BASSMASTERS Classic

Japanese pro Takahiro Omori reeled in some last-minute heriocs to become the 34th annual CITGO BASSMASTERS Classic champion on the waters of Lake Wylie in Charlotte, N.C. Landing his two biggest bass with under five minutes remaining in the competition, the 33-year-old Tokyo native and Emory, Texas resident won the 2004 title, with his five fish limit weighing in at 39 pounds, 2 ounces to post a 2-pound-12 ounce margin of victory over Californian Aaron Martens. Omori earned $200,000 for the victory and became the first foreign angler to win the Classic.

“This is the best day of my life,” said Omori, who pounded the stage repeatedly and cried openly before the 13,200 spectators at the weigh-in at the Charlotte Coliseum. “I've waited 18 years for my dream to come true—since I was 15.”

The CITGO BASSMASTERS Classic, hosted by B.A.S.S. (Bass Anglers Sportsman Society), is professional bass fishing’s world championship. Qualifiers for the three-day event include the 40 top pros on the CITGO BASSMASTER Tour and the five top-ranked anglers from each of three CITGO BASSMASTER Open circuits. Anglers may weigh only five bass per day and each bass must be at least 12 inches long. Only artificial lures are permitted. The first Classic, held at Lake Mead, Nev. in 1971, was a $10,000 winner-take-all event.

Multiple winners: Rick Clunn (4); George Cochran, Bobby Murray and Hank Parker (2).

Year		Weight
1971	Bobby Murray, Hot Springs, Ark	43-11
1972	Don Butler, Tulsa, Okla	38-11
1973	Rayo Breckenridge, Paragould, Ark	52-8
1974	Tommy Martin, Hemphill, Tex	33-7
1975	Jack Hains, Rayne, La	45-4
1976	Rick Clunn, Montgomery, Tex	59-15
1977	Rick Clunn, Montgomery, Tex	27-7
1978	Bobby Murray, Nashville, Tenn	37-9
1979	Hank Parker, Clover, S.C	31-0
1980	Bo Dowden, Natchitoches, La	54-10
1981	Stanley Mitchell, Fitzgerald, Ga	35-2
1982	Paul Elias, Laurel, Miss	32-8
1983	Larry Nixon, Hemphill, Tex	18-1
1984	Rick Clunn, Montgomery, Tex	75-9
1985	Jack Chancellor, Phenix City, Ala	45-0
1986	Charlie Reed, Broken Bow, Okla	23-9
1987	George Cochran, N. Little Rock, Ark	15-5
1988	Guido Hibdon, Gravois Mills, Mo	28-8
1989	Hank Parker, Denver, N.C.	31-6
1990	Rick Clunn, Montgomery, Tex	34-5
1991	Ken Cook, Meers, Okla	33-2
1992	Robert Hamilton Jr., Brandon, Miss	59-6
1993	David Fritts, Lexington, N.C.	48-6
1994	Bryan Kerchal, Newtown, Conn	36-7
1995	Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark.	47-14
1996	George Cochran, Hot Springs, Ark.	31-14
1997	Dion Hibdon, Stover, Mo.	34-13
1998	Denny Brauer, Camdenton, Mo.	46-3
1999	Davy Hite, Prosperity, S.C.	55-10
2000	Woo Daves, Spring Grove, Va.	27-13
2001	Kevin Van Dam, Kalamazoo, Mich.	32-5
2002	Jay Yelas, Tyler, Texas	45-13
2003	Michael Iaconelli, Woodbury Heights, N.J.	37-14
2004	Takahiro Omori, Emory, Texas	39-2