GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. - In Sunday's surprise finish, Morizo Shimizu took the title in the Bassmaster Elite Series' Bluegrass Brawl bass fishing tournament on Kentucky Lake.
Overtaking the Kentucky favorite, Kevin Wirth, and two-time Bassmaster Classic champion Kevin VanDam, Shimizu put together a four-day total of 66-9 to win the $100,000 top prize.
The Bluegrass Brawl champion battled thunderstorms and rough water Sunday to boat 20 pounds, 6 ounces of bass, building his total weight to overtake Day 3 leader Wirth by 1 pound, 11 ounces.
"I can't feel anything right now," said the stunned Shimizu, 36, of Murrieta, Calif. "This is unbelievable. It's a dream come true."
Originally from Suita Osaka, Japan, Shimizu quietly worked his way up the leaderboard each day of the tournament, finishing 49th on Day 1, 10th on Day 2, third on Day 3, then overpowering VanDam and Wirth for the win.
Winning the Elite Series' Bluegrass Brawl gives Shimizu his first BASS tournament title. His previous best finish was second in the 2005 Bassmaster Tour on Alabama's Lake Guntersville.
Shimizu said he fished a variety of lures all week, including jigs, crankbaits and Texas-rigged worms. He said he stuck to one area of the lake that ranges in depth from 10 to 16 feet.
Shimizu earned the $1,000 Bag of the day bonus with Sunday's catch of 20-6; included was a 5-pound, 7-ounce fish that took the $1,000 Big Bass bounty.
Second-place finisher Wirth of Crestwood, Ky. brought in a limit on Day 4 that weighed 13 pounds, 9 ounces for a four-day total of 64-14.
Wirth said he keyed in on deep ledges on four main areas of the lake. His lures included a ¾-ounce chartreuse-and-white spinnerbait, green-pumpkin jigs, and a 10-inch Berkley PowerBait Original Power Worm. Wirth said Sunday's rough weather and high waves prevented him from working his first-choice spot.
"I was fishing the middle of the river, and that's where the water was the roughest," said the seven-time Classic qualifier. "Once the wind laid down, I caught seven keepers."
After leading Day 1 and Day 2, then dropping to second on Day 3, VanDam finished third with 63 pounds, 8 ounces. VanDam brought five fish to the scales for a Day 4 weight of 15 pounds, 5 ounces.
"This has been a brutally rough and tough day," said VanDam.
The next stop on the Elite Series tournament trail is the Empire Chase on Oneida Lake in Syracuse, N.Y., July 6-9.
2006 Bluegrass Brawl Pro 06/15-06/18
Kentucky Lake, Kentucky Dam Village Ky.
(PRO Division) Standings Day 4
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Morizo Shimizu Murrieta, Calif. 20 66-09 305 $103,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 5 19-03 Day 3: 5 15-09 Day 4: 5 20-06
2. Kevin Wirth Crestwood, Ky. 20 64-14 300 $30,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 18-04 Day 3: 5 16-15 Day 4: 5 13-09
3. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, Mich. 20 63-08 300 $26,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 5 16-11 Day 3: 5 12-15 Day 4: 5 15-05
4. Skeet Reese Auburn, Calif. 20 61-11 285 $18,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 16-03 Day 3: 5 16-08 Day 4: 5 16-08
5. John Crews Salem, Va. 20 61-01 280 $17,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 5 16-15 Day 3: 5 14-12 Day 4: 5 16-15
6. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, Okla. 20 60-08 276 $15,500.00
Day 1: 5 18-00 Day 2: 5 12-11 Day 3: 5 14-07 Day 4: 5 15-06
7. Lee Bailey Boaz, Ala. 20 60-07 272 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-01 Day 2: 5 18-11 Day 3: 5 12-11 Day 4: 5 17-00
8. Edwin Evers Talala, Okla. 20 56-07 268 $15,500.00
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 12-10 Day 3: 5 17-04 Day 4: 5 12-09
9. Mike Wurm Hot Springs, Ark. 20 55-15 264 $14,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-09 Day 2: 5 13-02 Day 3: 5 12-05 Day 4: 5 12-15
10. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, Okla. 18 52-11 260 $13,500.00
Day 1: 5 17-15 Day 2: 5 13-05 Day 3: 5 14-00 Day 4: 3 7-07
11. Kelly Jordon Mineola, Texas 19 52-00 257 $12,500.00
Day 1: 5 17-12 Day 2: 5 12-10 Day 3: 5 12-11 Day 4: 4 8-15
12. Jimmy Mize Ben Lomond, Ark. 17 46-09 254 $12,300.00
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 12-09 Day 3: 5 17-01 Day 4: 2 3-10
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Big Bass
Day
1 Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, Kan. 6-09 $1,000.00
2 Russell Lane Prattville, Ala. 5-15 $1,000.00
3 John Murray Phoenix, Ariz. 5-04 $1,000.00
4 Morizo Shimizu Murrieta, Calif. 5-07 $1,000.00
Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, Kan. 6-09 $1,000.00
Day
1 Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, Mich. 18-09 $1,000.00
2 Morizo Shimizu Murrieta, Calif. 19-03 $1,000.00
3 Edwin Evers Talala, Okla. 17-04 $1,000.00
4 Morizo Shimizu Murrieta, Calif. 20-06 $1,000.00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 62 406 1051-08
2 60 408 1037-13
3 36 217 551-07
4 9 54 160-09
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167 1085 2801-05
2006 Bluegrass Brawl NB 06/15-06/18
Kentucky Lake, Kentucky Dam Village Ky.
(CO-ANGLER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Tom Frink Simi Valley, Calif. 8 26-14 0 $45,000.00
Day 1: 2 8-09 Day 2: 3 9-09 Day 3: 3 8-12
2. Richard Coldiron Somerset, Ky. 9 26-02 0 $25,500.00
Day 1: 3 12-14 Day 2: 3 5-04 Day 3: 3 8-00
3. David Stevens Eddyville, Ky. 8 23-10 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 3 10-04 Day 2: 3 7-09 Day 3: 2 5-13
4. Scott Campbell Springfield, Mo. 9 22-07 0 $5,000.00
Day 1: 3 7-09 Day 2: 3 7-09 Day 3: 3 7-05
5. Tom Heintz Waterloo, Ill. 9 21-12 0 $4,000.00
Day 1: 3 9-12 Day 2: 3 6-13 Day 3: 3 5-03
6. Joel Etheredge Springville, Ala. 8 21-06 0 $3,000.00
Day 1: 2 3-10 Day 2: 3 7-12 Day 3: 3 10-00
7. Scott Ventimiglia Kansas City, Mo. 9 20-15 0 $2,500.00
Day 1: 3 6-11 Day 2: 3 6-10 Day 3: 3 7-10
8. Tommy Swindle Cleveland, Ala. 8 20-13 0 $2,400.00
Day 1: 3 6-05 Day 2: 3 11-09 Day 3: 2 2-15
8. Howard Stephens Columbia, S.C. 8 20-13 0 $1,900.00
Day 1: 2 6-14 Day 2: 3 5-15 Day 3: 3 8-00
10. Greg Perkins San Antonio, Texas 7 20-04 0 $1,600.00
Day 1: 3 11-11 Day 2: 1 3-06 Day 3: 3 5-03
11. David Mangelsdorf Barnhart, Mo. 8 19-08 0 $1,400.00
Day 1: 3 8-09 Day 2: 2 3-05 Day 3: 3 7-10
12. Brian Elder Lebanon, Tenn. 7 19-03 0 $1,300.00
Day 1: 3 8-08 Day 2: 3 7-14 Day 3: 1 2-13
13. Allen Rix Creal Springs, Ill. 9 19-02 0 $1,200.00
Day 1: 3 7-00 Day 2: 3 6-01 Day 3: 3 6-01
14. William Pickard Portland, Tenn. 7 19-01 0 $1,600.00
Day 1: 2 5-08 Day 2: 2 3-07 Day 3: 3 10-02
15. Lawrence Sifert Scottsdale, Ariz. 9 18-13 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 3 7-03 Day 2: 3 5-08 Day 3: 3 6-02
16. James Jones Pinson, Ala. 7 17-04 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 3 7-14 Day 2: 2 5-03 Day 3: 2 4-03
17. Tim Dungan Cinncinati, Ohio 6 17-01 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 3 8-00 Day 3: 3 9-01
18. Jimmy Sparks Tuscumbia, Ala. 7 16-09 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 3 6-13 Day 2: 3 6-13 Day 3: 1 2-15
18. Dan Mullens Sciotoville, Ohio 6 16-09 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 1 2-03 Day 2: 3 8-01 Day 3: 2 6-05
20. Ted Malin Lexington, Ky. 6 16-05 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 3 8-04 Day 2: 0 0-00 Day 3: 3 8-01
21. Bill Adams Exeter, Calif. 8 16-03 0 $900.00
Day 1: 3 7-01 Day 2: 2 4-10 Day 3: 3 4-08
22. Harry Parten Columbiana, Ala. 6 16-00 0 $900.00
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 3 8-12 Day 3: 3 7-04
23. Patrick Brown Swainsboro, Ga. 6 15-15 0 $900.00
Day 1: 3 7-07 Day 2: 3 8-08 Day 3: 0 0-00
24. Robert Mills Graysville, Tenn. 6 15-08 0 $900.00
Day 1: 2 6-11 Day 2: 1 1-14 Day 3: 3 6-15
25. Brian Runyon Mc Arthur, Ohio 8 15-03 0 $450.00
Day 1: 3 6-08 Day 2: 3 5-06 Day 3: 2 3-05
25. Greg Hackman Sturgis, Mich. 6 15-03 0 $450.00
Day 1: 2 5-12 Day 2: 3 8-02 Day 3: 1 1-05
27. Chris Snow Mcminnville, Tenn. 6 14-12 0
Day 1: 1 1-13 Day 2: 3 8-07 Day 3: 2 4-08
28. Danny Barksdale Ashland City, Tenn. 4 14-05 0
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 3 12-04 Day 3: 1 2-01
29. Bill Huston Sunset, S.C. 7 14-03 0
Day 1: 3 6-05 Day 2: 1 1-09 Day 3: 3 6-05
30. Wesley Hood Annandale, Va. 5 13-15 0
Day 1: 3 9-00 Day 2: 1 3-00 Day 3: 1 1-15
31. Jeffrey Adkins Lexington, Ky. 6 13-14 0
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 3 7-03 Day 3: 3 6-11
32. James Hill Ozark, Ala. 6 13-12 0
Day 1: 3 8-13 Day 2: 3 4-15 Day 3: 0 0-00
33. Tony Pratt Paso Robles, Calif. 7 13-05 0
Day 1: 2 3-03 Day 2: 3 6-10 Day 3: 2 3-08
34. Robert Reedy Rose Bud, Ark. 7 12-01 0
Day 1: 3 5-00 Day 2: 2 3-02 Day 3: 2 3-15
34. Steven Earle Saint Peters, Mo. 5 12-01 0
Day 1: 2 4-09 Day 2: 3 7-08 Day 3: 0 0-00
36. Mike Frazier Orlando, Fla. 6 11-15 0
Day 1: 3 6-07 Day 2: 1 1-15 Day 3: 2 3-09
37. Dave Elder Tuscaloosa, Ala. 6 11-11 0
Day 1: 2 4-07 Day 2: 2 3-03 Day 3: 2 4-01
38. Douglas R Logsdon Benton, Ky. 3 11-06 0
Day 1: 3 11-06 Day 2: 0 0-00 Day 3: 0 0-00
39. Keith Sykes Clintwood, Va. 5 11-05 0
Day 1: 1 1-15 Day 2: 3 7-07 Day 3: 1 1-15
40. Tommy Stinnett Sikeston, Mo. 5 10-15 0
Day 1: 1 1-14 Day 2: 3 6-14 Day 3: 1 2-03
40. Jeff Seaberg Mount Prospect, Ill. 4 10-15 0
Day 1: 3 8-15 Day 2: 1 2-00 Day 3: 0 0-00
40. John Degroate Joliet, Ill. 4 10-15 0
Day 1: 3 8-03 Day 2: 0 0-00 Day 3: 1 2-12
43. Travis Cockburn Marion, Ill. 4 10-12 0
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 3 8-13 Day 3: 1 1-15
44. Bruce Weller Benton, Ky. 4 9-11 0
Day 1: 1 1-15 Day 2: 3 7-12 Day 3: 0 0-00
45. Marty Scoggins Trion, Ga. 4 9-05 0
Day 1: 3 7-05 Day 2: 1 2-00 Day 3: 0 0-00
46. Bruce Andrews Lake Forest, Ill. 5 9-01 0
Day 1: 2 3-15 Day 2: 2 3-10 Day 3: 1 1-08
47. Wade Grooms Bonneau, S.C. 5 8-11 0
Day 1: 2 3-15 Day 2: 3 4-12 Day 3: 0 0-00
48. Mike Williams Delhi, La. 4 8-00 0
Day 1: 1 1-09 Day 2: 3 6-07 Day 3: 0 0-00
49. Steven Oliver Westminster, Calif. 4 7-11 0
Day 1: 3 6-04 Day 2: 1 1-07 Day 3: 0 0-00
50. Thomas Warren Bolingbrook, Ill. 4 7-05 0
Day 1: 3 5-08 Day 2: 1 1-13 Day 3: 0 0-00
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Big Bass
Day
1 Richard Coldiron Somerset, Ky. 5-00 $500.00
2 Tommy Swindle Cleveland, Ala. 6-00 $500.00
3 William Pickard Portland, Tenn. 5-07 $500.00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 32 164 403-08
2 32 157 360-03
3 19 87 202-05
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83 408 966-00