FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Confidence, luck with a frog and a big fish he named “Shug” did the trick Sunday for Fred Roumbanis of Bixby, Okla., as the Day 3 leader carried through to win the Carolina Clash presented by Evan Williams Bourbon on Lake Murray. Roumbanis brought a five-fish limit of 17 pounds, 14 ounces, to the weigh-in stage on Day 4 of the event, holding off Alabama’s Steve Kennedy for another day.

Roumbanis finished with 66-13 overall, while Kennedy ended up with 65-4. Rounding out the top five were Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla., with 64-13, local favorite Davy Hite of Ninety Six, S.C., with 64-1, and Bradley Hallman of Norman, Okla., with 63-5.

Fishing fans can watch the on-the-water action from the Carolina Clash on The Bassmasters, which airs Saturday, May 24, at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN2. As always, streaming video of the daily weigh-ins in addition to photo galleries and analysis can be accessed on www.Bassmaster.com.

Roumbanis, 29, said confidence was key for him throughout the tournament as he fished differently than most of his competitors. He threw a frog all day Sunday and got roughly one bite per hour, and he landed the Purolator Big Bass of the day, at 6 pounds, 13 ounces.

“It really, truly makes me feel like I’m a pretty good angler,” he said. “I feel like I can trust my own instincts and run with it, not worry about what everyone else is doing, what the typical pattern is on the lake.

“There’s so many pieces to the puzzle, there’s probably five different patterns at any body of water you go to. This is just one of those different patterns.”

The 6-13 largemouth, which gave him the boost in confidence that he would bring a good bag to the weigh-in stage, was one he believed bit for him every day he fished Lake Murray this week.

“I kept getting one giant bite around that vicinity,” Roumbanis said of the fish he named. “I just wanted it to give me some sugar, get in the livewell, so we named it ‘Shug.’ ”

With the win, Roumbanis takes home $100,000 and valuable points in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year race. He is ninth in the standings now with 1,341 points, just 134 behind new AOY points leader Mike McClelland of Bella Vista, Ark. Coming into the Carolina Clash, Roumbanis was 20th in the standings. 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 said he went looking Saturday and found productive spots while the water was slick and calm, in preparation for the final day, but he struggled early Sunday, going without a fish from his first spot.

“I managed to catch a limit,” Kennedy said of his limit Sunday that weighed 16-12. “I think I caught all my weight off of new spots … there was one spot that I caught a fish off of that I caught them on previously.”

Kennedy caught his biggest fish of the day, a 5-pounder, on a jig – a bait a lot of other pros struggled with on Lake Murray.

“As long as the wind was blowing, I could catch them on it,” he said. “They were just the right bites. There’s all those fish out there and you’re making that first cast and you’re getting a 4- or 5-pounder instead of a 2- or 3-pounder throwing the jig, that’s the key to it.”

Evers had the Berkley Big Bag of the final day with his 19-4, and Day 1 leader Grant Goldbeck’s 8-7 lunker caught Thursday held on to earn him the Purolator Big Bass of the tournament and the additional $1,000 bonus.

Next, the Elite Series circuit will visit Alabama’s Lake Wheeler on June 5-8 for the seventh event of 11.  Bobby Lane, 12th in the AOY standings, leads the Advance Auto Parts Rookie of the Year race over Texan Billy Brewer.  

The local sponsor of the Carolina Clash is Capital City/Lake Murray Country RTB.

For more information, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208 or visit Bassmaster.com. Visit ESPNMediaZone.com for ESPN’s latest releases, schedules and other news, plus photos, video, audio clips and more.

Sponsors of the Bassmaster Elite Series include Toyota Tundra, Advance Auto Parts, Berkley, Lowrance, Mercury, Purolator, Skeeter, Yamaha, Evan Williams Bourbon, Longhorn, OPTIMA Batteries, Triton Boats, Costa Del Mar, MotorGuide and Ramada Worldwide.

Location and Field
Carolina Clash presented by Evan Williams Bourbon
Lake Murray
Columbia, S.C.
May 15-18, 2008

Field
108 pros, 108 co-anglers
Cut to top 50 pros and co-anglers after Day 2
Cut to top 12 pro anglers after Day 3

Launch/Weigh-in
Lake Murray Marina & Yacht Club
Irmo, S.C.
6:30 a.m./ 3 p.m.

2008 Bassmaster Elite Series Event Tournament Locations/Dates

March 6-9   Sunshine Showdown   Harris Chain of Lakes   Leesburg, Fla.

March 13-16  Citrus Slam    Kissimmee Chain    Lake Wales, Fla.

April 3-6    Lone Star Shootout    Falcon Lake     Zapata, Texas

April 10-13  Battle on the Border    Lake Amistad      Del Rio, Texas

May 1-4    Pride of Georgia    Clarks Hill Lake   Evans, Ga.

May 15-18   Carolina Clash     Lake Murray      Columbia, S.C.

June 5-8   Southern Challenge  Wheeler Lake     Decatur, Ala.

June 12-15   Bluegrass Brawl    Kentucky Lake    Gilbertsville, Ky.

June 26-29   River Rumble     Mississippi River    Fort Madison, Iowa

July 31- Aug. 3 Empire Chase   Lake Erie/Niagara River Buffalo, N.Y.

Aug. 7-10  Champion’s Choice   Oneida Lake    Syracuse, N.Y.

About BASS

For 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. With its considerable multi-media platforms and expansive tournament trail, BASS is guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer and comprehensive web properties in Bassmaster.com and ESPNOutdoors.com, the organization is committed to delivering content true to the lifestyle. Additionally, television programming on ESPN2 continues to provide relevant content from tips and techniques to in-depth tournament coverage to passionate audiences.

The organization oversees the prestigious Bassmaster tournament trail which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, Women’s Bassmaster Tour and the Bassmaster Classic, the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing. Through its grassroots network, the BASS Federation Nation, BASS sanctions more than 20,000 events annually.

BASS also offers an array of services to its more than 525,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.

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2008 Elite Series – Carolina Clash PRO 05/15-05/18 Lake Murray, Columbia  S.C.
(PRO Division) Standings Day 4
 
   Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$
 
1.  Fred Roumbanis         Bixby, Okla.           20  66-13  310  $101,000.00
  Day 1: 5   15-04    Day 2: 5   13-02    Day 3: 5   20-09    Day 4: 5   17-14  
2.  Steve Kennedy          Auburn, Ala.           20  65-04  295   $42,000.00
  Day 1: 5   11-00    Day 2: 5   15-04    Day 3: 5   22-04    Day 4: 5   16-12  
3.  Edwin Evers            Talala, Okla.          20  64-13  290   $26,000.00
  Day 1: 5   19-05    Day 2: 5   14-10    Day 3: 5   11-10    Day 4: 5   19-04  
4.  Davy Hite              Ninety Six, S.C.       20  64-01  285   $18,000.00
  Day 1: 5   15-03    Day 2: 5   10-10    Day 3: 5   19-04    Day 4: 5   19-00  
5.  Bradley Hallman        Norman, Okla.          20  63-05  280   $17,000.00
  Day 1: 5   16-12    Day 2: 5   14-04    Day 3: 5   14-01    Day 4: 5   18-04  
6.  Brian Snowden          Reeds Spring, Mo.      20  61-12  276   $16,500.00
  Day 1: 5   13-13    Day 2: 5   18-11    Day 3: 5   13-13    Day 4: 5   15-07  
7.  Kelly Jordon           Mineola, Texas         19  61-08  272   $15,000.00
  Day 1: 5   17-13    Day 2: 5   12-05    Day 3: 4   13-10    Day 4: 5   17-12  
8.  Kevin VanDam           Kalamazoo, Mich.       20  59-15  268   $14,500.00
  Day 1: 5   12-00    Day 2: 5   14-10    Day 3: 5   16-01    Day 4: 5   17-04  
9.  Aaron Martens          Leeds, Ala.            19  56-07  264   $14,000.00
  Day 1: 5   11-15    Day 2: 5   16-07    Day 3: 5   18-12    Day 4: 4    9-05  
10. Dave Wolak             Wake Forest, N.C.      20  55-04  260   $14,500.00
  Day 1: 5   14-13    Day 2: 5   18-08    Day 3: 5   10-09    Day 4: 5   11-06  
11. Ish Monroe             Hughson, Calif.        20  53-02  257   $12,500.00
  Day 1: 5   14-01    Day 2: 5    9-15    Day 3: 5   18-00    Day 4: 5   11-02  
12. Grant Goldbeck         Gaithersburg, Md.      16  52-11  259   $15,300.00
  Day 1: 5   20-04    Day 2: 5   14-00    Day 3: 3   10-01    Day 4: 3    8-06  
———————————————————————–
 
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
 4   Fred Roumbanis   Bixby, Okla.        6-13  $1,000.00
 
Purolator Big Bass of Tournament
Grant Goldbeck        Gaithersburg, Md.   8-07  $1,000.00
 
Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year Leader
Todd Faircloth        Jasper, Texas             $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
 4   Edwin Evers      Talala, Okla.       19-04  $1,000.00
 
Berkley Big Bag of Tournament
Steve Kennedy         Auburn, Ala.        22-04 $10,000.00
 
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
 1       86       500      1229-05
 2       86       496      1194-07
 3       33       220       553-12
 4       10        57       181-12
———————————-
        215      1273      3159-04

2008 Carolina Clash – Carolina Clash Pro Points After Lake Murray, Columbia, S.C.  Ending 05-18-2008, Day 4
——————————————-
Place  Name               St            Pts
——————————————-
  1 Mike McClelland       Ark.         1475
  2 Todd Faircloth        Texas        1465
  3 Skeet Reese           Calif.       1435
  4 Kevin VanDam          Mich.        1423
  5 Dean Rojas            Ariz.        1406
  6 Kenyon Hill           Okla.        1378
  7 Edwin Evers           Okla.        1357
  8 Alton Jones           Texas        1342
  9 Fred Roumbanis        Okla.        1341
 10 Rick Morris           Va.          1329
 10 Mark Davis            Ark.         1329
 12 Bobby Lane            Fla.         1314
 13 Scott Rook            Ark.         1310
 14 Casey Ashley          S.C.         1300
 15 Brian Snowden         Mo.          1283
 16 Bryan Hudgins         Fla.         1260
 17 Ish Monroe            Calif.       1234
 18 Randy Howell          Ala.         1232
 19 Derek Remitz          Ala.         1226
 20 Jared Lintner         Calif.       1215
 21 Steve Kennedy         Ala.         1211
 22 Bernie Schultz        Fla.         1207
 23 Aaron Martens         Ala.         1197
 24 Terry Scroggins       Fla.         1196
 25 Dave Wolak            N.C.         1195
 26 Kelly Jordon          Texas        1188
 27 Kotaro Kiriyama       Ala.         1187
 28 Gary Klein            Texas        1181
 29 Davy Hite             S.C.         1151
 30 Britt Myers           S.C.         1149
 31 Kevin Short           Ark.         1147
 32 Michael Iaconelli     N.J.         1145
 33 Dustin Wilks          N.C.         1144
 34 Bill Lowen            Ohio         1139
 35 Byron Velvick         Texas        1136
 36 Morizo Shimizu        Japan        1112
 37 Brent Chapman         Kan.         1103
 38 Bradley Hallman       Okla.        1091
 39 Chris Lane            Fla.         1081
 40 Denny Brauer          Mo.          1080
 41 Jason Williamson      S.C.         1078
 42 Shaw Grigsby          Fla.         1053
 43 Greg Hackney          La.          1049
 44 Tommy Biffle          Okla.        1045
 45 Jason Quinn           S.C.         1037
 45 Russ Lane             Ala.         1037
 47 Takahiro Omori        Texas        1035
 48 Boyd Duckett          Ala.         1024
 49 Mike Wurm             Ark.         1021
 50 Mark Menendez         Ky.          1006
 51 Billy Brewer          Texas        1005
 52 Ray Sedgwick          S.C.         1002
 53 Jeff Kriet            Okla.        1001
 54 Timmy Horton          Ala.          998
 55 Scott Campbell        Mo.           993
 56 Kevin Wirth           Ky.           991
 56 John Crews            Va.           991
 58 Peter Thliveros       Fla.          989
 59 Cliff Pace            Miss.         985
 60 Matthew Sphar         N.Y.          970
 61 Preston Clark         Fla.          967
 62 Gerald Swindle        Ala.          960
 63 Marty Stone           N.C.          931
 64 Jay Fuller            Okla.         928
 65 Wade Grooms           S.C.          923
 66 Brian Clark           Texas         920
 67 Greg Gutierrez        Calif.        914
 68 Marty Robinson        S.C.          911
 69 Mark Tucker           Mo.           900
 70 Jeff Connella         La.           894
 71 Matt Reed             Texas         888
 71 Jami Fralick          S.D.          888
 73 Clark Reehm           Ark.          884
 74 Jon Bondy             Canada        881
 75 James Niggemeyer      Texas         867
 76 Jeff Reynolds         Okla.         862
 76 Rick Clunn            Mo.           862
 78 Stephen Browning      Ark.          845
 79 Kurt Dove             Va.           842
 80 Paul Elias            Miss.         836
 81 Grant Goldbeck        Md.           832
 82 Ben Matsubu           Texas         829
 83 Kevin Langill         N.C.          826
 84 Jimmy Mize            Ark.          824
 85 John Murray           Ariz.         823
 86 Jim Murray            Ga.           819
 87 Ken Cook              Okla.         813
 88 Elton Luce            Texas         806
 89 Yusuke Miyazaki       Texas         805
 90 Terry Butcher         Okla.         786
 91 Pat Golden            N.C.          776
 92 David Sherrer         La.           772
 93 Charlie Hartley       Ohio          768
 94 Mark Tyler            Okla.         767
 95 Corey Waldrop         Texas         762
 96 Jeremy Starks         W.Va.         759
 97 Zell Rowland          Texas         755
 98 Guy Eaker             N.C.          748
 99 Rick Ash              Pa.           722
100 David Smith           Okla.         712
101 Todd Auten            S.C.          707
102 Steve Daniel          Fla.          703
103 Pete Ponds            Miss.         701
104 Matt Amedeo           Ohio          663
105 James Kennedy         La.           644
106 Paul Hirosky          Pa.           581
106 Glenn Delong          Ohio          581
108 Randy Allen           La.           550
109 Bobby Myers           Okla.         438

2008 ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
After Lake Murray, Columbia, SC ending 05-18-2008, Day 4
——————————————-
Place  Name               St            Pts
——————————————-
  1 Bobby Lane            Fla.         1314
  2 Billy Brewer          Texas        1005
  3 Jay Fuller            Okla.         928
  4 Wade Grooms           S.C.          923
  5 Brian Clark           Texas         920
  6 Clark Reehm           Ark.          884
  7 Pat Golden            N.C.          776
  8 David Sherrer         La.           772
  9 Corey Waldrop         Texas         762
 10 Randy Allen           La.           550
 11 Bobby Myers           Okla.         438

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