By B.A.S.S. Communications Staff
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 Bassmaster Elite Series event at Lake Fork.
Hailing from Yamanashi, Japan, Fujita placed fourth on Day 1 with 31-0. Heading into Saturday, his 65-pound total for 2 days 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 sunny 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 opened the 2024 season with a Texas win 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 30-07.
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 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 62-07. Fresh off his win 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 5-06 around 1:40, but spent the majority of his day scouting for areas he might fish on 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 jighead. 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.
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 location at 2:30 p.m.
Day 2 Standings
1. Kyoya Fujita -- Yamanashi, JAPAN -- 10, 65-00 -- 104
Day 1: 5, 31-00 -- Day 2: 5, 34-00
2. Trey McKinney -- Carbondale, IL -- 10, 62-12 -- 103
Day 1: 5, 32-05 -- Day 2: 5, 30-07
3. Paul Marks -- Cumming, GA -- 10, 62-07 -- 102
Day 1: 5, 30-13 -- Day 2: 5, 31-10
4. Tucker Smith -- Birmingham, AL -- 10, 59-09 -- 101
Day 1: 5, 25-04 -- Day 2: 5, 34-05
5. JT Thompkins -- Myrtle Beach, SC -- 10, 58-13 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 28-04 -- Day 2: 5, 30-09
6. Jay Przekurat -- Plover, WI -- 10, 58-09 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 31-02 -- Day 2: 5, 27-07
7. Seth Feider -- Elko New Market, MN -- 10, 55-14 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 27-10 -- Day 2: 5, 28-04
8. Patrick Walters -- Eutawville, SC -- 10, 53-13 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 27-09 -- Day 2: 5, 26-04
9. Buddy Gross -- Chattanooga, TN -- 9, 53-12 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 33-09 -- Day 2: 4, 20-03
10. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 10, 51-14 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 29-05 -- Day 2: 5, 22-09
11. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 9, 49-12 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 29-06 -- Day 2: 4, 20-06
12. Tyler Williams -- Belgrade, ME -- 10, 49-12 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 23-04 -- Day 2: 5, 26-08
13. Shane LeHew -- Catawba, NC -- 10, 48-09 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 19-15 -- Day 2: 5, 28-10
14. Easton Fothergill -- Grand Rapids , MN -- 10, 48-07 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 29-03 -- Day 2: 5, 19-04
15. Chris Johnston -- Otonabee, ON -- 10, 48-01 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 18-00 -- Day 2: 5, 30-01
16. Andrew Loberg -- Guntersville, AL -- 10, 46-13 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 23-00 -- Day 2: 5, 23-13
17. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 10, 46-12 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 21-06 -- Day 2: 5, 25-06
18. Marc Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 10, 46-08 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 14-13 -- Day 2: 5, 31-11
19. Brad Whatley -- Bivins, TX -- 10, 46-08 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 25-06 -- Day 2: 5, 21-02
20. Jason Christie -- Dry Creek, OK -- 10, 46-04 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 21-14 -- Day 2: 5, 24-06
21. Brandon Cobb -- Greenwood, SC -- 10, 45-11 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 22-14 -- Day 2: 5, 22-13
22. Bryan Schmitt -- Deale, MD -- 10, 45-09 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 19-07 -- Day 2: 5, 26-02
23. Tyler Rivet -- Raceland, LA -- 10, 45-05 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 20-03 -- Day 2: 5, 25-02
24. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 10, 45-01 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 25-10 -- Day 2: 5, 19-07
25. Caleb Kuphall -- Mukwonago, WI -- 10, 43-15 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 19-11 -- Day 2: 5, 24-04
26. Wesley Gore -- Clanton, AL -- 10, 43-08 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 20-02 -- Day 2: 5, 23-06
27. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 10, 43-05 -- 78
Day 1: 5, 25-05 -- Day 2: 5, 18-00
28. Jake Whitaker -- Hendersonville, NC -- 10, 43-04 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 22-06 -- Day 2: 5, 20-14
29. Bryan New -- Leesville, SC -- 10, 42-11 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 22-04 -- Day 2: 5, 20-07
30. Pat Schlapper -- Eleva, WI -- 10, 42-06 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 15-09 -- Day 2: 5, 26-13
31. Cooper Gallant -- Bowmanville, ON -- 10, 42-06 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 21-01 -- Day 2: 5, 21-05
32. Ed Loughran III -- Richmond, VA -- 10, 42-05 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 22-05 -- Day 2: 5, 20-00
33. Drew Benton -- Panama City, FL -- 10, 42-04 -- 72
Day 1: 5, 21-07 -- Day 2: 5, 20-13
34. Caleb Sumrall -- New Iberia, LA -- 10, 41-14 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 23-02 -- Day 2: 5, 18-12
35. Kyle Patrick -- Cooperstown, NY -- 10, 41-11 -- 70
Day 1: 5, 25-15 -- Day 2: 5, 15-12
36. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 10, 41-09 -- 69
Day 1: 5, 19-02 -- Day 2: 5, 22-07
37. Cole Sands -- Johnson City, TN -- 10, 41-08 -- 68
Day 1: 5, 18-03 -- Day 2: 5, 23-05
38. Chris Zaldain -- Boyd, TX -- 10, 41-06 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 23-11 -- Day 2: 5, 17-11
39. Wes Logan -- Springville, AL -- 10, 41-05 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 20-11 -- Day 2: 5, 20-10
40. Taku Ito -- Dalton, GA -- 10, 41-04 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 23-02 -- Day 2: 5, 18-02
41. Bryant Smith -- Roseville, CA -- 10, 41-04 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 19-04 -- Day 2: 5, 22-00
42. Cory Johnston -- Otonabee, ON -- 10, 41-03 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 20-03 -- Day 2: 5, 21-00
43. Will Davis Jr -- Sylacauga, AL -- 10, 40-15 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 23-15 -- Day 2: 5, 17-00
44. Jordan Lee -- Cullman, AL -- 10, 40-14 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 17-00 -- Day 2: 5, 23-14
45. Kyle Norsetter -- Cottage Grove, WI -- 10, 40-09 -- 60
Day 1: 5, 15-04 -- Day 2: 5, 25-05
46. Drew Cook -- Cairo, GA -- 10, 40-09 -- 59
Day 1: 5, 22-01 -- Day 2: 5, 18-08
47. Brock Mosley -- Collinsville, MS -- 10, 40-01 -- 58
Day 1: 5, 18-10 -- Day 2: 5, 21-07
48. Robert Gee -- Knoxville, TN -- 10, 39-05 -- 57
Day 1: 5, 13-13 -- Day 2: 5, 25-08
49. Randy Howell -- Guntersville, AL -- 10, 39-04 -- 56
Day 1: 5, 20-05 -- Day 2: 5, 18-15
50. John Garrett -- Union City, TN -- 8, 38-10 -- 55
Day 1: 5, 28-12 -- Day 2: 3, 09-14
The following anglers did not make the cut and will not fish on Day 3.
51. Joey Cifuentes III -- Clinton, AR -- 10, 38-01 -- 54
Day 1: 5, 14-09 -- Day 2: 5, 23-08
52. Emil Wagner -- Marietta, GA -- 10, 37-12 -- 53
Day 1: 5, 27-04 -- Day 2: 5, 10-08
53. Jason Williamson -- Aiken, SC -- 10, 37-10 -- 52
Day 1: 5, 17-08 -- Day 2: 5, 20-02
54. Justin Hamner -- Northport, AL -- 10, 37-09 -- 51
Day 1: 5, 15-09 -- Day 2: 5, 22-00
55. Jacob Foutz -- Charleston, TN -- 10, 37-06 -- 50
Day 1: 5, 16-12 -- Day 2: 5, 20-10
56. Hunter Shryock -- Ooltewah, TN -- 10, 37-05 -- 49
Day 1: 5, 20-07 -- Day 2: 5, 16-14
57. Alex Redwine -- Blue Ash, OH -- 10, 37-04 -- 48
Day 1: 5, 22-10 -- Day 2: 5, 14-10
58. Austin Felix -- Eden Prairie, MN -- 10, 37-03 -- 47
Day 1: 5, 18-06 -- Day 2: 5, 18-13
59. Cliff Pace -- Ovett, MS -- 10, 36-14 -- 46
Day 1: 5, 19-14 -- Day 2: 5, 17-00
60. Alex Wetherell -- Middletown, CT -- 10, 36-07 -- 45
Day 1: 5, 18-06 -- Day 2: 5, 18-01
61. Beau Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 9, 35-12 -- 44
Day 1: 5, 20-02 -- Day 2: 4, 15-10
62. Justin Atkins -- Florence, AL -- 9, 35-08 -- 43
Day 1: 5, 19-06 -- Day 2: 4, 16-02
63. Brandon Card -- Salisbury, NC -- 10, 35-07 -- 42
Day 1: 5, 14-08 -- Day 2: 5, 20-15
64. Evan Kung -- Pickering, ON -- 10, 35-02 -- 41
Day 1: 5, 16-12 -- Day 2: 5, 18-06
65. Kenta Kimura -- Osaka, JAPAN -- 6, 34-11 -- 40
Day 1: 1, 03-04 -- Day 2: 5, 31-07
66. John Cox -- Debary, FL -- 10, 34-05 -- 39
Day 1: 5, 18-02 -- Day 2: 5, 16-03
67. Matt Arey -- Shelby, NC -- 10, 33-15 -- 38
Day 1: 5, 20-01 -- Day 2: 5, 13-14
68. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 10, 33-11 -- 37
Day 1: 5, 15-14 -- Day 2: 5, 17-13
69. Cody Huff -- Ava, MO -- 8, 32-15 -- 36
Day 1: 5, 26-01 -- Day 2: 3, 06-14
70. Jacob Powroznik -- North Prince George, VA -- 9, 32-08 -- 35
Day 1: 5, 20-02 -- Day 2: 4, 12-06
71. Cody Meyer -- Eagle, ID -- 10, 32-07 -- 34
Day 1: 5, 20-11 -- Day 2: 5, 11-12
72. Jonathan Kelley -- Old Forge, PA -- 10, 32-03 -- 33
Day 1: 5, 14-14 -- Day 2: 5, 17-05
73. Kyle Welcher -- Valley, AL -- 6, 32-01 -- 32
Day 1: 5, 24-06 -- Day 2: 1, 07-11
74. Scott Canterbury -- Odenville, AL -- 8, 32-00 -- 31
Day 1: 5, 22-08 -- Day 2: 3, 09-08
75. Dakota Ebare -- Brookeland, TX -- 6, 31-10 -- 30
Day 1: 5, 30-01 -- Day 2: 1, 01-09
76. Bob Downey -- Detroit Lakes, MN -- 10, 30-13 -- 29
Day 1: 5, 14-14 -- Day 2: 5, 15-15
77. Matt Robertson -- Kuttawa, KY -- 9, 30-11 -- 28
Day 1: 5, 23-01 -- Day 2: 4, 07-10
78. KJ Queen -- Catawba, NC -- 9, 30-11 -- 27
Day 1: 4, 11-14 -- Day 2: 5, 18-13
79. Matty Wong -- Honolulu, HI -- 10, 30-08 -- 26
Day 1: 5, 13-09 -- Day 2: 5, 16-15
80. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 10, 29-14 -- 25
Day 1: 5, 17-13 -- Day 2: 5, 12-01
81. Logan Latuso -- Gonzales, LA -- 10, 29-12 -- 24
Day 1: 5, 15-11 -- Day 2: 5, 14-01
82. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 10, 29-10 -- 23
Day 1: 5, 12-12 -- Day 2: 5, 16-14
83. Ray Hanselman Jr -- Del Rio, TX -- 9, 27-05 -- 22
Day 1: 5, 15-07 -- Day 2: 4, 11-14
84. Ben Milliken -- Omaha, NE -- 6, 26-12 -- 21
Day 1: 4, 21-00 -- Day 2: 2, 05-12
85. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 7, 26-00 -- 20
Day 1: 2, 07-13 -- Day 2: 5, 18-03
86. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 9, 25-14 -- 19
Day 1: 5, 11-09 -- Day 2: 4, 14-05
87. Logan Parks -- Auburn, AL -- 10, 25-05 -- 18
Day 1: 5, 13-07 -- Day 2: 5, 11-14
88. Luke Palmer -- Coalgate, OK -- 9, 24-10 -- 17
Day 1: 5, 10-08 -- Day 2: 4, 14-02
89. Chad Pipkens -- Dewitt, MI -- 10, 24-06 -- 16
Day 1: 5, 09-01 -- Day 2: 5, 15-05
90. Lee Livesay -- Longview, TX -- 7, 23-11 -- 15
Day 1: 5, 14-05 -- Day 2: 2, 09-06
91. David Gaston -- Sylacauga, AL -- 8, 23-07 -- 14
Day 1: 3, 04-08 -- Day 2: 5, 18-15
92. Jamie Hartman -- Newport, NY -- 10, 22-13 -- 13
Day 1: 5, 10-10 -- Day 2: 5, 12-03
93. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 10, 22-10 -- 12
Day 1: 5, 14-09 -- Day 2: 5, 08-01
94. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 9, 22-09 -- 11
Day 1: 5, 14-07 -- Day 2: 4, 08-02
95. Jeff Gustafson -- Kenora, ON, -- 9, 22-03 -- 10
Day 1: 4, 11-13 -- Day 2: 5, 10-06
96. Gregory DiPalma -- Millville, NJ -- 7, 21-11 -- 9
Day 1: 2, 04-00 -- Day 2: 5, 17-11
97. Timothy Dube -- Nashua , NH -- 6, 21-02 -- 8
Day 1: 2, 07-09 -- Day 2: 4, 13-09
98. Blake Capps -- Muskogee, OK -- 8, 19-11 -- 7
Day 1: 5, 11-05 -- Day 2: 3, 08-06
99. Carl Jocumsen -- Queensland, AUS-- 5, 19-03 -- 6
Day 1: 4, 14-01 -- Day 2: 1, 05-02
100. Stetson Blaylock -- Benton, AR -- 8, 19-00 -- 5
Day 1: 3, 04-01 -- Day 2: 5, 14-15
101. Gerald Swindle -- Guntersville, AL -- 6, 17-05 -- 4
Day 1: 4, 14-11 -- Day 2: 2, 02-10
102. Hank Cherry Jr -- Lincolnton, NC -- 6, 13-00 -- 3
Day 1: 2, 04-14 -- Day 2: 4, 08-02
