November 07, 2023
Fred Roumbanis, the veteran angler from Arkansas, teamed with Bass Fishing Hall-of-Famer David Fritts to finish 4th in the pairs standings at the recent Black Bass World Championship at Lake Sabor in Portugal. They were the most consistent of the three American duos in the event, placing 5th on the first day and 11th in the final round (one day was canceled due to severe weather).
Roumbanis has been a member of the gold medal-winning USA Bass team in three straight editions of the World Championship. In 2022, he teamed with James Watson to capture top honors among pairs.
"I love the format," he said. "I feel like I'm a better international fisherman now than I am against our guys and it's always a huge honor to represent our country going against fishermen of that caliber.
"It's a lot like what we have on the General Tire Team Series – we get to talk by phone during the day and work with each other and make sure we're all catching them. If one (pair) is struggling, the other guys can lead them in the right direction. We can give each other the 'juice' and all the secrets."
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Lake Sabor is a highland reservoir that was impounded less than a decade ago. It reminded Roumbanis of Lake Shasta in his native California, although Sabor is home to only largemouth whereas the bass in Shasta are mostly of the spotted variety.
"All the trees and rocks and runoffs made it look like the Pit River arm at Shasta," he said. "Even though the fish were largemouth, they acted a lot more like spotted bass. It came pretty natural to me because it was the way I grew up fishing."
In the opening round, he caught a 4 1/2-pounder on a topwater plug early in the day and a 4 3/4 on a dropshot from 47 feet of water later in the day.
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"I think that lake is going to be one of the best in the world in the next few years," he concluded. "There's so many fish and so much bait and it's a really healthy environment. The water was so clear that the Garmin LiveScope electronics had the sharpest imagery I've ever seen."
While this year's World Championship played out on a lake that's still in its infancy, the 2024 version will be conducted on one that's been around for centuries. Lake Bolsena, located in the central region of Italy, is that country's largest volcanic lake and is surrounded by historic sites from all periods dating back to the height of the Roman Empire.
Largemouth were introduced to Bolsena in the 1970s and they've been thriving ever since.
"The amount of water in this lake, its morphology and the rich presence of food have meant that our 'green devils' have become truly large and are able to unleash a fighting power that is truly out of the ordinary," said Jimmy Ashlock, the president of MLF Italy since its inception in 2017 and the son of one of Italy's competitive bass fishing pioneers. "Being very deep, this lake has real clean water and it's rich in grass beds and depth changes. The most beautiful seasons for Bolsena are certainly the end of spring (conclusion of the spawn) and fall, when the larger fish become more active."
Ashlock teamed with Luca Vittorio Della Ciana to capture the pairs gold medal in Portugal. Ashlock and Della Ciana primarily fished flatter points in Portugal, targeting bass that were chasing baitfish. The majority of their bites came on spinnerbaits and dropshot rigs.
"We didn't get a lot of bites, but we stuck with our pattern," Ashlock said. "We were convinced that it was the best way to catch the bigger fish. The bite was so slow that I can say it became a mental game."
Ironically, he almost sat out the event. His father, a native of Virginia who spent his career as a member of the U.S. Air Force stationed at Aviano AFB, died just a couple of weeks prior to the World Championship.
"This medal has a very high value for me – I would say a double value – certainly for the sport but above all for my father," he said. "I was in doubt for this Championship because I didn't have the right mood, but I just had the feeling that my father wanted me to be there and I want to think that I had an angel who supported me in this victory.
"This medal is for him. He was super-passionate about this sport and a great teacher in the sport and in life."
The bass fishing world is looking even further on the horizon towards the 2026 Black Bass Fishing World Championship to be held on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas. This iconic venue has hosted top-level bass events for years under the guidance of Visit Hot Springs CEO Steve Arrison and his team. International anglers will show up in record numbers for the event. USA Bass fans will enjoy the plans for an indoor stadium weigh-in and trade show.
