BRAUER DOMINATES BUSCH SHOOTOUT FIELD
Brauer, Monroe, Roumbanis and Wirth Advance to Saturday’s Finale

GRAPEVINE, Texas – Denny Brauer had the best overall day Friday on the first day of the BUSCH Shootout at Grapevine Lake.

The 57-year-old needs two good half-days Saturday to claim the $100,000 first prize.

The 13 anglers who qualified for the unique tournament fished Friday morning and Friday afternoon. The four anglers with the heaviest total weights fish again Saturday morning.

Brauer, of Camdenton, Mo., caught five fish weighing 17 pounds, 12 ounces Friday morning and added 5-8 Friday afternoon for a total weight of 23-4. He goes head-to-head against Fred Roumbanis of Auburn, Calif., who rallied Friday afternoon with two fish weighing 9-15 after catching only 4-13 in the morning to place fourth at 14-12. Saturday’s other match pits second-place Ish Monroe of Hughson, Calif., who had 15-15, against third-place Kevin Wirth of Crestwood, Ky., who had 15-1. Aaron Martens finished fifth at 13-5.

The two winners of the Saturday morning bracket matches fish Saturday afternoon, with the angler catching the heaviest weight claiming the $100,000 top prize. Everyone else gets $5,000.

The season-ending Shootout features the 10 anglers who weighed the heaviest single-day catches during 2006 CITGO Bassmaster Elite Series events, as well as the anglers who weighed the heaviest one-day catches at the 2006 Bassmaster Classic, the 2006 Federation Nation Championship and the 2005 Open Championship.

Brauer said he caught his first two fish Friday morning on a Strike King buzzbait and got the rest pitching a Strike King jig with a 3X chunk. His best fish all came from the same spot.

“I thought I had enough, so I didn’t want to go back to my key area and beat it up,” Brauer, the 1998 Bassmaster Classic champion said of his Friday afternoon game plan. “Then I got to thinking and said, ‘This could be stupid.’ These guys are all good fishermen. So I went to my area and there were like three or four guys in there. My second pitch, I caught a 4-pounder. Then I left, because I didn’t need to be beating it up.”

Monroe weighed 12-4 Friday morning, which included the big bass of the day at 7-11, which he caught on a crankbait, and added 3-11 in the afternoon. Wirth had weights of 9-7 and 5-10.

The semifinalists start with a clean slate Saturday. Monroe said his plan is to go to the spot where he caught his 7-11.

“I’m starting out swinging for the big ones,” Monroe said, who is searching for his second win of the season after capturing the season-opening Elite Series event on Lake Amistad. “If I get three big ones, they’ll weigh [a total of] 12 to 15 pounds and I’m going to leave and look for places to fish for the afternoon.”

Click here to download related photos of the BUSCH Shootout.

BUSCH beer is the “Official Beer of BASS,” and committed to supporting BASS anglers across the country through its current association with BASS, and its sponsorship of Denny Brauer, 16-time winner of the CITGO Bassmaster Tournament Trail and 1987 BASS Angler of the Year.

BASS is the worldwide authority on bass fishing, sanctioning more than 20,000 events through the BASS Federation Nation annually. Guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans, BASS sets the standard for credibility, professionalism, sportsmanship and conservation, as it has for nearly 40 years.

BASS stages bass fishing tournaments for every skill level and culminates with the CITGO Bassmaster Classic. Through its clubs, youth programs, aquatic resource advocacy, magazine publishing and multimedia platforms, BASS offers the industry's widest array of services and support to its nearly 530,000 members. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.

For more information, call BASS Communications at 407-566-2208. To join BASS, visit [url=http://www.Bassmaster.com]http://www.Bassmaster.com[/url]/ or call 1-877-BASS-USA.

Day 1 BUSCH Shootout Results

Angler Hometown Round 1 Round 2 Total

1. Denny Brauer Camdenton, Mo. 17-12 5-8 23-4

2. Ish Monroe Hughson, Calif. 12-4 3-11 15-15

3. Kevin Wirth Crestwood, Ky. 9-7 5-10 15-1

4. Fred Roumbanis Auburn, Calif. 4-13 9-15 14-12

5. Aaron Martens Leeds, Ala. 7-11 5-10 13-05

6. Mike Iaconelli Runnemede, N.J. 5-12 5-1 10-13

7. Ken Cook Meers, Okla. 0-14 9-10 10-8

8. Mike Wurm Hot Springs, Ark. 2-7 7-14 10-5

9. Greg Hackney Gonzales, La. 5-7 4-13 10-4

10. Jimmy Mize Ben Lomond, Ark. 2-14 3-10 6-8

11. Preston Clark Palatka, Fla. 0-14 5-4 6-2

12. Joe Conway Colorado Springs, Co. 4-15 0-14 5-13

13. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, Ark. 0 0 0