3: 2 2-13
36. Harry Parten Sweet Water, Ala. 6 14-03 0 $500.00
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 0 0-00 Day 3: 1 1-14
37. Michael Stephenson Bahama, N.C. 7 13-07 0 $500.00
Day 1: 4 6-12 Day 2: 1 4-08 Day 3: 2 2-03
38. Brad Smith Clarks Hill, S.C. 9 12-12 0 $500.00
Day 1: 1 2-08 Day 2: 5 5-08 Day 3: 3 4-12
39. Derrick Bridges Greenville, S.C. 6 12-06 0 $500.00
Day 1: 4 6-02 Day 2: 2 6-04 Day 3: 0 0-00
40. Michael Reed Schellsburg, Pa. 7 11-14 0 $500.00
Day 1: 5 10-11 Day 2: 0 0-00 Day 3: 2 1-03
41. Scott McGregor Warrenville, S.C. 9 10-15 0 $500.00
Day 1: 4 3-14 Day 2: 3 4-14 Day 3: 2 2-03
42. Kevin Gordon Aiken, S.C. 5 10-12 0 $500.00
Day 1: 4 8-10 Day 2: 0 0-00 Day 3: 1 2-02
43. John Farr Anderson, S.C. 5 10-11 0 $500.00
Day 1: 3 7-11 Day 2: 1 1-12 Day 3: 1 1-04
44. Jerry Minnick Irmo, S.C. 5 9-13 0 $500.00
Day 1: 1 2-12 Day 2: 3 5-10 Day 3: 1 1-07
45. Bobby Purvis Eastover, S.C. 6 9-12 0 $500.00
Day 1: 3 4-11 Day 2: 3 5-01 Day 3: 0 0-00
46. Charles Pruitt Greenwood, S.C. 6 9-10 0 $500.00
Day 1: 3 5-06 Day 2: 2 2-10 Day 3: 1 1-10
47. Bill Harvey Grovetown, Ga. 7 9-04 0 $500.00
Day 1: 1 1-01 Day 2: 5 6-12 Day 3: 1 1-07
48. James Anderson Hialeah, Fla. 7 9-02 0 $500.00
Day 1: 5 6-12 Day 2: 1 1-09 Day 3: 1 0-13
49. John Yarbrough Columbia, S.C. 5 8-09 0 $500.00
Day 1: 4 5-07 Day 2: 1 3-02 Day 3: 0 0-00
50. Bill Todd Elmvale, Canada 3 8-03 0 $500.00
Day 1: 3 8-03 Day 2: 0 0-00 Day 3: 0 0-00
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Purolator Big Bass
Day
1 Steve Hauge Savage, Minn. 5-04 $250.00
1 Jeff Snyder New Market, Md. 5-04 $250.00
2 Jason Seaton Martinsville, Ind. 6-01 $500.00
3 Paul Ham West Columbia, S.C. 5-00 $500.00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 22 273 502-12
2 13 209 380-06
3 4 112 205-10
----------------------------------
39 594 1088-12