Big Baits and JDM Tackle that Got Paid on the 2025 Bassmaster Elite Series

Gear

Dec 4

Brandon Palaniuk fishing in the rim ditch at Lake Okeechobee

Jack Hammers and Senkos and black and blue jigs may pay the bills, but it’s no longer surprising to see them on an Elite Series Championship Sunday. Even “fuzzy dice” have become common sights on the decks of top finishers.

But every year I continue to look for those pros who are using atypical lures or presentations to earn top finishes on the senior circuit. I love it when someone’s slinging a big bait, and I’m also a fan of JDM gear. On the latter front, this year it didn’t hurt that Kyoya Fujita finished in the top ten in five Elite events. He’s not always super-forthcoming about what he’s throwing, but the Bassmaster writers, photographers and videographers do a good job of tracking him down.

Here are some of the cool lures we saw in the top ten this year:

Lake Okeechobee

Brandon Palaniuk — 1st Place

Megabass Big M 4.0 Brandon Palaniuk Okeechobee — **Megabass Big M 4.0**

Megabass Kanata Jerkbait Brandon Palaniuk Okeechobee — **Megabass Kanata**

Kyoya Fujita — 3rd Place

Jackall Drift Fry Kyoya Fujita Okeechobee — **Jackall Drift Fry 4.0**

Bassmaster Classic – Ray Roberts

Justin Hamner — 10th Place

Three colors of Clutch Baby Boss Swimbait — **Clutch Baby Boss**

Carl Jocumsen — 11th Place

Storm Arashi Glide Carl Jocumsen Ray Roberts — **Storm Arashi Glide**

Jordan Lee — 12th Place

Berkley 6" Cull Shad Sight Flash — **Berkley Cull Shad**

Kyoya Fujita — 17th Place

Jackall Shibo Flat Kyoya Fujita — **Jackall Shibo Flat**

Jackall Vividus JDM Swimbait — **Jackall Vividus**

Lake Hartwell

Wesley Gore — 8th Place

SPRO KGB Shad 180 Glide — **SPRO KGB Chad Shad 180 Glide**

Lake Fork

Kyoya Fujita — 4th Place

Kyoya Fujita favorite tournament swimbait — **Jackall Vividus**

Jackall Drift Crab 45 JDM Soft Plastic lure — **Jackall Drift Crab 45**

Sabine River

Patrick Walters — 2nd Place

Limited color drops Clutch Baby Boss Swimbait — **Clutch Baby Boss**

Kyoya Fujita — 3rd Place

Jackall Yammy 500 straight tail worm — **Jackall Yammy 500 4.5**

JDM Jackall Pine Shrimp 4.5 — **Jackall Pine Shrimp 4.5**

Lake St. Clair

Kyoya Fujita —3rd Place

Jackall King Jimmy Henge JDM Soft Plastic bass lure — **Jackall King Jimmy Henge**

Brandon Palaniuk Megabass Big M 4.0 Okeechobee

And a special shoutout to Pat Schlapper for the first of his two 2025 victories. At the Sabine River he didn’t rely heavily on a big bait or anything semi-secret from Japan, but he certainly substantially goosed the sales of the Brazalo Custom Lures Pro Elite Bushwhacker Buzzbait.