Darren Izumi, the son of renowned Canada angler and TV personality Bob Izumi, set a tournament record over the weekend when he caught a 7.20-pound smallmouth in the Kingston Canadian Open at Lake Ontario.
"As a proud father, it was definitely a highlight of my 43 years fishing bass tournaments," the elder Izumi said in an email to BassFan.
Bob Izumi reported that Darren was on his trolling motor and leaving an area on day 2 of the event when he spotted the monster in 14 feet of water. From the back of the boat, he tossed a 3-inch Berkley Gulp! Fry on a dropshot rig toward it and almost instantly felt the tick of a bite. The massive bronzeback jumped three times and spit out the hook in the net.
Ironically, both Izumis weighed 22.20 pounds that day. Darren struggled on day 3, catching just 4.80 pounds, and finished 12th, while Bob compiled a 19.15 final-day stringer to end up 5th.
Steve Voros won the event, Canada's longest-running annual bass competition, with a 67.05 total.
