Shinichi Fukae's recent triumph at the Champlain Eastern FLW Series was twice as sweet, he said. First, it marked his first win since the Walmart Open at Beaver Lake in 2006. Second, Champlain was where he clinched the 2004 FLW Tour Angler of the Year title as a rookie. He thus referred to Champlain as "a special place."



He and his wife Miyu are already in Tennessee. They drove 1,100 miles in 2 days - Miyu towing the boat, Shin captaining the motorhome. He'll fish the final Eastern Series event at Chickamauga, as well as the Table Rock PAA Tournament Series and then the Toyota Texas Bass Classic.

He'll fish them both with a beefed-up bank account. The Champlain win paid him about $57,000 under the revamped Series format.

He averaged 18 1/2 pounds over the 4 days, fishing the north end of the lake, and edged runner-up Anthony Gagliardi by 5 ounces.

Here's how he did it.

Practice

The very southern portion of Champlain near Ticonderoga has been a factor in several big events over the past few years. It's a risky gamble, though, because Champlain is more an inland sea than a lake, and elements can easily prohibit a run south.

Last year, however, Scott Martin won the Champlain FLW Tour fishing largemouths in the north end of the lake. His pattern involved milfoil in Missisquoi Bay.

Fukae decided to focus his Series practice on the north end, but never could get the largemouth bite going. He couldn't connect with quality and so switched to a smallmouth attack plan.

He wanted to fish unpressured water, so he targeted structure in 30 to 40 feet with active bait.

Competition

> Day 1: 5, 18-12
> Day 2: 5, 18-12
> Day 3: 5, 17-13
> Day 4: 5, 18-07
> Total = 20, 73-12

Fukae's key to victory was the all-important 4-pound smallmouth. Based on practice, his initial goal was 15 pounds a day - it was "very hard" to catch a 4-pounder in practice, he said. But when he visited his key spots the first 2 days of competition, quality fish had either moved in or turned aggressive.

He caught two 4-pounders on day 1, then two the second day. Day 3 was a little tougher and he caught only one 4-pounder, which came late. One day 4 he caught a single 4-pounder again.

Pattern Notes

Fukae told BassFan that the key to his pattern was baitfish, which ranged from perch to three or four different kinds of shad or minnows. He'd wait until he graphed bait on one of his areas, then sink a dropshot.

He targeted various types of structure in 30 to 40 feet - rocky points, humps and breaks. He noted that most boats he saw were fishing in about 20 feet of water, so he felt his fish were less pressured.



Shinichi Fukae
Photo: Shinichi Fukae

Fukae started each day on spots that delivered limits, then moved to key areas in search of 4-pound bites.

In all, he had about 15 different spots, including one limit spot, but the "key main area" was a group of three spots. As soon as he caught a good fish off one, he'd move on in order to manage his fish. He caught his limit first before hitting the key spots.

He noted too that each spot might be 50 feet wide, but the bait and bass were generally concentrated in a single 10-foot area. They'd move each day and he'd have to relocate the sweet spot.

Winning Gear Notes

> Dropshot gear: 6'10" Megabass Orochi F3-610XS rod, Shimano Stella 2500 spinning reel, 7-pound Yoz-Ami D-Arm fluorocarbon line (16-inch drop), No. 1 Gamakatsu Octopus hook, 1/4- and 3/8-ounce weights, Gary Yamamoto Shad Shape worm (green-pumpkin).

> He used the 1/4-ounce weight when fish were suspended 8 or so feet off bottom.

> He donated two rods to Champlain on the final day when he took a wave.

The Bottom Line

  • Main factor in his success - "For this tournament, the most important thing was the sign of bait using the depthfinder - finding bait and fishing by using the depthfinder. You don't see any bait on your depthfinder, you don't have to fish there. Also my mental condition for the tournament. I had to make myself concentrate."

  • Performance edge - "I needed everything."

    Notable

    > Shin told BassFan that there's a special treat for fans when the TV show airs. He reacted to one of his fish the final day, sort of like Iaconelli, "but not the same," he said.

    > Thanks go to Shin's wife Miyu, who helped translate during the interview.

    Final Standings

    Pro Jim Gildea was DQd after the conclusion of the event. Final standings will published when made official by FLW Outdoors.