Japanese pro catches two-day total of 53-14 to win Group B Qualifying Round, field of 20 set for Saturday’s Knockout Round

EUFAULA, Okla. (May 3, 2024) – Rising water. Falling water. Muddy water. Clearing water. Fish moving into flooded brush and onto beds. Oklahoma’s Lake Eufaula has provided multiple pieces to a 102,000-acre puzzle through four days of competition at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour MillerTech Stage Four Presented by REDCON1, but on Friday, pro Takahiro Omori of Tokyo, Japan, put the puzzle pieces together best.

Omori entered the day in second place in Group B, trailing leader Martin Villa of Charlottesville, Virginia, by 3 pounds, 10 ounces. But casting and winding a vibrating jig and dabbing a creature bait around flooded brush and docks in a creek arm of the Canadian River on Friday, Omori connected with nine fish for 22-8 to bring his two-day total to 53-14. He outpaced Randy Howell of Guntersville, Alabama,(47-11), Villa (41-9) and Drew Gill of Mount Carmel, Illinois,(36-6) for Group B bragging rights heading into Saturday’s Knockout Round.

The remaining 20 anglers – the top 10 from each group – now advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round, where weights are zeroed, and anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to the Championship Round on Sunday. In Sunday’s final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.

You’d have to look long and hard to identify an angler in the 79-man Bass Pro Tour field who’s better suited to capitalize on a recently flooded lake and a shallow-water bite than Omori. The Japanese pro has collected over $3 million in tournament winnings in his 28-year pro career – making him one of the Top 10 money-winners of all time – largely due to his shallow-water, power-fishing prowess.

“This might be the only chance I have to win a tournament this year,” Omori said. “This is my strength: fishing shallow water, power-fishing. Muddy, shallow water like this is where I’ve won a lot of money in my career fishing, I’m excited for a tournament like this. This is how I like to fish.”

Friday on Eufaula, the Tokyo, Japan, native took one step closer to another big career payday as he wrapped up qualifying competition at Stage Four with a surge in the second and third periods that separated him from Howell.

Omori and his teammate had traded jabs throughout the second and third periods, with Howell claiming the lead early in the final period before Omori added three fish for 6-3 in the final hour of the day.

Omori, who admitted on camera multiple times on MLFNOW! that he was “mostly practicing,” continued to catch fish throughout the day despite being safe from the cut after he caught a 3-pound largemouth just seven minutes into Period 1. Noting Eufaula’s dropping water levels and rapidly changing water clarity, Omori believes the fish he caught on Friday won’t be in the same cover and depth come Saturday’s Knockout Round.

“If you can catch fish, you probably should keep catching them; there’s no guarantee the next day,” he said. “This lake is going to be fresh and brand new (on Saturday). The water has started dropping a lot and is cleaning up, so fish are changing. It’s going to be brand new (in the Knockout Round), so I’ll have to make good adjustments.”

Omori caught the bulk of his fish winding a chartreuse-and-white Z-Man/Evergreen ChatterBait Jack Hammer with a 5-inch Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ around flooded brush, haygrass and docks, and connected with one bedding fish with a Zoom Brush Hog. As he ties tackle for the Knockout Round, Omori plans to take whatever Eufaula gives him and adjust on the fly, knowing that he’ll likely be sharing creek pockets and bays with anglers from the other competition group.

“I have a couple of other guys (from Group B) fishing the same creek, and I bet there will be more from the other group,” Omori said. “This lake is over 100,000 acres, but it fishes really small. I won’t be surprised on Saturday if half the field is there. It’s getting a lot of fishing pressure already.”

Oklahoma pro Zack Birge will be fishing another Knockout Round in his home state, thanks to a 3-10 largemouth he caught off a bed with just over 20 minutes remaining in the third period. Birge entered the day in 15th place and climbed into the Top 10 in the second period before falling out as the afternoon progressed. He spotted two fish on beds late in the day and ended up adding both to SCORETRACKER® – a 2-3 and the 3-10 that boosted him back into the Knockout Round.

South Carolina’s Britt Myers’ stout season continued despite a harrowing third period and thanks to a late-day catch that pushed him into the Knockout Round. The North Carolina pro fell from sixth place to below the cutline in the final period as he went fishless for just over three hours. That cold streak was broken with a 4-2 largemouth that bit a worm on a shaky head with 11 minutes left in the final period to push Myers to eighth place in the group.

The top 10 pros from Group B that now advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round on Lake Eufaula are:

1st:          Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan, 21 bass, 53-14
2nd:        Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., 20 bass, 47-11
3rd:        Martin Villa, Charlottesville, Va., 14 bass, 41-9
4th:         Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 16 bass, 36-6
5th:         Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., 16 bass, 35-7
6th:         Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., 11 bass, 33-10
7th:         Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 13 bass, 33-3
8th:         Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La., 13 bass, 32-12
9th:         Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, 12 bass, 32-10
10th:      Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 14 bass, 31-13

Eliminated from competition are:

11th:      Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., 17 bass, 31-6
12th:      John Hunter, Shelbyville, Ky., 11 bass, 27-12
13th:      Gary Klein, Mingus, Texas, 10 bass, 27-8
14th:      John Murray, Spring City, Tenn., 11 bass, 25-6
15th:      Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., 12 bass, 24-0
16th:      Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., eight bass, 23-1
17th:      Jacob Wall, New Hope, Ala., nine bass, 20-3
18th:      Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., eight bass, 20-1
19th:      Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala., seven bass, 19-14
20th:      Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn., eight bass, 18-10
21st:      David Walker, Huntingdon, Tenn., seven bass, 18-3
22nd:     Matt Lee, Cullman, Ala., eight bass, 17-4
23rd:     Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., six bass, 16-7
24th:      Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., seven bass, 16-2
25th:      Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., six bass, 15-14
26th;      Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., four bass, 14-4
27th:      Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 11-4
28th:      Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., five bass, 11-3
29th:      Colby Schrumpf, Highland, Ill., five bass, 10-11
30th:      Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., six bass, 10-11
31st:      Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., four bass, 9-10
32nd:     David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., five bass, 9-7
33rd:     Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz., four bass, 9-0
34th:      Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., three bass, 8-12
35th:      Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., five bass, 8-7
36th:      James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., four bass, 8-0
37th:      Jacopo Gallelli, Florence, Italy, three bass, 7-8
38th:      Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., three bass, 7-0
39th:      Fred Roumbanis, Russellville, Ark., two bass, 3-12
40th:      Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., two bass, 3-9

A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall, there were 171 scorable bass weighing 407 pounds, 1 ounce caught by 39 pros Friday, which included one 6-pounder, two 5-pounders, eight 4-pounders and 26 3-pounders.

Friday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award was awarded to Martin Villa of Charlottesville, Virginia, who weighed in a 6-pound, 10-ounce largemouth that bit his wacky rig in Period 1. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.

Jacob Wheeler had a firm grasp on the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year standings heading into Stage Four, but briefly gave up the lead to Alton Jones Jr. when he struggled on Day 1 of the competition. Wheeler, however, recovered in Group A’s second day of fishing, climbing into the Top 10 and retaking the lead in the season-long race for the AOY trophy and it’s $100,000 payday.

The six-day tournament, hosted by Vision Eufaula, showcases 79 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing for a purse of $659,000, including a top payout of $100,000 and valuable Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) points in hopes of qualifying for the General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2025, the Bass Pro Tour championship.

The 39 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day Qualifying Round on Tuesday and Thursday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Wednesday and Friday. Now that each two-day Qualifying Round is complete, the anglers that finished first through 10th from both groups advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 20 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to Sunday’s Championship Round. In the final-day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.

Anglers will launch at 7:30 a.m. CT each day from the Peter’s Point-Nichols Point Boat Ramp, located on Dabbs Road in Eufaula. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the boat ramp, beginning at 4 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com .

The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live on the final four days of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. MLFNOW!®  will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.

On Saturday and Sunday, May 4-5, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF welcomes fans of all ages to visit Peter’s Point-Nichols Point for the MLF Watch Party and Kids Fishing Derby. Fans can watch the pros live on the MLFNOW! big screen, enjoy free food, enter to win hourly giveaways and cheer on their favorite pros. The first 50 kids 14 and under will receive a free rod and reel from Pure Fishing each day. Additional fishing gear will be provided onsite for the fishing derby or kids can bring their own. The final 10 Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand at the trophy celebration on Championship Sunday to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take selfies.

The MillerTech Stage Four at Lake Eufaula Presented by REDCON1 features the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format, in which anglers catch as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. The tournament features anglers competing with a 1-pound, 8-ounce minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. The MLF Fisheries Management Division determines minimum weights for each body of water that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.

The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 79 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2025 championship.

The 79 anglers taking on Dale Hollow this week aren’t just battling for a first-place trophy and $100,000 payday. Valuable points in the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year race are also up for grabs. The winner of the season-long competition will take home an additional $100,000 check.

Fishing Clash, an interactive 3D fishing simulation game that’s played by more than 80 million people worldwide, is the official AOY sponsor of the Bass Pro Tour, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, Toyota Series and Phoenix Bass Fishing League. You can download Fishing Clash for free in the App Store and on Google Play or log on to www.fishingclash.game for more information.

Television coverage of the MillerTech Stage Four at Lake Eufaula Presented by REDCON1 Knockout Round will air as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 12 on Discovery, with the Championship Round premiering on Oct. 19. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.

Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Garmin, General Tire, Humminbird, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak Fishing, NITRO, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, Rapala, REDCON1, Star brite, Suzuki, Toyota, WIX Filters and U.S. Air Force.

For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.

About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.