MORGAN CITY, La. — Bites were more frequent for Fred Roumbanis today as he extended his lead in the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open on the Atchafalaya Basin in Louisiana.
After catching only six bass the first day of the tournament, Roumbanis had a more productive day Friday, amassing a 16-pound, 6-ounce limit to extend his lead in the pro division with 35-15.
“I was going to scrap what I found the first day because I didn’t catch a lot, but I decided to start there again,” Roumbanis said. “I caught a 4-pounder immediately, so I put my head down and caught just five fish all day.”
Most of what he caught were small fish, and he also lost one big bass, so the London, Ark., pro made some adjustments that triggered more bites today. “I really slowed down and fished more methodically and changed the sizes of my weights and trailers,” Roumbanis said.
When the action stopped around 2 p.m., Roumbanis went scouting for new areas. He didn’t find anything worth revisiting on Saturday.
Roumbanis plans on sticking with his primary spot, but he will also try a point where he caught several small bass because he thinks it probably holds some big fish as well.
“I have one other area that is on the opposite side of where I am fishing, but I am going to start (Saturday) where I have been catching them,” he said.
Local favorite Greg Hackney continued to hold second place after catching another double-digit limit to finish the day with 29-10. The Gonzalez, La., pro said he lost some time this morning when he ran into heavy fog. “That took me about 30 minutes longer to get to where I have been going,” he said.
He still caught his bass mainly in the morning despite the later start.
“I am still catching plenty of fish, but I am getting a lot of weird bites — kind of mealy mouthed,” he said. “The fish just aren’t real aggressive.”
The former Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year is fishing different areas every day.
“I am kind of running a pattern in a big area,” Hackney said. “When I practiced in there I didn’t fish all of it, so now I know what to look for.”
The rest of the Top 5 pro anglers include Derek Hudnall, Baton Rouge, La., third place, 29-1; Cody Bird, Granbury, Texas, fourth, 29-0; and David Cavell, Prairieville, La., fifth, 28-14.
Catching another limit helped Blake Naquin of Thibodaux, La., stay in first place in the co-angler division with 16-14. While fishing in the Bayou Black area, Naquin finished his limit around noon and then caught a “few more knotheads” (small fish) the rest of the day.
Hunter Parra of Houma, La., continues to lead in the pro division for the Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award with his 7-12 largemouth. Vincent Todaro of Luling, La., took over the lead in the co-angler division for the Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award with a 4-5 largemouth.
Hosting this Open is the Cajun Coast Visitors & Convention Bureau (www.cajuncoast.com).
Saturday’s launch will be held at the Jesse Fontenot Memorial Boat Landing. The final weigh-in will move to the Bass Pro Shops at 175 Bass Blvd. in Denham Springs and will begin at 4:45 p.m. CT.