Like many dreamers from Japan, Taku Ito began his quest to come to America and become a Bassmaster Elite Series pro on the bank. That was where he competed in Japanese tournaments as a pre-teen. At the age of 15, he bought a Humminbird fishfinder graph and rigged it on his father’s boat. Remarkably, that is how the now 34-year-old Elite Series rookied learned the nuances of electronics.
Until this year, Ito had never caught a smallmouth bass. In 2019, he qualified for the Elite Series from the Basspro.com Bassmaster Central Opens. None of the fisheries supported viable smallmouth fishing.
After two successful events in New York, he is bringing his smallmouth game to Lake St. Clair. Ito currency leads the BASSTrakk and Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings, an impressive feat.
He told me this morning on the docks that he plans to mix up his game plan with crankbaits and dropshots, focusing his lure presentations on isolated rocks. There aren’t many of those to be found on the bottom, and the rocks where he is fishing are receiving heavy angling pressure. The effort is worth it. Ito said his best fish are coming off those rocks.
And believe it or not, yesterday he told me 21 pounds was his goal. His weight? 21 pounds, 11 ounces. Today he felt confident in catching 20 pounds.