Taku Ito's keys to smallmouth success

It’s no secret Taku Ito is a master of catching smallmouth bass. In fact, it took Taku just two seasons to capture his first Bassmaster Elite Series trophy.

Since that victory on the St. Lawrence River, Taku has been a threat on any lake the Elite Series visits, but especially on smallmouth fisheries.

Taku has a unique style of fishing when it comes to smallmouth bass. Here, he shows us his secrets to smallmouth success.

First is the 3-inch Nories Rock Crawl. This is a go-to for Taku fished on a drop shot or a Ned style head. “Most anglers on focus on smallmouth eating baitfish, but many of them eat crawfish,” said Taku. “I focus a lot on the crawfish eaters.”

Next is the 4-inch Nories Front Flapper. Whenever smallmouth are feeding on big crawfish, Taku will pick up this bait. He frequently throws a free rig and a Carolina rig, and this bait is perfect with both of those presentations.

Another one of Taku’s favorite baits is the Nories Escape Chibi Twin. “This bait looks very similar to the shrimp we have in Japan, said Taku. “It has a very subtle action compared to other craw-style baits and is a good finesse bait on a drop shot.”

Of course Taku coats his baits in his powder before they hit the water.

Taku’s famous secret powder.

Taku’s one-two punch is soaking baits in Nories Aging Bass Liquid for one to two months and then adding his secret powder.

Another secret of Taku’s involves some customization of his Nories Rods. The rod itself is a parabolic medium-heavy power spinning rod. But Taku doctors it up before heading to smallmouth country.

Taku actually files down the last 6 inches of some of his rods to make them more sensitive. Though this rod is a medium-heavy power, it has a super fast tip which allows him to detect bites when smallmouth just nip at his bait.

He will complete the rod with another guide and the rod tip before it is ready for action.