Tacoma, Washington - Gamakatsu pro Kyle Welcher delivered a historic performance at the St. Croix Bassmaster Elite at Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound, claiming his first career Bassmaster Elite Series win with an astounding four-day total of 118 pounds, 12 ounces. Welcher leaned heavily on his confidence in heavy cover—and on the Gamakatsu G-Power Heavy Cover Worm Flip and Punch Hook—to conquer the challenging tidal fishery and earn his first Century Belt.
From Day 1, 2023 Bassmaster Angler of the Year looked right at home, dropping 30-11 to take the lead he never surrendered. He followed with 30-3 on Day 2, posted the Rapala CrushCity Monster Bag of the Tournament with 34-0 on Day 3, and closed with 23-14 on Championship Sunday, anchored by a 7-3 giant largemouth.
“I didn’t think I would get a Century Belt, for sure,” Welcher said. “But this event fell right into my wheelhouse. I was fishing heavy cover, flipping stumps and cypress trees in shallow water—exactly the kind of place where I trust my equipment, especially my hook.”
Welcher relied on a 4/0 Gamakatsu G-Power Heavy Cover Worm Flip and Punch Hook, designed in collaboration with Aaron Martens and built to deliver power, precision, and penetration in thick cover. He paired it with a black and blue Rapala CrushCity Bronco Bug, a ¼-ounce tungsten weight pegged with a bobber stop, and 22-lb Sunline Shooter fluorocarbon on a 7'6" heavy Khaotic Kustom Rod with an 8:1:1 gear ratio reel.
“The G-Power Heavy Cover Flip and Punch Hook was absolutely critical,” Welcher explained. “When you are pitching into stumps and cypress knees, you need a hook that sets hard, stays pinned, and doesn’t flex. I never lost a fish all week.”
Welcher’s win shattered records. His 45-pound, 7-ounce margin of victory is the largest in Elite Series history, breaking the previous record of 29-10 set at Lake Fork in 2020. His total also ranks as the 13th-largest four-day weight in Elite Series history, and Pasquotank River becomes just the 11th venue to produce a Century Belt.
A surprise cold front and high winds challenged anglers all week, but Welcher stayed close to takeoff and maximized a short mile-long stretch of the Pasquotank River. While others made long, punishing runs to distant rivers, Welcher capitalized on staging and spawning bass holding tight to shallow wood cover.
“I didn’t find these bass until Day 1 of the tournament,” he said. “They were fresh, and more were moving in every day. The setup was perfect for what I love to do—and what the G-Power hook was made for.”
Ted Thibault, Sales Manager for Gamakatsu USA, praised Welcher’s performance and confidence in the brand’s gear:
“We could not be prouder of Kyle. He is a true professional and a force on the Elite Series trail. Seeing him rely on the G-Power Heavy Cover Flip and Punch Hook—especially in such a dominant win—really reinforces why we design our products with the best in the world in mind. That hook was built for exactly this kind of fishing, and Kyle showed just how effective it can be when precision and power matter most.”
From humble beginnings as Japan’s smallest fishing hook manufacturer in 1955, Gamakatsu® Ltd has evolved to become the world’s preeminent hook manufacturer. Over the years, manufacturing upgrades and cutting-edge innovations have fueled Gamakatsu® USA’s rise as a top producer of fishing hooks, apparel, and fishing-related items. When anglers purchase Gamakatsu® hooks, they are buying an original product made exclusively by Gamakatsu®. Gamakatsu® is continuously testing new materials and striving to improve its products, which already set the standard for the rest of the industry. For more information, please visit www.gamakatsu.com.