Entry 148-3

Shaw Grigsby Talks About Hot-Weather Bassing

Summertime Carolina Rigging

Shaw GrigsbyEditor’s Note: When the weather’s so hot you can fry eggs on the sidewalk, bass often won’t bite. But tournament fishermen like Shaw Grigsby of Gainesville, Florida, have to fish and catch bass regardless of the weather conditions. This week, Grigsby, who travels the country participating in bass-fishing tournaments, has his own TV show and also commentates on ESPN for the Bassmasters Classic, shares tactics he uses to catch bass when most people sit at home in their air-conditioned houses, sipping glasses of iced tea.

You can’t talk about hot summertime fishing without talking about Carolina rigging. Without question, this type of rig will consistently produce as many if not more deep-water bass than any other type of tactic you can use.

Main river points and points that extend into creek channels are places where bass will naturally congregate to feed, especially if any type of current is coming through the lake. You’ll also find a lot of baitfish in the main body of the lake, and they often will move in close to points. I use my Lowrance depth finder to idle around these points to look for stumps or brush piles. These stumps or brush piles provide an ambush site for the bass. Even though you may find bass at any place on the point, most of the bass will congregate around some type of structure.

Shaw GrigsbyI use a 1-ounce bullet weight up the line, a barrel swivel below the bullet weight and a 3-foot leader and put either a No. 3/0 or a No.4/0 High-Performance hook in a Strike King 3X French Fry or a 3X lizard. I like the 3X material because it floats the bait up off the bottom where the fish can see it. I like to use the Spike-It Spray Dye that’s made specifically for the 3X material. Anytime the weather’s hot, and you can find some main-river points or productive points in main creek channels, use these tactics with a Carolina-rigged lizard. You will catch bass.




 

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