I PROFESSIONISTI DI PESCARE SHOW: YUKI ITO
Let's meet together Yuki Ito, a Japanese fisherman and founder of the fishing and outdoor brand Megabass.
Yuki Ito Biography:
His family ran a saltwater fishing lodge. From a young age he was surrounded by fisherman and anglers, and fishing was always a big part of his life. Growing up, from handmade rods to custom tuned reels, even then you could see the early form of what would become the Megabass fishing workshop.
In 1986, Ito founded Megabass & Works in Tokyo and began production of the ARMS rod and lures such as the V-FLAT spinnerbait and Z-CRANK.
After that, Megabass moved its center of operations to Hamamatsu where the current Megabass headquarters is located. While captaining fishing vessels and serving as a fishing guide at Lake Biwa, Ito developed saltwater lures like the MARINE GANG and bass lures like the MAGICAL Z and BAIT-X gaining tremendous recognition from anglers.
THE YEARS OF THE SUCCESS
In 1989, Megabass began a business model that included taking on the lure design, testing, and OEM product manufacturing of other makers, with the same high standard in tune with Ito’s vision. His unique fishing style focusing on raw quality and performance garnered continued media attention.
After that, Ito temporarily lost use of his hand due to a hereditary illness, but the DEEP-X200 and Live-X LEVIATHAN he made during his rehabilitation became hit products. In 1993 Megabass USA was founded and in 1996, the DESTROYER rod and numerous lures such as the POP-X.
THE AWARDS
Megabass garnered recognition as a driving force behind the lure fishing movement. Megabass began its support of tournament pros in the USA, winning multiple tournaments and Angler of the Year awards.
Ito has influenced fishing tackle design globally, and his work has been recognized by the Japan Good Design Award given by the Japan Institute of Design Promotion for over 200 products.
In 2018, Megabass products were the recipients of the venerable If Design Award in Europe. The products that won the award were the DESTROYER series, the GREAT HUNTING series, and the ONETEN X series, representing the first ever rod and lure entries from Japan.
