EUFAULA, Ala. — Had you told Fred Roumbanis he’d catch over 28 pounds of largemouth on Day 1 of the 2026 Turtlebox Bassmaster Open at Lake Eufaula presented by Battery Tender, he wouldn’t have believed you. But that’s exactly what happened.
The Russellville, Ark., pro nicknamed “Boom Boom” claimed the Day 1 lead with a limit weighing 28 pounds, 5 ounces, anchoring his total with a 7-1 and a 6-14. Roumbanis holds a 5-ounce lead over second-place Pake South heading into Day 2 while the gap between him and third place Chase Clarke is almost 5 pounds.
“It is so enjoyable to be back fishing Bassmaster tournaments. I just had a smile on my face all day,” he explained. “I ran (around) all day and fished little staging areas where I felt there could be a couple of big ones, and I was doing what I like to do.
“It was a special day.”
This week has been an emotional week for many in the bass fishing industry as they mourn the loss of long-time Humminbird service crew member Joby Smith. Roumbanis attended Smith’s funeral on Tuesday and dedicated his Day 1 performance to his memory.
“I wanted to catch them for Joby, and it happened,” Roumbanis said. “I couldn’t tell you I was going to catch them like that, it just did. It was pretty magical.”
Roumbanis and South were in a class of their own to start this tournament on the Chattahoochee River impoundment, but the weights throughout the field were impressive despite a drop in water levels. Of the 186 anglers, 50 caught limits weighing 15 pounds or better, with 11 of those bags weighing 20 pounds or more.
During his three days of practice, Roumbanis saw almost the entirety of Lake Eufaula, but one bite gave him the clue he needed to find success during the opening round of this event.
“I shook off a big bite in practice, and I made a crazy run to this one bite today,” the two-tome B.A.S.S. winner said. “I knew it was going to happen right there, and that was that 7-1.”
The four-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier is running a very specific shallow water pattern, with one bait producing the entirety of his Day 1 limit. Roumbanis hit as many of those spots as he could find, running until he found what he liked.
He only caught nine keepers during the day, but they were the right size.
“There is one key thing I am looking for when I’m running, and when I see that, that’s when I stop,” he said.
Summer-like air temperatures and a full moon, Roumbanis said he was expecting more bass to be guarding nests. The water has dropped over a foot since the start of practice, however, making some spawning habitat unreachable.
“If the water was up, it would be wide open for everyone. Because it's not, I spent my time trying to find the little nuances where the big ones might be,” Roumbanis said. “They want to come in. The water is so shallow, and the cleaner area I saw some in, none of them were sitting on a bed. It is a really weird deal.”
With an earlier boat draw tomorrow, Roumbanis hopes to capitalize on a shad spawn bite before moving to his run-and-gun pattern later in the morning.
“I feel like I have a lot of water to myself, which is a really good feeling,” he said. “Did I catch them all? I’m not sure. I’m still kind of in practice mode.”
South, who won the Division II opener at Sam Rayburn, only had a day-and-a-half of practice after making the Day 3 cut at the Elite Series event at the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, but made the most of his limited practice.
The Texan finished Day 1 with 28-0 and feels right at home in southeastern Alabama.
“I’m fishing free, taking some risks and doing what my gut tells me,” he said. “This is the most similar thing I’ve seen to east Texas so far.”
Staying between 6 and 12 feet of water, South is targeting flats and drains that lead into spawning areas. These areas have a mix of cover, including brushpiles, stumps and rockpiles. All the bass he caught were postspawners.
Several of the same baits he used to win at Sam Rayburn are playing this week at Lake Eufaula, including a dice-style bait and the 6.5-inch Berkley Lab Series Minnow.
After landing his two biggest bites in a flurry first thing in the morning, South bounced around the rest of the day looking for new areas, essentially using Day 1 as another practice day.
Despite early morning struggles, Clarke rebounded nicely to finish the day in third with 23-0. The 2026 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour qualifier learned the nuances of Lake Eufaula as an Auburn University angler, which helped him make the needed adjustments on Day 1 of this tournament.
Clarke’s first three spots didn’t produce a bite. As he was trolling around in his fourth spot, he noticed a bass on a brushpile but was moving too fast and ran over the pile before he could make a cast. An hour later, he returned and landed a 5-pounder, his first keeper of the day.
From there, he landed several more quality bass with a rotation of five baits before using the last three hours of the day as a practice period. The bass he caught had similar builds, which has Clarke hopeful for the next two days.
“That (5-pounder) got the ball rolling,” he said. “That fish was really fat. The next couple I caught were really fat too. I hadn’t seen that in practice, which leads me to believe there is a new wave of bass pulling up where I’m fishing.”
Piketon, Ohio’s Colt Blanton caught the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Day, a 7-4 largemouth.
The full field of anglers will launch from Lakepoint State Park beginning at 6:30 a.m. CT and return for weigh-in starting at 2:30 p.m. The Top 10 anglers after Day 2 will compete on Championship Friday and the winner will earn a spot in the 2027 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour.
2026 Turtlebox Bassmaster Open at Lake Eufaula presented by Battery Tender 4/1-4/3
Lake Eufaula, Eufaula AL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Fred Roumbanis Russellville, AR 5 28-05 200
Day 1: 5 28-05
2. Pake South Winnsboro, TX 5 28-00 0
Day 1: 5 28-00
3. Chase Clarke Virginia Beach, VA 5 23-09 199
Day 1: 5 23-09
4. Connor Jacob Peoria, IL 5 21-09 198
Day 1: 5 21-09
5. Derek Rodriguez Jr. Okemos, MI 5 21-07 197
Day 1: 5 21-07
6. Hayden Seabolt Dawsonville, GA 5 21-03 0
Day 1: 5 21-03
7. Bryson Osteen Live Oak, FL 5 21-02 196
Day 1: 5 21-02
8. Parker Guy Ocilla, GA 5 20-12 195
Day 1: 5 20-12
9. Jace Lindsay Beckville, TX 5 20-04 0
Day 1: 5 20-04
9. Trey Schroeder Theodosia, MO 5 20-04 194
Day 1: 5 20-04
11. Aaron Yavorsky Palm Harbor, FL 5 20-03 193
Day 1: 5 20-03
12. Ryan Broughman Corapeake, NC 5 19-15 192
Day 1: 5 19-15
13. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 5 19-10 0
Day 1: 5 19-10
14. Fisher Anaya Eva, AL 5 19-09 0
Day 1: 5 19-09
15. Gary Clouse Winchester, TN 5 19-05 191
Day 1: 5 19-05
16. Bobby Bakewell Orlando, FL 5 18-15 190
Day 1: 5 18-15
17. Kyle Welcher Valley, AL 5 18-14 0
Day 1: 5 18-14
18. David Williams Maiden, NC 5 18-10 189
Day 1: 5 18-10
19. Willie Mcmullen Covington, GA 5 17-14 188
Day 1: 5 17-14
19. Jack Daniel Williams Kingsport, TN 5 17-14 188
Day 1: 5 17-14
21. Logan Parks Auburn, AL 5 17-13 0
Day 1: 5 17-13
22. Jonathan Kelley Old Forge, PA 5 17-04 186
Day 1: 5 17-04
23. Colt Blanton Piketon, OH 5 17-03 185
Day 1: 5 17-03
24. Jamie Fountain East Dublin, GA 5 17-01 184
Day 1: 5 17-01
25. Brayden Rakes Winston Salem, NC 5 17-00 183
Day 1: 5 17-00
26. Bo Thomas Edwardsburg, MI 5 17-00 182
Day 1: 5 17-00
27. Buddy Benson Dahlonega, GA 5 16-15 181
Day 1: 5 16-15
28. Damian Szlachta Dawsonville, GA 5 16-11 180
Day 1: 5 16-11
29. Pete Pisello Phillipsburg, NJ 5 16-10 179
Day 1: 5 16-10
30. Wyatt Burkhalter Coker, AL 5 16-07 178
Day 1: 5 16-07
30. Brady Vernon Sterrett, AL 5 16-07 178
Day 1: 5 16-07
32. Dillon Falardeau Hixson, TN 5 16-06 176
Day 1: 5 16-06
32. Matt Mosby Dryden, MI 5 16-06 176
Day 1: 5 16-06
32. Niko Romero Coldspring, TX 5 16-06 176
Day 1: 5 16-06
35. Bryden Mugleston Lebanon, TN 5 16-03 173
Day 1: 5 16-03
36. Colden Baker Ridgeway, SC 5 16-03 172
Day 1: 5 16-03
37. Kaden Buchmann Troutman, NC 5 16-02 171
Day 1: 5 16-02
38. Tanner Hadden Appling, GA 5 16-00 170
Day 1: 5 16-00
38. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 5 16-00 170
Day 1: 5 16-00
40. Evan White Roanoke Rapids, NC 5 15-14 168
Day 1: 5 15-14
41. Blake Milligan Nashville, TN 5 15-13 167
Day 1: 5 15-13
41. Jacob Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 5 15-13 167
Day 1: 5 15-13
43. Tyler Conde Chepachet, RI 5 15-11 165
Day 1: 5 15-11
44. Wes Wilson Athens, GA 5 15-07 0
Day 1: 5 15-07
45. Ryan Barnes Ellaville, GA 5 15-04 0
Day 1: 5 15-04
45. Zach Goutremout Chaumont, NY 5 15-04 164
Day 1: 5 15-04
47. Darold Gleason Leesville, LA 5 15-03 163
Day 1: 5 15-03
48. Jack Dice Lynchburg, VA 5 15-02 162
Day 1: 5 15-02
49. Cole McAusland Tuscaloosa, AL 5 15-01 161
Day 1: 5 15-01
50. Jake Maddux Alpharetta, GA 5 15-00 160
Day 1: 5 15-00
51. Cody Stahl Barnsville, GA 5 14-15 159
Day 1: 5 14-15
52. Lucas Murphy West Columbia, MI 5 14-14 158
Day 1: 5 14-14
53. Sam Hanggi Knoxville, TN 5 14-13 0
Day 1: 5 14-13
53. Trent Palmer Cumming, GA 5 14-13 157
Day 1: 5 14-13
55. Colton Trotter Dothan, AL 3 14-13 156
Day 1: 3 14-13
56. Brock Bila Republic, MO 5 14-12 155
Day 1: 5 14-12
56. Alex Heintze Denham Springs, LA 5 14-12 155
Day 1: 5 14-12
56. Ish Monroe Oakdale, CA 5 14-12 155
Day 1: 5 14-12
59. Billy Gilbert Hamburg, NY 5 14-10 152
Day 1: 5 14-10
59. Lucas Toliver Paw Paw, MI 5 14-10 152
Day 1: 5 14-10
59. Alex Wetherell Middletown, CT 5 14-10 152
Day 1: 5 14-10
62. Lee Harper Abbeville, AL 5 14-08 0
Day 1: 5 14-08
63. Casey Smith Victor, NY 5 14-07 149
Day 1: 5 14-07
64. Justin Barnes Ellaville, GA 5 14-02 0
Day 1: 5 14-02
64. Alex Johnson Milltown, NJ 5 14-02 148
Day 1: 5 14-02
66. Cody Detweiler Guntersville, AL 5 14-00 0
Day 1: 5 14-00
67. Justin Kimmel Athens, GA 5 13-12 147
Day 1: 5 13-12
67. Easton Lindus Woodville, WI 5 13-12 147
Day 1: 5 13-12
69. Noah Winslow Naugatuck, CT 5 13-11 145
Day 1: 5 13-11
70. Dylan Akins Flowery Branch, GA 5 13-10 144
Day 1: 5 13-10
70. Mike McClelland Blue Eye, MO 5 13-10 144
Day 1: 5 13-10
72. Blaine Bunney Claremore, OK 5 13-10 142
Day 1: 5 13-10
73. Timothy Reams Morgantown, WV 5 13-09 141
Day 1: 5 13-09
74. Grant Neubauer Medford, WI 5 13-08 140
Day 1: 5 13-08
75. Michael Corbishley Raleigh, NC 5 13-07 139
Day 1: 5 13-07
76. Timmy Sheridan Troy, VA 5 13-06 138
Day 1: 5 13-06
77. Grae Buck Green Lane, PA 5 13-05 137
Day 1: 5 13-05
78. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 5 13-01 136
Day 1: 5 13-01
79. Adam Rasmussen Sturgeon Bay, WI 5 12-14 135
Day 1: 5 12-14
80. Brooks Anderson Marietta, GA 5 12-12 134
Day 1: 5 12-12
81. Shayne Berlo Mclean, VA 5 12-11 133
Day 1: 5 12-11
82. Darrell Ivey Lebanon, MO 5 12-09 132
Day 1: 5 12-09
83. Ty Austin Rush, NY 5 12-08 131
Day 1: 5 12-08
83. Clayton Batts Warner Robins, GA 5 12-08 131
Day 1: 5 12-08
85. Avery Padgett Elba, AL 5 12-07 0
Day 1: 5 12-07
85. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 5 12-07 129
Day 1: 5 12-07
87. Kenta Kimura Osaka OK JAPAN 5 12-06 0
Day 1: 5 12-06
88. Hayden Gaddis Dandridge, TN 5 12-05 128
Day 1: 5 12-05
88. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 5 12-05 128
Day 1: 5 12-05
90. Lucas Lindsay Auburn , AL 5 12-03 126
Day 1: 5 12-03
90. Jeremy Radford Huntly, VA 5 12-03 126
Day 1: 5 12-03
92. Freddy Palmer Estill Springs, TN 5 12-03 124
Day 1: 5 12-03
93. Tripp Berlinsky Florence, AL 5 12-02 123
Day 1: 5 12-02
93. Nic Rand Paw Paw, MI 5 12-02 123
Day 1: 5 12-02
93. Michael Webster Gastonia, NC 5 12-02 123
Day 1: 5 12-02
96. Ron Farrow Rock Hill, SC 5 12-01 120
Day 1: 5 12-01
96. Ryan Lachniet Gum Spring, VA 5 12-01 120
Day 1: 5 12-01
98. Canon Murphy Thomaston, GA 5 11-15 0
Day 1: 5 11-15
99. Zac Ridenhour Salisbury, NC 5 11-11 118
Day 1: 5 11-11
100. Matthew Dettling El Macero, CA 5 11-10 117
Day 1: 5 11-10
101. Michael Spaulding Jr. Dundee, MI 5 11-09 0
Day 1: 5 11-09
102. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 5 11-08 116
Day 1: 5 11-08
102. Johnathan Crossland Chapin, SC 5 11-08 116
Day 1: 5 11-08
104. Guy Eaker Sr Cherryville, NC 5 11-07 114
Day 1: 5 11-07
105. Ed Powell Sandyville, WV 4 11-07 113
Day 1: 4 11-07
106. Cody Ross Livingston, TX 5 11-06 112
Day 1: 5 11-06
106. Ryan Salzman Huntsville, AL 5 11-06 112
Day 1: 5 11-06
108. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 5 11-03 110
Day 1: 5 11-03
109. Byron Kenney Jr Monticello, GA 5 11-01 109
Day 1: 5 11-01
109. Joshua Weaver Macon, GA 5 11-01 109
Day 1: 5 11-01
111. Robert Hoyt Union Hall, VA 5 10-14 107
Day 1: 5 10-14
111. Josh Hubbard Citrus Springs, FL 5 10-14 107
Day 1: 5 10-14
111. Garrett Smith Mount Holly, NC 5 10-14 107
Day 1: 5 10-14
114. Phil Kroll Otego, NY 4 10-14 104
Day 1: 4 10-14
115. Tyler Lubbat Naples, FL 5 10-13 103
Day 1: 5 10-13
115. Jonathon VanDam Gobles, MI 5 10-13 103
Day 1: 5 10-13
117. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 5 10-12 101
Day 1: 5 10-12
118. Tommy Dunaway Havana, FL 5 10-11 100
Day 1: 5 10-11
119. Brian Hatfield Spring City, TN 4 10-11 99
Day 1: 4 10-11
120. David Parsons Dothan, AL 4 10-10 0
Day 1: 4 10-10
121. Gunnar Brown Swainsboro, GA 3 10-10 0
Day 1: 3 10-10
122. Michael Smith Laurel Hill, AL 5 10-07 0
Day 1: 5 10-07
123. Kristian Johnson Belvidere, NJ 5 10-06 98
Day 1: 5 10-06
124. Paul Tabisz Livonia, MI 3 10-06 97
Day 1: 3 10-06
125. Kevin Jones Valley, AL 5 10-05 96
Day 1: 5 10-05
125. Yukihiro Sawamura Harker Heights, TX 5 10-05 96
Day 1: 5 10-05
127. Chase Carey Hoschton, GA 5 10-03 94
Day 1: 5 10-03
128. Cody Abbott Woodruff, SC 5 10-02 93
Day 1: 5 10-02
128. Paul Browning Monahans, TX 5 10-02 0
Day 1: 5 10-02
130. Nathan Quince Imperial, PA 5 10-00 92
Day 1: 5 10-00
131. Doug Chapin Tigerton, WI 4 09-15 91
Day 1: 4 09-15
132. Teb Jones Yalaha, MS 5 09-14 90
Shallow nuances lead Roumbanis to Day 1 lead at Lake Eufaula
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