Taku Ito was unquestionably the star of the three-tournament northern swing of smallmouth bass tournaments. The Elite Series rookie from Chiba, Japan, put together three top 10 finishes in a row. It was an amazing streak for an angler who was unfamiliar with smallmouth bass.
Ito is back in his comfort zone now. In qualifying for the Elite Series through the Central Opens in 2019, he posted finishes of 2nd place at Toledo Bend, 8th at Smith Lake and 10th at Grand Lake. Ito enters this event 2nd in AOY, only 7 points behind leader Clark Wendlandt, and, of course, first in the Rookie of the Year race, by 47 points over second-place Buddy Gross.
Ito is catching fish this morning, but nothing big. He’s got four keepers weighing a total of 7 pounds.