Entry 81-5

Why Shaw Grigsby Likes Bleeding Baits

I Want To Be Like Shaw Grigsby

Editor's Note: Shaw Grigsby, a 47-year-old angler from Gainesville, Florida, has earned $1,194,655 on the BASS circuit, has had 43 top-10 finishes, has made 10 Bassmaster Classic appearances and has won eight Bassmaster tournaments. Grigsby also has a TV show titled "One More Cast" on the Outdoor Life Network (OLN) that airs from January through December on Saturdays at 9:00 a.m. and appears again two more times during the week.

Question: Shaw, if a young man came up to you and said, "Mr. Grigsby, you're living the life I want to live. You've made more than $1 million in tournament bass fishing, you have a successful TV show, you get to travel around the country bass fishing, and you have a long list of sponsors. What do I need to do to be like you?" what would you tell him?

Grigsby: My life is made up of many different parts, but the first thing I'd suggest would be that a young person graduate from high school and then go to college. While you're in college, take courses in public speaking, marketing, advertising and business. One of the reasons that the fishermen who have done well for many years have been so successful in this business is that they understand that a professional fisherman is an independent businessman. As such, you really have to know how to operate a business. You have to know how to prepare contracts, how to do accounting, how to do a profit-and-loss sheet, and how to make business projections. A business degree with speech, advertising and marketing courses will help you prepare yourself to be a professional fisherman.

Two people I really admire in the fishing business are Denny Brauer and his son, Chad, both of whom are on the Strike King Pro Fishing Team. Denny told Chad, "You go to college and get a good education, and when you have your degree from college, then you go out and become a professional fisherman." While Chad was in college, he was a bass-fishing guide during the summers and fished tournaments on the weekends. Chad built up his fishing knowledge and his tournament skills while getting a college education. But Chad didn't become a professional angler until he completed college, and he has really done well on the professional circuit. Too, he has a college education to fall back on regardless of what he decides to do as a tournament fisherman. In my opinion, this way is the best for a young man or woman to prepare themselves to become a professional fisherman.

Another area of study that has helped tournament fishermen like Tim Horton, Ken Cook and Jim Bitter is fisheries management. This course of study enables them to get a better understanding of not only the bass, but how they fit into their environment.




 

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