Takahiro Omori Earns First Bass Pro Tour Win at O’Reilly Auto Parts Stage 2 at Lake Hartwell Presented by Lowrance

SENECA, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 22, 2026--

Prior to the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour’s first ever visit to Lake Hartwell, the prevailing expectation was that finesse techniques and spotted bass would rule O’Reilly Auto Parts Stage 2 Presented by Lowrance. A few anglers have managed to contend in past tournaments on the famed fishery by catching shallow largemouth but given the Bass Pro Tour’s every-fish-counts scoring, the February timing of this event and the fact that the water is about 7 feet low, no one would have predicted that bladed jigs, dirty water and largemouth would dominate.

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That included Takahiro Omori.

The angler best known for exclaiming “I knew it!” after he caught the winning fish at the 2004 Bassmaster Classic admitted that he didn’t anticipate being able to contend on Hartwell while sticking in his power fishing wheelhouse – much less earning his long-awaited first Bass Pro Tour win.

Link to Hi-Res Photo of O’Reilly Auto Parts Stage 2 at Lake Hartwell Winner Takahiro Omori
Link to Day 4 Photo Gallery: Stage 2 Championship Round underway on Lake Hartwell
Link to Day 4 Photo Gallery: Bass Pro Tour anglers tough it out during Stage 2 Championship Round
Link to Day 4 Photo Gallery: Omori scores his first Bass Pro Tour victory at Stage 2 on Lake Hartwell
Link to HD Video of Highlights from Day 4 Championship Round Competition

“To be honest, I had no motivation to come here,” the Tokyo, Japan, native said. “I thought I was coming here to get beat by the spots.”

But Omori never wavered from his game plan. The veteran pro spent the entire event in the Tugaloo River, using his smooth casting skills to pick apart whatever shallow cover he could find in the backs of creeks. He never even bothered to turn on forward-facing sonar.

The result was a near wire-to-wire win. After he finished Day 1 in second place, Omori topped the Qualifying Round, earning an automatic trip to Sunday’s Championship Round. There, he overcame a slow start to stack up 36 pounds, 6 ounces on 12 scorable bass. With post-frontal, windy conditions making the bite tough on everyone, that was enough to edge Jacob Walker by 2-10. His first tour-level victory since 2018 and the ninth of Omori’s decorated career earned him $125,000.

The top 10 pros at O’Reilly Auto Parts Stage 2 at Lake Hartwell Presented by Lowrance finished:

A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall, there were 85 bass caught weighing 235 pounds, 11 ounces, caught by the final 10 Bass Pro Tour anglers on Sunday.

Sunday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award was earned by Jesse Wiggins of Addison, Alabama, who caught a 5-pound, 2-ounce largemouth in the second period on a bladed swim jig. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day.

The four-day O’Reilly Auto Parts Stage 2 at Lake Hartwell Presented by Lowrance was hosted by Visit Oconee SC and featured a roster of 51 of the top professional anglers in the world competing for a $125,000 top prize and their share of the $600,000 purse, along with valuable Angler of the Year (AOY) points in hopes of qualifying for the MLF Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2027, the Bass Pro Tour championship.

The 2026 Bass Pro Tour features a field of 51 of the best professional anglers in the world, competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2027 championship.

Television coverage of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Stage 2 at Lake Hartwell Presented by Lowrance will premiere as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Aug. 22, on Discovery. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.

Proud sponsors of the MLF Bass Pro Tour include: Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing Co., Bass Force, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Black Buffalo, BUBBA, Cigars International, Epic Baits, Grizzly, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, NITRO Boats, OFF! Deep Woods, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Star brite, Suzuki Marine, Toyota, Yuengling and Zenni.

For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.

About Major League Fishing

Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing woorganization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery, Outdoor Channel, VICE, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, RFD-TV and Game & Fish TV, Rumble and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 20 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.

Tokyo, Japan, pro Takahiro Omori caught a final day total of 12 bass weighing 36 pounds, 6 ounces, on Lake Hartwell, Sunday, to win the Bass Pro Tour O’Reilly Auto Parts Stage 2 Presented by Lowrance and earn the top payout of $125,000.

HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong court Monday dismissed all appeals arising the city’s biggest case brought under a Beijing-imposed national security law.

The pro-democracy advocates were among 47 activists charged in 2021 with conspiracy to commit subversion for their involvement in an unofficial primary election. The mass prosecution involving some of the best-known activists crushed much of the city’s once-thriving pro-democracy movement that reached a height with massive anti-government protests in 2019.

Forty-five of the defendants were sentenced to between four years and 10 years in 2024, with their punishments drawing criticism from foreign governments and rights groups.

Eleven activists who appealed their convictions lost their bids. They included former lawmakers Leung Kwok-hung, Lam Cheuk-ting, Raymond Chan and Helena Wong.

All appeals over sentences were also dismissed by the Court of Appeal.

Lawrence Lau, a pro-democracy former district councilor, was one of two activists acquitted in the case. Judges upheld his acquittal following an appeal from the prosecution.

Riding on the 2019 protests, the pro-democracy camp had been looking to make gains in the 2020 legislative election. The unofficial primary was meant to shortlist pro-democracy candidates for the official election.

The camp hoped to secure a majority in the legislature to press for protesters’ demands, which included greater police accountability and democratic elections for the city’s leaders.

During the trial, prosecutors said the activists aimed to paralyze Hong Kong’s government and force the city’s leader to resign. The judges said in their verdict in 2024 that the activists’ plans to effect change through the unofficial primary would have undermined the government’s authority and created a constitutional crisis.

Critics said the activists' convictions illustrated how authorities crushed dissent following the 2019 protests. The Beijing and Hong Kong governments insist the national security law was necessary for the city's stability.

The case involved democracy advocates across the spectrum, including legal scholar Benny Tai, who got a 10-year prison term, and former student leader Joshua Wong, whose sentence was four years and eight months.

Nearly 20 activists in the case have been released from prison over the past year. Among them were former district councilors Jimmy Sham and Lester Shum. Sham and Lee Yue-shun, another acquitted activist, chatted with Lau before Monday's hearing.

As those who were still in prison entered the courtroom, some waved and smiled at their families and supporters, who waved back.

Some residents stayed outside the court building in line since Saturday to secure a seat in the courtroom. Retiree Margaret Chan arrived Monday morning, hoping to show her support to those she considered to be innocent.

Seeing some activists released from prison relieved her. “They have survived it," she said.

Pro-democracy activist Lawrence Lau Wai-chung arrives at the West Kowloon Law Courts Building ahead of the national security appeal cases, in Hong Kong, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/May James)

Staff members of the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts raise a China national flag outside West Kowloon Law Courts Building ahead of the national security appeal cases, in Hong Kong, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/May James)

A Correctional Services Department vehicle believed to be carrying Hong Kong pro-democracy activists arrives at the West Kowloon Law Courts Building ahead of the national security appeal cases, in Hong Kong, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/May James)

Pro-democracy activist Lawrence Lau Wai-chung arrives at the West Kowloon Law Courts Building ahead of the national security appeal cases, in Hong Kong, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/May James)