Omori Refocuses for PAA Tournament Series

By Alan Clemons

PAA Communications

MORRISTOWN, Tenn. – Takahiro Omori is about as easygoing as can be off the water when he’s tinkering with his crankbaits or relaxing with friends.

On the water, though, he’s driven by a competitive nature to be the best in whatever tournament he’s competing in anywhere in the country. That’s why when the PAA Bass Pro Shops Tournament Series presented by Carrot Stix kicks off July 8-10 at Cherokee Lake, he’ll be seeking a bit of personal redemption.

“I’m going to fish all the PAA tournaments, refocus my efforts to them and be ready for them,” said Omori, who lives in Texas near Lake Fork. “I’m so mad right now about the way the (Bassmaster Elite Series) season ended, it’s just part of my nature with competitiveness. Until I have a good tournament I won’t feel good. I’m definitely looking forward to the PAA events.”

Omori has excelled in the past, winning the 2004 Bassmaster Classic and almost $2 million on the Bassmaster and FLW circuits. But his Elite Series season ended with a thud when he finished 54th in the points standings and failed to qualify for the 2011 Classic in New Orleans.

That has spurred Omori to dig deeper as the PAA Tournament Series approaches. The first of four events on the series begin at Cherokee Lake, which with its offshore offerings setting up perfectly for cranking has him enthused.

“We have about seven months before the Classic since the season ended and I’ll be fishing as much as I can,” he said. “My expectations were a top 12 this year for the post-season, but the way I ended up in the points it’s going to kill me the next 6-7 months. I’m going to think about it a lot in the next few months.

“That’s one reason I’m excited about the PAA events, to be able to continue fishing because that’s what professional anglers do. We fish whenever we can.”

Omori is comfortable with shallow cranking situations, often favoring the Lucky Craft RC Series 1.5 and 2.5 crankbaits around cover and shallow structure. He uses his swimming pool at his home to practice and refine techniques with crankbaits, such as line size, while also occasionally getting into the pool to watch how crankbaits track underwater.

One thing Omori is keen on is using fluorocarbon line to help get his crankbaits to maximum depths. Fluorocarbon is more dense than monofilament or co-polymer lines and sinks faster, which helps crankbaits run deeper.

“Along with the depth, there’s less stretch with fluorocarbon so you get a little better hookset,” he said. “Fluorocarbon is good for deep and shallow cranking. The heaviest I’ll usually go is 14-pound test if I get shallower than 10 feet, but mainly I use 10- or 12-pound test line. Sometimes if I’m in really shallow stuff around cover, I may go up to 20-pound test.”

The heavier line in shallow water keeps the bigger-bodied square bill crankbaits Omori favors from running to deep. They wobble and bang around off cover, and bigger line gives him a little more leverage in close quarters.

Omori plans to fish all four PAA Tournament Series events and has his sights set on qualifying for the Toyota Texas Bass Classic in October on Lake Conroe. The top 15 pros after the first three PAA Tournament Series points standings will qualify for it, along with the top 15 from the FLW Tour and Bassmaster Elite Series standings and five TTBC exemptions.

For now, though, he’s getting ready for Cherokee Lake.

“Every morning I wake up with a smile on my face because I’m getting to do what I love to do … go fishing,” Omori said. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do and I’m blessed to be able to do what I love.”