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Inside BASS:
Omori Will Be Missed at 2006 CITGO Bassmaster Classic
Dec. 13, 2005 - Somewhat lost in the excitement of the final
five pros qualifying for the upcoming CITGO Bassmaster Classic
through the CITGO Bassmaster Open Championship was the elimination
of a former Classic champion.
Takahiro Omori, the '04 Classic
champ, arrived in Alabama at the Open Championship with two hopes
of earning a Classic invitation: either making the top five or
having an already Classic-bound angler double qualify, bumping
Omori into bass fishing's most major event. Unfortunately for
the popular 2006 CITGO Bassmaster Elite Series pro, neither happened.
Omori placed 14th in the Open Championship and the five top finishers
had not already qualified for the world championship.
"I had the opportunities,
but I didn't do enough," said Omori, who was born in Japan
and now lives in Emory, Texas. Omori fished both the CITGO Bassmaster
Tour and E-50s, but just missed the Classic cut in both series.
"I made the Open Championship fishing just two tournaments.
So I had all kinds of opportunities, but sometimes you can have
too many. I know that sounds funny.
"I had my best year
this year, but it just didn't happen," said Omori, who won
a CITGO Bassmaster Open event this year.
The 2006 CITGO Bassmaster
Classic will be held Feb. 24-26 on Lake Tohopekaliga in Kissimmee,
Fla. Omori won a Bassmaster Tour tournament there with 50 pounds,
11 ounces in January.
TV SUPERSTARS. CITGO Bassmaster
Elite Series pros Skeet Reese and Gerald Swindle were recently
featured presenters at a sports award show celebrating southern
sports that was taped in Atlanta, Ga., in late November.
Reese and Swindle presented
an award and highlighted the sport of bass fishing to the crowd,
including A-listers Shaquille O'Neal of the Miami Heat, the NFL's
Michael Vick, NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Ashley Judd.
"It was similar to my
experience during ESPN's ESPY Awards last year. It's pretty cool
to be part of shows like this and having Skeet there with me
just added to it," Swindle said.
"These events are great
for the sport because it demonstrates our growing popularity,"
Reese added.
FIRST TOURNAMENT. At the
CITGO Bassmaster Open Championship in Alabama, BASS founder Ray
Scott asked Chad Brauer of Missouri to recall his first BASS
tournament.
"I fished my first BASS
event when I was 16," he replied. "It was my birthday
present when I turned 16. I was entered into an Invitational
on Lake Guntersville as a co-angler. I didn't make a check, but
I learned a lot. I fished with a guy that was in third after
the first day and I fished the last day with a guy that finished
third. So I learned a lot about Guntersville."
Elite pro Brauer will visit
the fishery again on April 20-23, 2006 for the "Southern
Challenge" during the CITGO Bassmaster Elite Series.
WBT. On the heels of a successful
Women's Bassmaster Tour preview event in October, registration
is in full swing for the five WBT events in 2006. Tournaments
will be held on fisheries in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, North
Carolina and Arkansas in conjunction with some of the CITGO Bassmaster
Elite Series and Bassmaster Major events. Considering the fervent
interest for the 2006 season, ladies who wish to participate
should register at bassmaster.com or by calling 1-877-BASS-USA
as soon as possible, according to Bruce Mathis, the Women's Bassmaster
Tour director.
"The fields for pros
and co-anglers are filling, so we're urging women to sign up
while there's still space available," he said.
WEIRDEST CATCH. Imagine Jeff
Kriet's amazement when his light line, drop shot finesse rig
hooked the biggest fish of his life during practice for the CITGO
Bassmaster Open Championship on the Alabama River.
Somehow, the Oklahoman managed
to snag a 65- to 70-pound paddlefish in the tail with a tiny
No. 4 hook.
"I set the hook and
I thought I had a giant spot," the CITGO Bassmaster Elite
Series pro said. "All of the sudden, that sucker jumped.
It pulled off all of the line on my spinning reel and I had to
chase it. It took me probably 12 or 14 minutes to get it in the
boat. I called four of my buddies over to show it to them.
"It was so big that
its tail was under the console of the boat and its bill was sticking
out over the front of the deck."
Impressively, Kriet caught
that huge fish on 8-pound test line.
DID YOU KNOW? Rick Clunn
will be making a record 30th Classic appearance on Lake Toho
in 2006. The lake was also the site of his 1977 Classic victory.
Clunn won $50,000 in that tournament. In 2006, he's vying for
10 times that amount, a $500,000 first-place prize.
PRO BIRTHDAYS. Kentucky pro
Dan Morehead will be 38 on Dec. 21, while Kim Stricker of Michigan
will celebrate his 54th birthday on Dec. 27. Former Classic champion
David Fritts (49) and Open Championship winner Mike McClelland
(38) share Dec. 29.
THEY SAID IT. "I've
wanted to fish in the big leagues for a long time and I've put
that off as long as possible. Someday I will be married, I'm
sure, but right now I'm married to the sport." Open Championship
qualifier and Elite Series competitor Jon Bondy, who is happily
single and living in Windsor, Canada.
News exclusives, audio and
video clips of bass fishing's biggest stars, loads of discounts
and more are all part of BASS Insider, an exclusive membership,
now available at www.bassmaster.com.
BASS is the worldwide authority
on bass fishing, sanctioning more than 20,000 events through
the BASS Federation annually. Guided by its mission to serve
all fishing fans, BASS sets the standard for credibility, professionalism,
sportsmanship and conservation, as it has for nearly 40 years.
BASS stages bass fishing
tournaments for every skill level and culminates with the CITGO
Bassmaster Classic. Through its clubs, youth programs, aquatic
resource advocacy, magazine publishing and multimedia platforms,
BASS offers the industry's widest array of services and support
to its nearly 550,000 members. The organization is headquartered
in Celebration, Fla.
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