Quick Bites: FLW Tour, Lake Martin, Day 4
Wal-Mart FLW Tour
Tour Stop #3
Lake Martin, Alexander City, Ala.
Day 4, Pro Finals
He couldn’t have scripted it any better … It was a special week for Takahiro Omori; indeed it was special for all of Japan. Omori came to the States from Tokyo when the FLW Tour first started in 1996 and has fished feverishly ever since in search of the brass ring, carrying the hopes of his country’s many followers along the way. Like most who fish the tour, his career has endured its share of ups and downs. His best performance until today was an eighth-place finish at Lake Okeechobee, Fla., last year. But today, he achieved greatness by winning $100,000 and a place in pro fishing history by becoming the first Japanese national to win an FLW Tour event. And he did it in typical Omori fashion – with flair. Not only did he win while a cadre of Japanese press was here covering the four Japanese co-anglers in competition, he beat two of the biggest names in the history of bass fishing, Guido Hibdon and Rick Clunn, who are revered by Japan’s bass fishing fans. The experience left Omori speechless. “It took me a while,” he said, “but I just did it. Like I said, I had Guido and Rick (who) made the top five, too … I can’t say much.”
Still on top of his game … While second-place Guido Hibdon might have missed his first-ever FLW Tour victory by a mere 10 ounces, he had no trouble passing the torch to Omori. “It’s been a fun tournament,” Hibdon said. “I’ve done all I can do. I’m exceptionally proud of Takahiro. He’s a great kid.”
While we’re on Japan … It was announced today that Team Timex pros David Walker of Cannon, Ky., and Scott Martin of Clewiston, Fla., will be two of the FLW anglers sent overseas next fall as part of the angler exchange with the Japanese pro bass circuit.
Dropping in on high performance … How about the show put on this week by 28-year-old FLW rookie Aaron Martens of Castaic, Calif., who placed third? Fishing Lake Martin for the first time, he came in and bagged the most overall weight of the tournament with 45 pounds, 8 ounces and won the Shop-Vac High Performance award for his first-three-day leading total of 35-7. He caught 25-30 fish per day using the drop-shot technique the first two days, but he was forced to switch up his methods as the week wore on. “There were a lot of people watching my technique this week,” he admitted. “These (spotted bass) are the most difficult to catch. The last two days they haven’t hit the drop shot too well.” He speculated that maybe fishing pressure diminished the success of his drop shot, so he changed to, among other things, a Texas-rigged jig. “It seemed like the more fish I caught, the smaller they got. But that’s fishing, there’s really nothing you can do.”
Standing tall … Ricky Shumpert of Lexington, S.C., a regular on the EverStart Series top-10 list, fished in his first FLW final round this week – an unexpected turn of events as far as he’s concerned. “I came in here just hoping to get a few points,” he said. “The cold weather really did not hurt my fish. I only lost one fish on a spinnerbait all week.” And it paid off. While he said he just couldn’t get the big ones to bite today, he still placed fourth and launched himself up into a tie for second place in the FLW yearly standings. He sits only one point behind standings leader Clunn.
Sound Bites
“I have goals. One is to keep elevating to a new level. I take inspiration from young and old alike.”
– Rick Clunn of Ava, Mo., who elevated himself to first place in the standings this week. He placed fifth for the tournament.
“So much of the way that people fish for bass today is due to this man.”
– ESPN’s Tommy Sanders, on the legendary Hibdon of Gravois Mills, Mo.
Quick Links: Day 4