Takumi Ito Wins 2024 TNT Firework Bassmaster Elite at Smith Lake with 58lbs!

Canadians Cory Johnston 4th & Cooper Gallant 6th!

By Andrew Calulette

BASS Press Release

CULLMAN, Ala. — The Bassmaster Elite Series Media Guide notes that Smith Lake is Taku Ito’s favorite U.S. fishery.

On Sunday, at the TNT Fireworks Bassmaster Elite Series stop at Smith Lake, he showed the world why.

Ito, a 38-year-old pro from Chiba, Japan, led a field of 98 Elites with a four-day total of 20 bass totaling 58 pounds. That was 4-1 more than Robert Gee, who finished second with 53-15, and 4-2 more than Jay Przekurat, who placed third with 53-14. 

Ito claimed $100,000 for finishing first, his second Elite title. In a virtual tie with Gee and Przekurat late in the day, Ito landed a 5-12 spotted bass with just over an hour left of fishing time. That fish earned Ito bonuses as the daily ($1,000) and overall Phoenix Boats Big Bass ($2,000) and helped him weigh the Rapala CrushCity Monster Bag of 16-9 worth $2,000.

It was a wild finish to what had been a difficult tournament for many of the Elites. The Alabama heat made Smith’s fabled spotted bass bite go slack at times, and most bass caught ranged from 1 to 2 pounds. The heat index, which climbed into triple digits during the final three days of the tournament, made the sluggish bite that much more grueling. 

2018 FLW TOUR Lake Lanier Day 2: Bradley Hallman Leads by 7 Pounds with with 42-02lbs!

Gustafson 15th, Cory Johnston 67th, Chris Johnston 92th & Richardson 172th

by Sean Ostruszka

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Hallman on a big roll.
(Photo: FLW)

Everyone needs a backup plan. Bradley Hallman sure was glad he had one on Friday.

At around 1 p.m. Hallman only had one small fish swimming in his livewell. Fortunately, he’d been sitting on an ace in the hole – a secondary pattern that just so happens to get better later in the day. That pattern got him right in a hurry, as he quickly sacked up another 18 pounds, 11 ounces of spotted bass to extend his lead at the FLW Tour presented by Ranger on Lake Lanier. His 42-2 total is a little over 7 pounds more than second-place angler David Williams.

“I’ve got two deals; well, maybe three, but two main deals,” says the Norman, Okla., pro. “They’re totally different deals.”

Hallman started out on his first pattern Friday – running dozens of deeper structures – because he knows despite being high risk, it’s also high reward. The high rewards showcased themselves on day one when he crushed 23-11, but the risk reared its head on day two, as Hallman only connected with one fish all morning.

He wasn’t the only pro to struggle, however. Weights were down across the field, as many pros said the bluebird skies and post-frontal conditions had completely moved their fish or at the very least changed how they were biting.

Hallman managed to catch two small keepers shortly after 1 p.m., but then he decided to try his second deal. He’d sampled it on day one, quickly catching a 4-pounder and leaving. Today he leaned on it a bit more to help extend his lead.

Takahiro Omori Wins 2018 Bassmaster Elite Lake Martin with 59-08lbs!

Omori wins again on Martin. 
BASS PRESS RELEASE

Tak wins with Lucky Craft crank bait of his own creation.
(Photo: BASS)

Before this week, it had been more than 15 years since Takahiro Omori fished a major professional bass tournament on Lake Martin.
 
But history — both recent and distant — says he should find ways to come back as often as he can.
 
Omori went into Sunday’s final round of the Bassmaster Elite at Lake Martin presented by Econo Lodge with a 4-pound, 2-ounce lead. He managed a final-day catch of 14 pounds to claim the victory with a four-day total of 59-8.
 
It was Omori’s seventh career victory with B.A.S.S. and his second B.A.S.S. win in three years in the state of Alabama after a triumph on Wheeler Lake in 2016. He also won a FLW Tour event on Lake Martin in 2001.
 
“This time of year, I like to fish shallow — especially during the prespawn,” said Omori, who surpassed $2 million in B.A.S.S. career earnings with the $100,000 win. “Usually when we schedule a tournament for early February, it’s in Florida and the fish have already spawned. But schedule-wise, coming to this lake this time of year is very good for me.”