CULLMAN,
Ala., June 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- 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 in the derby, which was the second Bassmaster Elite Series
win of his career. He snagged $2,000
more for having the Rapala CrushCity Monster Bag (he caught
16-9 on Championship Sunday) and separate $1,000 prizes for the 5-12 spotted bass that
anchored the bag. That fish was both the Phoenix Boats Big
Bass of the day and of the tournament.
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.
But Ito had the right mix on Smith. He caught his best bass
using a 14-millimeter OSP Saikoro Dice Rubber Magnum bait. The
magnum-sized lure, which is not yet in distribution, was the
difference maker, he said, with the bigger size sparking Smith's
spots into biting in the broiling heat. Ito said he was
drop-shotting the lure rigged with a 3/16-ounce weight.
He also credited a thunderstorm that threatened north-central
Alabama Sunday afternoon for
changing his fortunes on Day 4.
"The storm coming brought many big fish to me, in 25 feet, 30
feet (of water)," he said. "They were on brush piles. I had some
smaller fish in the morning, but it all changed when the storm
(threatened). I lost a 3-pounder, but that 5-12 was so
awesome."
Ito had bags of 13-10, 13-11 and 14-2 leading up to his
tournament-best bag on Day 4. His three-day total of 41-7 trailed
only Gee, who had 41-9 and the pole position to start Sunday.
Ito, Gee and Przekurat battled throughout the morning, with each
grabbing the lead at one point. A single ounce separated the trio
at one point mid-morning, but Ito bagged a 2-5 bass before noon
that gave him a slim five-ounce cushion on his top two rivals at
Smith.
He blew the derby open an hour later with his 5-12, easily the
biggest bass of the tournament.
"Smith Lake always is 100 percent my favorite lake," he said.
"It's beautiful for sightseeing and it has beautiful bass. And the
spotted bass, I like them. I don't like so much the largemouth bass
and there aren't that many here. So, Smith Lake is perfect for
me."
Ito said he also threw a 3.6-inch Nories Flip Gill (Neko-rigged)
and a Nories Wrapping Minnow Spy Bait for key bites earlier in the
tournament.
Gee, of Knoxville, Tenn., was
looking for his first B.A.S.S. win. Though he fell short of that
goal, he was pleased with his finish. He caught 12-6 on
Championship Sunday.
"I was LivesScoping the whole week for bait balls and fish
roaming around the lake," he said. "I was fishing in the middle of
the lake for both single fish and wolfpacks. The main baits for me
this week were a 4-inch Yamamoto Shad Shape in smoke color - a
natural shad color. And what really saved my butt today was a
homemade hair jig that a buddy of mine from Oklahoma ties. It's like a crappie jig that's
sized for bass. It was big for me today."
Przekurat, of Plover, Wis.,
caught 12-8 on Sunday.
"I was fishing timber in the middle of the lake that had a lot
of bait around it, in anywhere from 40 to 120 feet," he said. "The
Strike King Baby Z-Too, in both Gray Glide and Smokey Shad, was my main bait … It was a big
week for me. Taking a Top 3 in an Elite event is huge."
Rounding out the Top 10 at Smith Lake are fourth, Cory Johnston, 53-1; fifth, Tyler Williams, 52-8; sixth, Cooper Gallant, 51-15; seventh, Kyle Patrick, 51-9; eighth, JT Thompkins, 50-7;
ninth, Cody Huff, 49-13; and
10th, Justin Hamner,
49-10.
Alabama's Hamner, winner of the
2024 Classic, leads the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year
standings with 595 points. Illinois' Trey
McKinney is second with 571 points, followed by Missouri's Huff in third with 569,
Canada's Chris Johnston in fourth with 556 and
Tennessee's Jacob Foutz in fifth with 556.
McKinney leads the Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Rookie of the Year
standings with 571 points, followed by Tennessee's John
Garrett in second with 553 points and South Carolina's Thompkins in third with
547.
Ito also took home an additional $3,000 for being the highest-placing entrant in
the Toyota Bonus Bucks program, while Huff earned $2,000 for being the second-highest placing
entrant.
As part of the Yamaha Power Pay program, Ito earned an
additional $4,000 while Gee claimed
an additional $1,500 for being the
second-highest placing entrant.
Visit Cullman hosted the
tournament.
Contact:
Chad Gay
cgay@bassmaster.com
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SOURCE B.A.S.S.