Fred Roumbanis' Pattern, Baits & Gear

Fred Roumbanis was the lone Top-5 finisher who threw surface baits exclusively. "I had seven rods rigged up with hollow-belly topwaters - some frogs, some rats, just all different baits," he said. "I never even used a follow-up bait for missed strikes. If those fish wanted the frog, they'd come back and get it on the next cast. "I had one spot that I never got to fish because of the wind. I caught a 5-pounder and two 4s there in a very short amount of time during practice." He said the key to his pattern was clearer-than-average water that contained duckweed. He spent the tournament fishing near the bottom of Pool 8. "I keyed on fish that were just kind of out there roaming."

Topwater gear: 7'5" heavy-action iRod Air rod, Ardent Elite casting reel (7.2:1 ratio), 50-pound P-Line braided line, various hollow topwater baits. His bait offerings included a couple of versions of the Snag Proof Bobby's Perfect Frog (including one with a buzzbait-style blade and paddle legs), an Optimum Baits Furbit, a Picasso Shad Walker and a Spro Bronzeye Frog 65.

Main factor: - "If I was going to get beat, it was going to be with me playing my own game, which is frogging. Some of the guys who really caught them mixed it up and my hat's off to them."

Performance edge: - "I can make really long casts with that iRod and I can get really good hooksets. It also allowed me to get the best action out of each bait."

Mississippi River 2-5 Patterns Bassfan 6/26/13 (John Johnson)