Photo by Dan Kibler Fred Roumbanis of Auburn, Calif. won the Greensboro Bassmaster American after qualifing 11th of 12 for the final and then running away from the field by almost 12 pounds.

Fred Roumbanis of Auburn, Calif., won the $250,000 first prize at the Bassmaster American fishing tournament May 17-20 on High Rock Lake and Lake Townsend.

Roumbanis, who barely survived two days of qualifying on High Rock – he finished 11th among the 12 qualifiers – but he blew away the field at Townsend, a 1,500-acre municipal reservoir in Greensboro, winning by almost 12 pounds with a 2-day total of 21-14.

Brian Snowden of Reeds Springs, Mo., the top qualifier from High Rock, caught two 5-fish limits at Townsend to take second place and $38,000 with 17-3. Ish Monroe of Hughson, Calif., was third with 11-6, winning $27,500. John Murray of Phoenix, Ariz., and Mark Tucker of St. Louis, Mo., rounded out the top five at 9-1 and 6-9, respectively, winning $22,000 and $20,000.

A 6-pound bass he caught the first of two days at Lake Townsend pushed Roumbanis into the lead, and he had little trouble holding on. With a lead of more than five pounds, he caught a 3-pound bass within 20 minutes of blasting off the second day and had enough weight to win without catching the three other keepers that rounded out his second-day total of 7-4.

“I knew if I could get through (High Rock), I would do well on that course format,” said Roumbanis, 28. “I grew up fishing small lakes. You don’t find them stacked up – they’re more spread out, and the bite is more sporadic. That’s more my style of fishing – junk fishing.”

Roumbanis caught six of the seven fish he weighed in at Townsend on a 4-inch Robo worm threaded onto a “Screw Up” jighead – a “shaky head” jig.