Entry 78-2

Shaw Grigsby, Jr.

From Maggots To Bass Fishing

Editor's Note: Shaw Grigsby, Jr., a 47-year-old professional angler from Gainesville, Florida, has joined the One Million Dollar Club of professional fishermen on the BASS Circuit, after earning more than $1 million in tournament winnings. He has finished in the top 10 in 43 tournaments and ranks fourth in career winnings on the BASS circuit. He has a TV show and is always listed among the best of the best tournament bass fishermen.

Question: How did you get started in the fishing business?

Grigsby: I fished my first tournament when I was 16-years old on Lake Seminole. I worked at a Publix supermarket making about $50 a week. I had been fishing my whole life, but I had never fished in a tournament. I had been reading “Bassmaster Magazine,” and I learned that there was an open tournament on Lake Seminole. I decided to give it a try. I didn’t do very well in the tournament, but I had a great time competing as a fisherman. But right after my first bass tournament, I decided that my goal in life was to be a motorcycle racer. So for two years I pursued the dream of being the world's next greatest motorcycle racer.

When I was 18-years old, one of my friends called me up and said, "Hey, Shaw, let's go fish a Bass’N Buddy fishing tournament. Since I didn't have a motorcycle race that weekend, I thought fishing this tournament would be fun. So my buddy and I entered. Back then, they lined all the boats up in a line and shot a flare gun to start the tournament. I said to myself, "This is as good as life gets. I get to race boats and go fishing all in one day. You can't beat this sport." By 1975 I was bit by the bass-fishing bug, and I got really serious about bass fishing and started fishing tournaments every weekend. Back in those days, if you really had a good year, you might bring in $2000 or $3000, but most of the time, that wasn't enough to cover your expenses. In 1984, after fishing any kind of tournament I could find, I decided to become a professional fisherman.




 

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