One of the greatest benefits of international travel: Making new friends.
Suffice it to say, Elite rookie Takumi Ito has been pleased to make the acquaintance of Micropterus dolomieu, the smallmouth bass.
A standout angler from Chiba, Japan, Ito built an impressive resume on his homeland’s largemouth fisheries, but had to learn the smallmouth game by jumping into the deep end feet-first. Impressively, he had never caught a smallmouth before 2020.
According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, smallmouth bass have been introduced into several countries, including Japan; however, Ito’s brown fish experience began with his Elite career.
Hard to believe, given his pair of top-10 finishes in the Elite Series’ smallmouth-centered Northern Swing — sixth place on the St. Lawrence River and 10th on Lake Champlain.
Ito’s expanding the friendship with Lake St. Clair’s smallmouth. After tying Canadian brothers Cory and Chris Johnston for fifth place on Day 1, he’s putting on a great Day 2 show. With an early limit that included a 5-pounder and a 4-12, Ito briefly held the top spot, but remains steady near the top of the field.
Clearly, it did not take long for smallies to make an impression on the 34-year-old angler. As Bassmaster LIVE host Davie Hite noted, Ito now calls smallies his favorite.
No doubt, these fish have treated him well, as Ito currently leads the Elite Angler of the Year and Rookie of the Year standings. With the season’s remainder focused on southern largemouth fisheries, Ito may miss his new friends, but he’ll be in much more familiar territory.
Notably, Ito placed second against a field of straight-up sticks in the 2019 Basspro.com Central Open at Toledo Bend and launched his Elite career by finishing 21st in the 2020 season opener at the St. Johns River.
So don’t worry about his ability to outsmart the green ones.
Check out Ito’s profile here.