Long before he left Northern California to pursue his dream on the professional tournament trail, Major League Fishing Pro, Fred Roumbanis, spent countless days developing and honing his skills on the waters of the California Delta. The Delta, is widely recognized as one of the best grass fisheries in the country, it is here that Roumbanis developed an affinity for the lipless crankbait.
Overlooked Opportunities
On Tour today, whenever Roumbanis encounters shallow grass, you can bet that alipless crankbait is part of his game plan. In many parts of the country, in particular upNorth, he believes that a lipless crankbait is a largely overlooked option. “Up North itgenerally stays a little bit cooler, you know you get 80 degree water up North, that isreally really warm, so for the most part you’re still in that 76 degree water and that is aperfect temperature, because all these Northern lakes have so much grass, as you cansee here, to throw a lipless crankbait, the IMA Suspending Vibe is the perfect bait forthis situation.”
Roumbanis likes to focus on shoreline grass and weed edges, areas that typically teemwith perch and brim. “The big bass live shallow year round up North and when I’msaying up North, I’m talking, New York, Minnesota, you know these lakes up here andthis bait (IMA Suspending Vibe) is one of my favorite baits to throw because peopleoverlook it, the lipless crankbait, sure you’re gonna catch your share of pike and you’regonna catch your share of toothy critters but you’re also gonna catch a lot of biglargemouth and smallmouth bass.
Think Differently Fish Accordingly
Unlike a traditional lipless crankbait that will sink like a stone when the retrieve is paused, the Suspending Vibe will run 3-4′ below the surface, stop in place, suspend and then sink very slowly. “Tie it on, throw it out and don’t just start reeling it really fast, this is a suspending bait, just kind of sweep your rod, if you get hung up in the grass, give it a little twitch, pop it out,” Roumbanis advised.
Over the years, Roumbanis has found the Suspending Vibe to be extremely effective for targeting big smallmouths. “On sunny days, smallmouths like to feed up and this is when a lot of guys like to burn a spinnerbait up in the water column, the nice thing about this bait (Suspending Vibe) is that it stays up high in the water column, so you can actually really work an area,” he said. “It is really similar to a suspending jerk bait, you can kill it, let it stop. So it gives those smallmouth that extra second to chase it down and then trigger on it. It’s a deadly deal.”
When targeting largemouths, Roumbanis likes to work outside weed edges and the openings between grass clumps. “You can go to that shallow 2′-4′ grass and catch all the largemouth you want with it,” he said. “But you’re gonna find more pike mixed in as well. You can fish the Suspending Vibe shallower than most other lipless baits so when the fish get really shallow this bait can be a huge advantage.”
Gear
Roumbanis likes to match the hatch and up North this equates to perch and brim, so the Foiled Bluegill colorway is his go to option. Sometimes switching to a color that really stands out can be a huge trigger especially for smallmouths. In such cases will opt for Hot Craw, Sexy Pearl Shad or Silver Lining. The Arkansas Pro fishes the Suspending Vibe on a Sixgill Fenrir 7’2” medium action casting rod paired with a 7:0:1 gear ratio Hamarr Sixgillcasting reel. Most of the time he uses 14lb fluorocarbon but if the grass is really thick he will go with straight braid instead. When he wants the bait to run super high in the water column he will spool up with 20lb monofilament.
