At MLF’s BPT Stop 2 at Lake Hartwell, spring officially sprung. If winning a February tournament without forward-facing sonar was on your bingo card for 2026, you’d be in luck. Fortunately, for Takahiro Omori, it was on his bingo card, and the veteran angler took home a $125,000 check thanks to his power fishing proficiency.
The result surprised even Tak. “To be honest, I had no motivation to come here,” the Tokyo native said. “I thought I was coming here to get beat by the spots.”
But, he didn’t let that stop him from hitting the lake with tenacity. He almost led the tournament wire-to-wire and didn’t even use forward-facing sonar, proving that legendary anglers are still lethal without controversial tech.
Here’s how the lake shaped up, and how Omori went home with his first win on Major League Fishing’s Bass Pro Tour.
The Conditions at BPT Stop 2 on Lake Hartwell
Low and dirty would be the best way to describe Lake Hartwell at the kickoff of BPT Stop 2. In fact, the lake is about 7 feet low, and drone shots during MLF live coverage revealed exposed beaches and docks on dry land. All of the water up shallow was stained, and it seemed like the key to winning would be targeting spotted bass in the clearer, deeper portions of the lake.
During practice, Takahiro began by fishing his strengths, targeting fish shallow with a bladed jig. However, he didn’t find much worth writing home about. So, on day two of practice, he went out finesse fishing with forward-facing sonar, hoping to find better fishing.
He didn’t. Like much of the field, he found the spotted bass in the clear part of the lake to be finicky and decided to spend the tournament fishing his strengths.
He turned off his sonar and hit the skinny water. “I felt I can catch more fish just fishing shallow, power fishing,” he said. “I catch more fish the way I’m fishing than with forward-facing sonar.”
Right out the gate, it paid off for Tak, and he led the field at the end of day two, earning an automatic bid to championship Sunday.
Championship Sunday
Conditions favored Omori on championship Sunday. He said he was worried about the cold front that rocked the area, but the high winds that accompanied it made for tough scoping for the guys on the main lake.
Most of the field started period one with forward-facing sonar, and Tak had one job to do: Don’t get blown out of the water out of the gate. Fortunately, the high winds kept the scopers within Takahiro’s striking distance. At the end of the first period, Banks Shaw led the field with 17-3 pounds, and Tak only had one scoreable bass to his name.
Luckily, no one was having quite the same success in shallow water as he was. He knew as the day continued on and temps warmed up, his shallow water bite would only improve while the rest of the field struggled. By the end of period two, he was only 6 pounds behind Shaw.
With 30 minutes left on the clock in the final period, Omori took the lead for the first time on Championship Sunday. But the final 30 minutes were stressful. The rest of the field was hot on his heels.
At his final stop of the day, he landed a 2-11 largemouth, bumping his minuscule one-ounce lead to a 2-10 lead. No one was able to answer.
“I know that technology is important and efficient,” Omori said. “It’s harder and harder to just make a Top 10. So, this win means a lot. Because all of the younger guys just win everything nowadays.”
Baits Tak Used in Bass Pro Tour Stop 2
For Takahiro, the name of the game was throwing a bladed jig around shallow cover. In fact, by the end of the tournament, he only had two rods on his deck, both strung up with a bladed jig, just in two different colors.
His bait of choice was a 3/8-ounce Z-Man Evergreen Jack Hammer ChatterBait. His color selection only varied with the trailer, and he threaded on a 5-inch Z-Man Diesel MinnowZ in either pearl or hot chartreuse.
When discussing the size, Omori stated, “Number one, I’m fishing off-colored water. The bigger bait, they can see better. And you’re fishing for minimum 2-pound fish. So, you need a bigger bait for 2-pounders.”
Many other members of the field turned to the bladed jig during periods without forward-facing sonar. It’s that time of year when fish start getting shallow for the pre-spawn, and it’d be smart to have a few on hand for your next outing.
What’s Next in Professional Bass Fishing
The start of March is going to be exciting. Major League Fishing heads to Texas for the Bass Pro Tour Stop 3 at Lake Whitney and Lake Waco, March 5-8. That will be followed shortly after, for the “Super Bowl” of fishing, the Bassmaster Classic on the Tennessee River, March 13-15.
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