Elite

Elite 20th season: International influence

The influx of international Elite Series anglers and their contributions to American bass fishing is impressive.

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Pete Robbins
While tournament bass fishing emerged and evolved across the American landscape, the development of the Bassmaster Elite Series allowed numerous foreign pros to live an American dream of their own. 
Since its inception in 2006, the tour has included dedicated anglers who’ve crossed not just borders, but in some cases oceans as well in order to cast for cash. 
In some instances, they’ve leveraged fan bases and sponsor portfolios in their home countries to build their brands, but they’ve also become winners and fan favorites stateside while bringing additional flavor to the sport. Certainly, more will follow. 
Takahiro Omori 
Japan
Two years prior to the start of the Elite Series, Takahiro Omori became the first international angler to win the Bassmaster Classic in 2004 on Lake Wylie. 
The 33-year-old Tokyo native, who came to America in 1992 to become a professional angler despite knowing only one person and little English, caught his two largest bass with fewer than five minutes remaining in the competition to nail down the $200,000 top prize, trophy and title.
Omori’s final limit of 13 pounds, 8 ounces, gave him a three-day total of 39 pounds, 2 ounces. “I’ve waited 18 years for my dream to come true – since I was 15,” he said. Overall, Omori competed 12 times in the Bassmaster Classic. 
Omori was one of four Japanese anglers in the first Elite season. He won seven B.A.S.S. events, including two Elite tournaments at Wheeler Lake (2016) and Lake Martin (2018). 
With the Lake Martin win, Omori surpassed the $2 million mark in earnings, which was remarkable considering he came to the country knowing very little about American bass fishing. 
Omori’s contribution to American bass fishing included consulting with Japanese lure company Lucky Craft on its bait designs and Daiwa on tackle. 
Norio Tanabe
Japan
While Omori was the first (and to this date only) Japanese angler to win a Classic, Norio Tanabe became the first Japanese/international angler to win a B.A.S.S. event when he emerged victorious in the 1993 Kentucky Invitational. 
While he fished the last of his 53 B.A.S.S. events in 2005, he remained an influencer on the Elite Series through his tackle company, serving as both a sponsor and mentor to future superstar Taku Ito.
Morizo Shimizu
Japan
The first international angler to win an Elite Series event was Morizo Shimizu, who caught 66 pounds, 9 ounces of Kentucky Lake bass in 2006 to claim a title. 
During that event he pushed himself over the top with a “Big Mama” that became one of his U.S. catchphrases. 
Shimizu fished the Elite Series through the 2018 season, qualifying for three Bassmaster Classics. 
Kota Kiriyama
Japan
The second Japanese pro to win an Elite Series event was Kota Kiriyama, who won the 2008 Empire Chase out of Buffalo, N.Y., making a long run to amass more than 93 pounds of smallmouth over the course of four days. 
Kiriyama fished six Bassmaster Classics – second only to Omori’s seven among Japanese pros.
His best Classic finishes include fourth place in Chicago in 2000 and seventh at Hartwell in 2008. 
He left the Elite Series after 2016, but he continued to fish Bassmaster Opens through 2020.
Seiji Kato
Japan
While Kiriyama became the second Japanese pro to win an Elite Series event, his win was preceded by that of Seiji Kato on the co-angler side of an Elite Tournament. 
Kato, one of the founders of Jackall Lures, caught 27 pounds, 6 ounces on Day 3 and made up a deficit of more than 16 pounds to claim the trophy. 
That was his first Bassmaster event, and he has fished 60 more since then (as both a pro and a co-angler), never again claiming victory. He did finish 10th at Lake Guntersville as a co-angler during that same 2006 season.
Yusuke Miyazaki
Japan
The fourth Japanese pro to fish the inaugural Elite Series season was noted lure designer Yusuke Miyazaki.
He is one of the handful of pros who left the Elite Series and then came back – departing after 2016 and then returning from 2019 through 2021. He continues to fish Bassmaster Opens. 
Miyazaki competed in the 2013 and 2014 Bassmaster Classics. He notched four Top 10 finishes in Elite Series competition, the best of which was seventh at Guntersville in 2007.
Carl Jocumsen
Australia
After a decorated fishing career in his home country of Australia – which notably does not have any largemouth, smallmouth or spotted bass – Carl Jocumsen bet it all on himself and came to the U.S. to fish Bassmaster Opens starting in 2011. 
He qualified to fish the Elite Series starting in 2015, and he won his first Elite Series tournament in 2019 on Lake Tenkiller. 
Jocumsen was absent from Elite competition in 2017 and 2018, but he returned in 2019. The 2025 Bassmaster Classic will be his third appearance, all consecutive.
Jocumsen has an impressive resume thus far going into his 14th season overall with B.A.S.S. The Tennessee transplant has made the money 73 times in 124 tournaments, including 25 top 20s and 11 Top 10s. 
Shin Fukae
Japan
After experiencing substantial success on the FLW Tour, including an Angler of the Year title, past Japan Top 50 champion Shinichi Fukae joined the Elite Series for the 2018 season. 
He’d previously won an Open on Lake Champlain in 2014, and he was generally considered to be a master of finesse techniques in a period when they had not been fully incorporated by most U.S. pros. Fukae competed in the 2015 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Hartwell and finished 42nd.
Jeff Gustafson
Canada
Jeff Gustafson – known colloquially as “Gussy” – joined the Elite Series in 2019, and in 2021 he dominated on the Tennessee River using his “moping” technique to win the Elite event.
He returned there in 2023 to win a Classic, becoming the first Canadian angler to do so, and the first international angler to win a Classic since Takahiro Omori nearly two decades earlier. In 2025 Gussy will compete in his sixth consecutive Classic.
Overall, Gustafson has finished in the money a remarkable 57 times in 60 events fished. 
These finishes include 16 top 20s and 26 top 30s.
Chris Johnston
Canada
In 2020 Chris Johnston became the first Canadian angler to win a B.A.S.S. event when he won an Elite Series tournament on the St. Lawrence River with more than 97 pounds of smallmouth. 
In 2024, he added to his trophy case when he won the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year title, becoming the first international pro to achieve that honor. 
In 2025, the reigning AOY competes in his sixth straight Classic. In his relatively short career at B.A.S.S., he has already surpassed the $1 million mark in winnings.
Cory Johnston
Canada
Cory Johnston, the older brother of the pair, likewise joined the Elite Series in 2019. 
While his brother has the AOY trophy, Cory has outdueled him on Bassmaster wins, three to one. 
He won an Open on the 1000 Islands in 2021, and in 2024 he won Elite Series events on the St. Johns River and the St. Lawrence River. 
They became the first set of brothers since Chris and Bobby Lane to both win Elite trophies. 
Like his brother, Cory will add his sixth consecutive Classic in 2025.
Ken Iyobe
Japan
Ken Iyobe qualified for the 2015 Elite Series season through the Bassmaster Opens and fished two years on the tour before returning to Japan. 
He achieved four Top 10 finishes in the Opens, including a runner-up result at Ross Barnett in 2018. 
His best Elite finish was 11th at the California Delta in 2015. Iyobe continues to develop lures through his Ten Feet Under company.
Daisuke Aoki
Japan
Finesse guru Daisuke Aoki, a three-time Japanese Angler of the Year, fished the Elite Series in 2022. 
He’d won an Open on Douglas Lake in 2021, and he subsequently competed in the 2022 Classic on South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell. 
Citing homesickness and the rigors of competition, Aoki left the Elites after a single year. He continues to develop new tackle through DStyle lures.
Kenta Kimura
Japan
After several years of fishing the FLW Tour and then the Bassmaster Opens, Kenta Kimura qualified for the Elite Series beginning in the 2021 season. 
In 2022, he won a Northern Open on Virginia’s James River, and in 2023 he earned three Elite Series Top 10s. 
Kimura competed in both the 2023 and 2024 Classics. 
Like several of the other Japanese pros, he is also an experienced and accomplished lure designer for several companies, most notably Depps. 
Masayuki Matsushita
Japan
Through his second-place finish in the 2021 Opens AOY race, Matsushita qualified for the Elites starting in the 2022 season.
He’d already won a Central Open on Sam Rayburn in 2020. 
He competed on the Elite Series for two seasons, and he continues to fish Bassmaster Opens. 
Matsushita’s best Elite Series finish was a fourth place on the St. Johns River in 2022.
Takumi Ito
Japan
In 2021, Takumi Ito became the first Japanese angler post-split to win an Elite Series tournament when he staged an emotional victory on the St. Lawrence River. 
In 2024, he won again on Alabama’s Smith Lake. In 2025, he will compete is his fifth consecutive Bassmaster Classic. 
Ito finished seventh at the 2022 Classic at Lake Hartwell and 10th in the 2024 Classic on Grand Lake.
A noted lure tinkerer, Ito has introduced several obscure Japanese lures to the American bass fishing scene. 
Kyoya Fujita 
Japan
Kyoya Fujita joined the Elite Series in 2023, qualifying through the Northern Opens where he finished 10th, 16th and 11th respectively. 
While his first Elite tournament was inauspicious, he finished second and third in his next events, and then won on Lake Champlain near the end of 2023. 
That victory was sandwiched by a seventh-place finish at Lake St. Clair and a third-place finish at the St. Lawrence. 
He started off his 2024 season with a victory at Toledo Bend Reservoir, which meant he had both largemouth and smallmouth Century Club belts. The 2025 Classic is Fujita’s second.
Cooper Gallant
Canada
Cooper Gallant became the first Canadian angler to join the Elite Series after the 2019 reshuffling, arriving in 2023 after a stellar career on the Bassmaster Opens. 
That career included three finishes in the top four, among them a 2022 victory at Tennessee’s Cherokee Lake. 
In 2024 he had three Elite Series Top 10 finishes and 2025 marks his third consecutive Classic.
Evan Kung
Canada
Evan Kung finished ninth in the 2024 Bassmaster Opens Elite Qualifiers, earning him a spot on the 2025 Elite Series roster. 
The 25-year-old Canadian enjoyed ninth-place Open finishes at both Lake Ouachita and Santee Cooper Lakes in 2024.
Jon Bondy
Canada
The only non-Japanese international angler in the first Elite Series season was Canadian Jon Bondy, who competed on the Elites through part of the 2009 campaign. 
He notched Top 10 Elite finishes at Table Rock in 2006 and Kissimmee in 2007. Bondy is perhaps known for his “Bondy Bait” musky lure, and he continues to guide on Lake St. Clair.

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