When retrieving the Roumba, he advised positioning the rod up, keeping a bow in the line and employing a “super-slow” speed. “The biggest mistake people make is that they try to run it under the water,” he continued. “It wasn’t designed to run under the water. It is a wake bait.”
LIPLESS
The rest of the best lures in the Roumbanis lineup is the Rock N’ Vibe.
“There is just something about that Fire Tiger lipless crankbait in the fall,” he said, “I can catch ‘em on the riprap, on the weed lines, on the inside of the weed lines, on the outside of the weed lines, in the mouths of the lakes, on all tides, I can catch ‘em wherever I go in the country with that,” he said.
Roumbanis ties the Rock N’ Vibe on to 15 lb fluorocarbon, 20 lb co polymer or 40 lb Gliss,
“The Gliss will cut through the vegetation really easily,” he said. “It is the best thing for just rippin’ it out of the grass, but some people don’t prefer the feel of the vibration of the lipless baits, so then the
fluoro is another
option for
them. If I’m
trying to
keep
it up
high,
I
will go with the copolymer, because it gives it more buoyancy with the thicker diameter. Another option is the fluoro. A 15 lb fluorocarbon has the right density and just feels good overall.”
His lipless retrieve can vary, however he explained a particular snappin’ cadence that he frequently puts to work.
“I like to kind of ‘yo-yo’ it, but it is like I am snappin’
it out of the grass, even if there is no grass,”
he explained. “When you get that
rhythm going, the twitch or quick
vibration really triggers fish. The action
mimics a fleeing baitfish.”
FROG
Growing up fishing the Delta, Roumbanis felt a frog was always a favorite lure and that has not changed. His love for fishing the amphibian creature prompted him to develop the Snag Proof “Fred” color.
“The first year that the Fred frog was out, it won more money than any other lure,” he said. “It was about a $1.5 million in its first year, alone.”
Roumbanis credited Snag Proof’s Frog Master Bobby Barrack for his own frog fishing prowess.
“I wouldn’t be the frog fisherman that I am today without getting’ whopped so many times by Bobby,” he said. “That is what made me want to throw it, learn it and master it.
“I have to give some credit to Ish Monroe too. I fished a team tournament with Ish years ago and learned a few things. I will never forget, I watched him shake off 35 lbs at Clear Lake, without setting the
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