REFLECTIONS OF PAST AND PRESENT
At first glance , there really should be no comparing Omori and Koike other than they both hail from the same island on the other side of the Pacific Ocean .
Omori is a successful 50-year-old seasoned veteran . He has a championship title , seven more major victories and has earned more than $ 2.7 million in his 25-plus-year career .
Koike is a 35-year-old unknown with four tournaments total to his resume stateside and $ 5,497 in earnings .
In other words , Koike is far more successful … at least , at this stage in his career . Seriously , it ’ s true .
Omori began fishing events in 1992 as a co-angler to learn the ropes . In his first tournament , he finished 304th . You read that right – 304th . He didn ’ t top 256th in any of his next three events . It wasn ’ t until a year later , in his fifth tournament , that he cashed his first check , finishing eighth to earn $ 3,800 .
Koike ’ s fourth event was his worst , his first bomb , which unfortunately came at the Toyota Series Championship . Prior to that , though , he ’ d finished 36th , 10th and 21st in his first three events . Pretty impressive , especially considering numerous top-level pros fish in that division .
But , again , it ’ s hard to compare the two . After all , Omori came to America with nothing more than $ 2,000 , a tackle box , a couple rods , a suitcase full of clothes and the vague idea of what tournament bass fishing truly was from reading the Japanese fishing magazine BASSER .
“ I had no info ,” Omori recalls . “ All I had was what I read in magazines , so once I started fishing , I was basically guessing . I didn ’ t even have GPS . I was using paper maps to try and find the boat ramps .
“ Now , you can be in Japan , get on the internet and watch GoPro footage of a guy fishing . You can watch a livestream during a tournament and hear a pro explain a technique . That really helps jumpstart someone to get them here .”
Koike agrees that the internet was a huge factor in allowing him to make the move to the U . S . Yet , it had more to do about logistics than fishing .
“ The internet is used for all different kinds of activities , such as searching for words you don ’ t understand and communicating , looking at maps on Google Earth , checking hotel reservations , eating places , weather ,” Koike says . “ Due to COVID-19 , it was difficult to go to the U . S . in 2020 . The internet solves all the accommodation arrangements and work .”
Still , even in this digital age , it was magazines that introduced Koike to the concept of bass fishing , similarly to Omori .
“ I discovered a magazine advertisement contained information about the holding of a high school tournament ,” says Koike . “ No one taught me how to participate in the tournament , so I started without knowing anything . I didn ’ t even understand the meaning of ‘ livewell .’”
That ’ s hardly the only similar experience the two share . Despite all the advancements and changes in the nearly 30 years separating the start of their careers , many of the experiences and challenges Omori faced then are the same Koike faces now .
The language barrier is an obvious one – Omori took English courses at Texas Wesleyan University when he moved to the U . S ., while Koike appreciates “ Americans trying to understand my poor English . They talk to me in a way that I can understand while I try to master English .”
Money is another . Omori laughs now at the idea of trying to start a fishing career with only $ 2,000 like he did .
“ Having financial support is a must now ,” he says . “ You spend $ 80,000 on a boat and $ 50,000 on a truck to pull it . Another $ 30,000 in entry fees . You need some sort of financial support .”
Fortunately for Koike , sponsor SDG Marine helped him out tremendously when it came to him pursuing his dream , even helping him rent a house in the U . S .
And , above all , there ’ s one similarity that stands out the most for both ; one that may be the biggest challenge .
“ No one ( I know ) is here ,” says Koike . “ I ’ m fishing alone .”
PHOTO BY JACOB FINE
FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 45