Glenn: Hi I'm Glenn May with BassResource.com. I'm here with Takahiro Omori. Tak it's great to have you here today.
Takahiro Omori: Yeah.
Glenn: So, how long have you been fishing?
Takahiro: I've been fishing 18 years before coming here to the United States. Basically I was fishing in Japan before that, I've been fishing all my life.
Glenn: You started when you were a little kid then?
Takahiro: I started when I was nine years old, that's when I caught my first bass.
Glenn: In all those years of fishing what would you say was your most memorable bass that you ever caught?
Takahiro: My first bass, no doubt about it, yes.
Glenn: How big was that?
Takahiro: That was about 14 inches. I feel like that was biggest bass I ever caught in my life.
Glenn: And that just got you hooked, you were just done after that.
Takahiro: That just amazed me, and even though it was a long, long time ago, I still remember that one fish.
Glenn: Changed your life for ever definitely. Now going after big fish you probably change your tactics a little bit. What's your favorite big bass tactic?
Takahiro: You can do so many things. You can sight fish, you can throw big swim bait, but make sure you fish in a lake that has a lot of big bass in it.
Glenn: So obviously you can't catch a big fish if it's not in there. So you target mostly swim baits or drop shot or any other techniques do you prefer?
Takahiro: Well, it all depends but like I said, you have to pick the best time of the year and go to the best lakes. That's my good advice, because I don't care how good a fishermen you are, what kind of bait you have, you can't catch nothing from a swimming pool.
Glenn: That's true. I'm curious for the weekend angler out there, the guy who's doing all the bass clubs that sort of thing. What's the most common mistake you see them make?
Takahiro: What kind?
Glenn: The bass club angler who's fishing the local tournaments that sort of thing. What's the common mistake that they make?
Takahiro: Honestly, there's no wrong things to do, you have to try to see what works for you, because everybody fish different. There's no such mistake. Everybody wants to catch fish everyday, even for the pro's it doesn't happen everyday. You can try a lot of different things and you learn from that, so I say nothings wrong to try.
Glenn: Try different techniques and figure out what suits your style, is that what you were saying?
Takahiro: Yes, you have to try on your own.
Glenn: That makes sense. But besides fishing what other things do you like to do?
Takahiro: Traveling.
Glenn: Really, where to?
Takahiro: Usually a lot of different parts of the country when traveling on the bass tournament. You can go to Florida, New York, California. I come from Japan and I see a lot of different parts of the United States, that's one good thing for me to be able to do. When on the tour. But most of the time other than that. I stay home watching TV, relaxing.
Glenn: What's your favorite sport?
Takahiro: I like watching racing.
Glenn: Formula One racing or NASCAR?
Takahiro: I like watching Formula One.
Glenn: Formula One, who's your favorite driver?
Takahiro: Schumacher
Glenn: Really!
Takahiro: It's not just one, I like all those guys driving fast.
Glenn: If you could fish with anybody either past or present, if you could chose who ever you want to fish whom might that be?
Takahiro: Anybody?
Glenn: Yeah, anybody.
Takahiro: I don't know.
Glenn: Could be somebody from you family or a presidential figure or a celebrity...
Takahiro: I go fishing anywhere by myself.
Glenn: So what's the one thing about you that the fans out there might not know about that you could share with us?
Takahiro: I don't know, people have only seen me in the past five years. Where I come from in Japan, I had to start at the very bottom to get up here. Those things, the new people might not see it. This is a unique sport, anybody can work from the bottom to get to the top.
Glenn: Well, your story is especially unique the way you started off. If I remember correctly, you were sleeping in your truck right? You didn't even know any English when you came here right?
Takahiro: No, I didn't speak any English, I didn't have any sponsor, no friends here, but all I wanted was to become a better angler, and explore all those lakes and figure out how to catch those fish.
Glenn: So it was that hunger and that drive and that sort of go for it attitude that maybe a lot of people might not have realized really the struggles that you've went through to get to where you are today.
Takahiro: Exactly.
Glenn: Fantastic. That's the epidemy of how to make it...you know, a lot of people ask how do you make it to be a big pro, that's it. It's that drive and determination and willingness to sacrifice to do it.
Takahiro: Exactly. You can buy all the best equipment, boats, bait, tackle, whatever. But if you don't have the drive to become better fisherman, to stand against the best guy in the world, an try to figure out how to catch those fish everyday, you're not going to be able to stay up here.
Glenn: That makes a lot of sense. Let me ask you one last question. What is your favorite ice cream?
Takahiro: I don't eat ice cream.
Glenn: Well, then I guess you don't have a favorite then do you. What do you like to snack on when you're on the boat?
Takahiro: Well I try to get like energy bars to start. But basically I took rice bowl to the boat, Japanese style.
Glenn: Of course, that sounds great. Well, Tak, thank you so much for spending time with us today. I do appreciate it and we're looking forward to seeing you out on the water.
Takahiro: All right, I'll see you somewhere.
Glenn: Okay.
