It should come as no surprise that MLF pro Fred “Boom Boom” Roumbanis counts a swimbait as one of his favorite baits. The Mercury pro grew up fishing them in California and has brought them along as a key weapon in his tournament arsenal. MLF photog Garrick Dixon hitched a ride with “Boom Boom” for a morning of swimbaiting (and maybe a little frogging, too).
Photos by Garrick Dixon
Let’s see what Fred “Boom Boom” Roumbanis can do on a morning swimbait bite on a small lake. 
Fred Roumbanis pulls up to a small lake for some off-time swimbait fishing. 
Getting his Triton/Mercury ready. 
Roumbanis first bait of choice: his signature Optimum Baits Boom Boom Swimbait. 
Notice the chartreuse? 
Roumbanis with a pair of his players for the day. 
A plateful of swimbait goodness. 
Boom Boom starts to work his way around the small lake. 
The view from above. 
Letting it rip. 
Roumbanis making long casts. 
First hookup! Didn’t take long. 
That’s a start, now to find a little bigger. 
Roumbanis works his way around to some overhanging wood. 
Pinpoint casts get Roumbanis’ swimbait into the middle of the juice. 
One more scoop. 
Roumbanis considers some color options. 
… and while we’re digging around, let’s look at Fred’s frog boxes. 
These will come into play soon. 
Another hookup. 
Here’s a look at what the morning produced. 
“You guys go ahead, I’ll catch up with you later.”