Basser All-Star Classic 2026: Results and Winning Lures
The Basser All-Star Classic is Japan's invitational bass tournament: a small field of the country's best-known pros and the year's top qualifiers, fishing one fishery over two days. The 2026 event was held October 31 – November 1 on the Tone River system, launching from Sawara in Chiba Prefecture. Here is who won, what they weighed, and the lures and rigs they named.
Top three at a glance
| Place | Angler | 2-day weight | Main bait |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Natsuki Fujita | 5,520 g | Saikoro Rubber on a reaction down-shot |
| 2nd | Shunsuke Miyajima | 4,400 g | Power-finesse jig with a Scooper Frog trailer |
| 3rd | Daisuke Aoki | 4,370 g | D-Jig Cover and a Geelacanth free rig |
Photos of the Saikoro Rubber, Scooper Frog, D-Jig Cover and Geelacanth are from our own tackle box.
1st — Natsuki Fujita, 5,520 g
A first-time qualifier who led from day one. His main pattern was a reaction down-shot with a Saikoro Rubber soft bait, which produced a 4,100 g limit on day one and a 620 g fish on day two. Late on the final day, around Sawara, he added an 800 g fish on a Yammy 4.5 Neko rig.
On the broadcast he also mentioned a Jackall Soul Shad and mid-strolling a baitfish-style soft bait. The reaction down-shot and the mid-strolling were both fished on spinning tackle.
2nd — Shunsuke Miyajima, 4,400 g
The biggest final-day bag among the top three, 2,960 g. It was built around a 1,390 g fish caught on a power-finesse jig after he moved into the Shokan River.
On the broadcast he described pairing the jig, and a small rubber jig, with a Scooper Frog trailer, plus a Neko rig for cover. He fished them on PE-line bait-finesse tackle.
3rd — Daisuke Aoki, 4,370 g
Last year's champion finished 30 g behind second. His key fish came from the upper Kitaura area.
On the broadcast he named a D-Jig Cover for pitching into cover, a DSTYLE Geelacanth on a free rig, a Neko rig and a spinnerbait.
Also notable — Taku Ito, 5th
Ito, who fished the Bassmaster Elite Series, finished fifth. His main bait was a Nories Escape Flag Twin on a free rig, alongside a Nories Crystal S spinnerbait. He used a Nories Road Runner rod with Seaguar PE 30 lb line and a 16 lb fluorocarbon leader.
- All of the top three caught key fish on soft baits fished near the bottom or in cover: a down-shot, a Neko rig, a small jig, a free rig.
- The winner's 4,100 g opening day came on the Saikoro Rubber reaction down-shot, fished on spinning tackle.
- Both Miyajima and Ito paired their baits with PE line — Miyajima on bait-finesse tackle, Ito with a fluorocarbon leader.
Watch the tournament
The organizer streamed both days on YouTube, with weigh-ins and the anglers' own explanations (in Japanese):
See what's catching bass in Japan this week →Sources: official Basser All-Star Classic results and the official live broadcasts above. We list only gear the anglers named; rods, reels and lines are included only where they said so. Bass-Dash may earn a commission from some links on this site — see our disclosure.