Kevin VanDam

California anglers thrive on Day One of the Bassmaster Legends

August 24, 2007
(espnoutdoors.com, August 24, 2007)

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — It would be generous to say Lake Dardanelle looked like the California Delta on Thursday, but a glance at the leaderboard and it doesn’t seem like too much of a stretch.

Fred Roumbanis, a recent transplant from Calfornia to Oklahoma, took the lead in the Bassmaster Legends presented by Ramada Worldwide with a 20-pound, 5-ounce bag on Day One, and he has a few of his old neighbors following close behind. Ish Monroe, of Hughson, Calif., sits in third with 18-5 and the winner of the Elite Series tournament on the California Delta earlier this season, Aaron Martens, is in sixth with 16-0.

“I was just going back to my roots from fishing Clear Lake and the Delta,” Roumbanis said. “I had no idea what to expect, but when I got here, I saw the grass and I felt right at home. There’s current, it’s a river, and I’m basically just finding areas that have a distinct river ledge or drop off in a creek.”

Roumbanis said he didn’t even know Dardanelle was a part of the Arkansas River before he pulled into town and started looking at some maps. Three days later, he had it figured out better than every angler in the 50-man field, including four guys who currently call Arkansas home — Scott Rook, Mike McClelland, Stephen Browning and Mike Wurm.

http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/tournaments/majors/news/story?id=2989016

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