YANTIS, Texas — Kyoya Fujita was happy with his day, but he was far from satisfied. That’s a hard statement to process, considering the Japanese superstar notched a 34-pound limit en route to leading Day 2 of the Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork.
Hailing from Yamanashi, Japan, Fujita placed fourth on Day 1 with 31-0. Heading into Semifinal Saturday, his 65-pound 2-day total gives him a lead of 2 1/4 pounds over 2024 Lake Fork Champion Trey McKinney.
“I had a great day,” Fujita said. “I hope I catch (at least) 34 pounds again tomorrow, but, in practice, I caught 40 pounds on my spot.
“Thirty-four pounds was not what I was expecting. I was expecting a bigger bag, but with all the fishing pressure, it just didn’t happen. I think it’s going to be tougher tomorrow.”
Fujita spent his day in Caney Creek, not far from takeoff, where he fished five main spots. This area, he said, held the most promise, both in quality and quantity.
“I practiced all over the lake, but this area had the biggest fish,” Fujita said.
Like much of the lake, Fujita’s area bristled with flooded timber. This habitat is not easily navigated and the snagging risks loom ever present, however, Fujita hunted his targets on forward facing sonar and enticed his fish with precise casts.
“I caught most of my fish in 10 feet of water,” Fujita said. “My fish were suspended on the trees. I fished big trees and small trees; they were all good.”
Contrasting the first day’s mostly bluebird conditions, Day 2 brought increasing clouds and more wind. Such scenarios typically have the fish loosely relating to cover and Fujita found this worked in his favor.
“Cloudy is good, sunny is no good,” Fujita said in comparison to the first day’s brighter conditions. “Cloudy (days) are bite, bite, bite, but cloudy days are (fewer) bites. Yesterday was very tough.”
Fujita caught his fish on a jighead minnow and a Neko-rigged dice style bait. The latter comprises a solid soft plastic cube with several silicone strands inserted through the body. When slowly pulled through the water, the pulsing strands wave and wiggle with lifelike appearance.
“Five years ago, when I fished in Japan, I used this bait,” Fujita said. “Sometimes, the fish bite on this bait, sometimes they don’t. This time, they are biting this bait a little better.”
Fujita rigged his dice bait on a 3/0 Daiwa Steez Worm Hook and added a 1/4-ounce nail weight.
Fujita, who opened the 2024 season with a Texas win at the 2024 Gamakatsu Bassmaster Elite at Toledo Bend. That tournament saw Fujita earn the event’s only Century Club belt for his 100-13 total. Thus far, his Lake Fork performance has him well ahead of pace for another century effort.
“I love Texas; I love Lake Fork,” Fujita said. “This lake has big fish.”
McKinney, who makes his home in Carbondale, Ill., is in second place with 62-12. After a first-round limit 32-05 put him in the No. 2 spot, McKinney held fast with a Day-2 limit of 30-7.
McKinney caught most his bass on a jighead minnow, but stroking a jig produced a key fish. While his baits mostly fooled quality bass, he found himself needing a late-day upgrade that would expel a small fish from his total.
McKinney admittedly missed a key opportunity, but fortunately, fate offered another chance.
“I had a 1-pounder at 1:30 and I lost a 5 1/2-pounder,” McKinney said. “Mentally, that was the hardest thing, because I knew I had forfeited the chance. Thank goodness, when I came around the next corner, I ended up catching a 6-pounder that brought me in today.”
Looking ahead to Semifinal Saturday, McKinney’s hopeful that the schools he has located will deliver another big day.
“I feel like I’m running out of fish, but that could just be my confidence, because I know what it’s going to take to win here,” McKinney said. “Can I do it? I don’t know. But is there a chance? Always.
“I have five or six schools that have (the potential for) 30 pounds a day on each school, but getting them to bite is the toughest thing I’ve ever had to do.”
Paul Marks of Cumming, Ga., is in third place with 62-7. Fresh off his win at the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell, Marks placed fifth on Day 1 with 30-13 and followed with a second-round limit that went 31-10.
Getting off to a blistering start, Marks had 30 pounds to his credit by 8:30. He’d make a key upgrade with a 5-6 around 1:40, but spent the majority of his day scouting for areas he might fish on Semifinal Saturday.
“What a day out there today; it was so much fun,” Marks said. “That was the best morning of fishing I’ve ever had.
“This place is awesome. It has so many big fish and I can’t wait to get back out there.”
Marks caught his fish on a Zoom Winged Fluke rigged on a 1/4- and a 3/8-ounce Bad Little Shad jig head. The soft plastic’s winged form helps keep the bait up in the water column where it stays in front of the fish longer.
Jay Przekurat of Plover, Wis., and Kyle Norsetter of Cottage Grove, Wis., share the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors, each with a 9-14.
Przekurat leads the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 467 points. Shane LeHew of Catawba, N.C., is in second with 425, followed by McKinney with 412, Chris Johnston of Otonabee, Can. with 410 and Will Davis Jr. of Sylacauga, Ala., with 402.
Tucker Smith of Birmingham, Ala. leads the Dakota Lithium Elite Series Rookie of the Year standings with 395 points.
Bassmaster LIVE coverage of the Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork will be available on FS1 on Day 3 from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. ET before moving to Bassmaster.com in the afternoon. Championship Sunday coverage will be broadcast on FS1 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and FOX from noon to 3 p.m.
Saturday’s takeoff is scheduled for 6:30 a.m. CT at Caney Point Recreation Area. The weigh-in will be held at the same area at 2:30 p.m.
The Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork is being hosted by Wood County.