Fred Roumbanis Faces His Toughest Offseason Yet, Eyes Strong Start to 2025 BPT
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Fred Roumbanis of Russellville, Arkansas, is gearing up for his 20th season as a professional angler—a milestone marking two decades of triumphs, challenges, and resilience. However, the offseason leading into 2025 tested the veteran like never before, with personal loss, career uncertainty, and unexpected setbacks challenging his resolve.
Now, with the upcoming Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour season ahead, Roumbanis is refocusing—driven by his family, passion for the sport, and the legacy he’s building for future generations.
A Career Defined by Perseverance
Originally from California, Roumbanis has faced adversity since the beginning of his career. At just 18 years old, he launched into professional bass fishing, only to experience an early mishap—sinking his boat during a tournament on his 19th birthday. From that moment on, he understood success would require persistence.
“I’ve had so many rock-bottom moments,” Roumbanis reflected. “But every time I found myself scraping the bottom, I’ve found a way to dig deep and not give up. If you keep pushing, even when things feel impossible, you’ll find a way.”
One of those moments came in 2005 when he missed qualifying for the FLW Tour (now the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals) by just one point.
“I was one point away from making the cut and had a fish jump out of my livewell during a tournament on Lake Champlain,” he recalled. “That’s the kind of stuff that stays with you.”
Instead of walking away, Roumbanis joined the EverStart Series (now the Toyota Series) that fall.
“This was before GPS or navigation systems. I bought a paper map and drove to La Crosse, Wisconsin, for a tournament. I barely had enough money to get there, let alone fuel my boat for the event,” he laughed.
Before the tournament, MLF emcee Chris Jones gave him advice that changed his outlook.
“He told me to stop thinking about what I couldn’t do and focus on what I could do.”
Roumbanis applied that mindset, won the tournament, and ignited a successful career. He later earned an invite to the Bassmaster Elite Series in 2006, where he competed for over a decade before transitioning to the MLF Bass Pro Tour in 2019.
Overcoming the Challenges of 2024
That same determination was crucial in 2024 when MLF reduced the Bass Pro Tour roster from 80 to 66 anglers for the 2025 season. Roumbanis fought to secure his spot and was one of the final qualifiers.
As if that wasn’t stressful enough, another major setback hit when a drunk driver totaled his boat en route to a tournament at the Chowan River in North Carolina. Despite the crash, Roumbanis refused to let it derail his season. Phoenix Boats provided a new boat the next day, which he later purchased, and he went on to record one of his best finishes of the year.
“You can’t control everything around you, but you can control how you react to it,” he said. “It was a huge mental hurdle all season, knowing so many guys wouldn’t make it to 2025. I had the fear of not performing, but I kept pushing forward and thankfully secured that spot.”
A Heartbreaking Personal Loss
While navigating professional uncertainty, Roumbanis faced an even greater personal loss—his mother passed away on Christmas Day.
“She was just so strong,” he said, his voice heavy with emotion. “We lost my dad years ago and had moved my mom to be closer to us. I really thought I had more time with her.”
Despite his grief, Roumbanis credits his wife, Julie, for keeping him grounded.
“Julie has been my rock through all of this. I couldn’t have gotten through it without her.”
A Bright Future: Jackson Roumbanis Steps into the Spotlight
Through the challenges, one of Roumbanis’ greatest joys has been watching his 17-year-old son, Jackson, excel in the sport. Jackson began competing at 11 and has already secured two Angler of the Year titles and multiple wins with the Arkansas Youth Bass Hogs. At 17, he led the USA BASS youth team in Zimbabwe and now embarks on his first Toyota Series season as a boater.
“He’s already better than I was at 25,” Roumbanis said proudly. “He has a clear vision and is excelling in every aspect of the sport.”
Roumbanis respects his son’s drive to create his own identity.
“He doesn’t want to be in my shadow. He wants to be his own man, and I respect that.”
Looking Ahead to 2025: New Rules, New Opportunities
With MLF’s 2025 forward-facing sonar rule changes, Roumbanis is excited to return to shallow-water power fishing—a style that defined his early career.
“I enjoy LiveScoping, and I’ve worked on it a lot during the offseason,” he said. “But I’m excited to have some limits in place and focus on what works best for me. With the field only able to use forward-facing sonar for one period, I think you’ll see the true talent rise to the top.”
As he prepares for his 20th season, starting with B&W Trailer Hitches Stage 1 Presented by Power-Pole, Roumbanis is ready to face whatever comes next—with family support, a clear vision, and unwavering determination.
“Life’s a book, right?” he said with a grin. “You just go through these chapters of learning, and I’m really looking forward to digging into this next chapter.”
For complete details and updated information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).
Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 13 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
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