Omori Is Back, But Different Person Now

Last season (2000-01) Takahiro Omori -- also known as "Tahk" or "T-O" on the tours -- fished great.

He led the B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year (AOY) race for part of the year and ended up 10th in the standings. He finished 12th in the FLW AOY race and 11th in the B.A.S.S. Central Invitational points. He also won two tournaments: the FLW Tour event on Lake Martin, and the Central Invitational on Sam Rayburn Reservoir.

That season he won $250,000, and was 5th in the world when the first BassFan.com World Rankings were published on Aug. 1, 2001.

It was Omori's best season in 10 years of professional fishing, and it was not a fluke. He had been fishing well and was getting better, as his world ranking demonstrated.

But this season was much different.

For starters, he missed the first event of the season, the St. Clair BASSMASTER. At the next event, the Red River BASSMASTER, he finished 133rd. He then finished 127th at the Toho BASSMASTER, 59th at the Okeechobee FLW and 116th at the Seminole BASSMASTER.

That wasn't the Omori that everyone expected to see. Something must have been wrong.

Two Tragedies

Soon after the 2001 BASS Masters Classic, Omori's father died. "I had to go back to Japan three times after my dad passed away, and the first tournament I was supposed to come back and fish was the FLW Championship," he said. "Then Sept. 11 happened.

"I felt so sad. I was already mentally upset from my dad passing way, and I felt like fishing was not the most important thing in my life at that point. So many things had happened.

"Two years ago I had a great year, and I was so happy. Everything went right. Then after my dad died and the Sept. 11 thing, I was so upset about everything that happened. I was so happy, then so unhappy. The gap between the two was so big.

"I felt that fishing wasn't the most important thing in my life, and mentally I couldn't put myself into fishing tournaments. I couldn't concentrate. I was still doing same things technically, but mentally I didn't care about fishing."

Turning Point

It took Omori 6 months to get back on his game. From August through December he fished 6 tournaments without a check. Then from February to April he nailed nine checks in a row. They were:

Tour Events

• 35th at the Lake Wheeler FLW (February)


• 28th at the Lake Ouachita FLW (March)


• 9th at the Guntersville BASSMASTER (April)


• 55th at the Beaver FLW (April)

Non-Tour Events

• 2nd at the Sam Rayburn Central Open (February)


• 5th at the Ranger M1 (March)


• 15th at the Lake Martin Eastern Open (March)


• 6th at the Toledo Bend Central Open (March)


• 16th at the Potomac River Eastern Open (April)

Because of that good stretch, his total winnings for the season (so far -- he's fishing the FLW Championship) were $110,000. "That's not bad, but I made $250,000 (last season). I don't consider this a bad year for my fishing. But mentally I couldn't tune into it like I could (last season)."

When asked what changed in February, he couldn't point to one thing. "Every tournament I fished, every day I'd wake up and feel better and better. I'd try to fish hard and forget about everything that happened in the last couple of months -- just think about fishing, and not worry about what happened with my dad and how my family is doing. I just tried to find fish and catch fish, and forget everything that happened all around me."

Different Now

Omori also can't relate who he was before the events of last year to who he is now. "I'm just totally different now than I was (in 2000-01)," he said. "Technically I'm 100 percent, but mentally the way I think is much different than last year. The shock was so big when my dad died and after the Sept. 11 thing, I just am a different person.

"I appreciate more what I have now, the fishing and the sponsors and stuff I have. I feel so fortunate. I thank everybody for what I have now more than ever.

"I had the hardest time of my life over the last 12 months," he said. "I love fishing and that's why I'm here from Japan. I've always loved to fish. But for the first time I realized how much I love bass tournaments and bass fishing. Before I didn't realize how lucky I am to do this every day on the water."

Omori said he feels "much better now. I'm ready for a new season. I want to keep doing this for as long as I can. You never know what will happen next, so I want to fish right now."