RUSSELLVILLE, ARK. — Fred Roumbanis is a gregarious guy as his baseline. But in talking about the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Arkie Division event on Lake Dardanelle slated for Saturday, even he seemed to take it up a notch.
Then again, with how good the fishing and conditions are setting up to be, it’s easy to understand the excitement.
“It’s probably going to be the funnest tournament of the year,” Roumbanis said.
What to expect
Even before this weekend, Roumbanis – who lives on the shores of Dardanelle – said the Arkansas River impoundment has been fishing better than any time in the last decade. And it’s not hard to understand why.
“Oh, the grass,” Roumbanis said. “It used to be here and there, but now it’s all up and down the river. And it’s all kinds – pepper grass, milfoil, coontail, water willow. It’s all flourishing. I’m even seeing more lily pad fields than I’ve seen in a long time.”
As tends to happen, the boom in the grass has caused a boom in the quality of fish. Roumbanis says 7-pounders used to be rare fish. Now, at least one seems to be weighed in every event, with plenty of quantity to go with that quality.
How pros go about trying to connect with those fish is the other fun part of the equation. While Roumbanis said there are still a few fish on beds, the majority of are postspawn. That means any way a pro wants to target them, they can.
Topwaters? Absolutely, and Roumbanis’ favorite. Shad spawn? A great way to get right quick. Flipping? Definitely a winning strategy. Using forward-facing sonar for offshore structure and brushpiles? It’s been dominant.
“There are so many ways a pro can catch fish and compete to win in this event, I’ll forget some trying to list them off,” Roumbanis said.
Plus, with so much grass and the fish having spread out this time of year, Roumbanis says Dardanelle – which has a tendency to fish small – should be wide open. That will put less emphasis on trying to find the fishery’s famous sneaky hideaways and more about finding the right area and maximizing it.
Baits to bring
Will plenty of fish be caught using finesse tactics this event? Sure. But as Roumbanis says: “Why bother?”
Power fishing should dominate. That means frogs, topwaters, swim jigs, squarebills and vibrating jigs to cover water, and when it comes to slowing down, a favorite Texas rig for flipping and a jig or big worm for offshore stuff.
Don’t rule out big swimbaits or glide baits, either. Roumbanis said most his biggest fish this year have come on those.
What will it take?
With all that hype, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a boater needs to cross the 20-pound mark just to entertain having a “good bag” in this event. In fact, Roumbanis said it’s taken at least 25 pounds to win almost every event on the fishery this year.
Now, being that it’s postspawn, he does expect a slight dip in the weights; but he doesn’t see any way it won’t take more than 22 pounds to win.
“A pro needs to be in that 22- or 23-pound range,” Roumbanis said. “And they’ll need a high 6-pounder or at least one or two 5-pounders to win.”