Japanese Phenom Kyoya Fujita Wins 2023 Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Elite at Lake Champlain!

Kyoya Fujita of Minamitsuru, Japan, has won the Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Elite at Lake Champlain with a four-day total of 86 pounds, 12 ounces.  (Photo: Seigo Saito/ BASS)

Bassmaster Press Release

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — The big bites mostly eluded Kyoya Fujita, but the Elite rookie’s diligence delivered the coveted blue trophy, as the Japanese superstar amassed the winning total of 86 pounds, 12 ounces in the Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Elite at Lake Champlain.

 

“This feels great!” Fujita said. “My dream (has been) to win an Elite Series tournament. My dream came true.”

 

After placing 10th on Day 1 with 21-5, Fujita added 23-14 — the VMC Monster Bag of the event — and took over the Day 2 lead. Fujita held onto the top spot with a Semifinal Sunday limit of 22-9 and closed the deal with his Championship Monday bag that weighed 19 pounds.

 

The week brought a diverse meteorological mix, which included a storm system that postponed Day 2 from Friday to Saturday. Days 1 and 3 brought mostly sunny conditions, while the even number days saw dimmer, cloudy skies. Wind was a constant challenge.

 

Heavily geared toward sight feeding, smallmouth like sunshine, so Championship Monday’s dreary conditions, plus a week’s worth of heavy fishing pressure, seemed to be curbing the fish’s aggression. After three days with multiple 4-pounders, Fujita had only one fish over 4 Monday and fell short of the 20-pound mark for the first time.

 

“It was a struggle today,” Fujita said. “I got on a school of fish (later in the day) and they wouldn’t bite. I kept dropping on them and finally a big one bit my bait on the way down."

2023 Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Elite at Lake Champlain Day 3: Fujita Extends Lead!

Canadians: Cory Johnston 14th, Gallant 18th, Chris Johnston 23rd & Gustafson 68th

Kyoya Fujita of Minamitsuru, Japan, is leading after Day 2 of the Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Elite at Lake Champlain with a two-day total of 45 pounds, 3 ounces.  (Photo: Seigo Saito/ BASS)

BASS PRESS RELEASE 

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — Matching the day’s bright complexion, Japanese superstar Kyoya Fujita again outshined the field and maintained his lead at the Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Elite at Lake Champlain with a three-day total of 67 pounds, 12 ounces.

 

Following a dim and drizzly Day 2, Semifinal Sunday’s morning clouds quickly yielded to mostly sunny conditions, which clearly cracked the whip on Champlain’s smallmouth bass. Capitalizing on the favorable conditions, the rookie Elite from Minamitsuru, Yamanashi, Japan, who led Day 2, complemented his first two limits of 21-5 and 23-14 with a Day 3 bag that weighed 22-9.

 

Fujita started the day with a 7-ounce lead over Alex Redwine of Blue Ash, Ohio. After Sunday’s performance, he heads into Championship Monday leading Missouri pro Cody Huff by 2-13.

 

“Today was very tough,” Fujita admitted. “Short bite, short bite, short bite — miss, miss, miss. I had no big fish in the morning. But in the afternoon, I had two big fish.”

 

Making his fourth Top 10 for the 2023 Elite season, Fujita has camped in one main area of the Inland Sea, at Champlain’s upper end. He’s basically hunting down active smallmouth that are following schools of baitfish.

 

Fujita said his main baits are a drop shot with a 4.5-inch Jackall Yammy stick worm cut down to 3 inches and a Damiki-style rig with a 5.2-inch Jackall Revoltage RV-Drift Fry on a 1/8-ounce ball-head jig.

 

The vast Inland Sea has hosted several of the event’s top performers, but Fujita seems to have dialed in the sweetest spot.

 

“In practice, I looked through a lot of places, but the area I’m fishing has the most big fish,” Fujita said with the help of an interpreter.

 

Forward-facing sonar has dramatically improved the way anglers search broad areas and, with three graphs on his bow, Fujita has kept a keen eye on his targets. Although he declined to share specifics, he noted the distance at which he sets his Garmin LiveScope has played a key role in his success.