Entry 178-2
What Makes Them Great
Part 2: Shaw Grigsby
Editor’s Note: Many of the Strike King Pros have earned $500,000, $1 million and/or even $2 million in tournament bass-fishing winnings. Inquiring minds want to know, “How do they do it?” Each one of these fishermen takes a different approach to the game of tournament bass-fishing. This week, we’ll take a look at what makes them great through the eyes of George Cochran of Hot Springs, Arkansas, who’s won almost $2 million at tournaments.
Question: George, tell us about Shaw Grigsby. He’s made over $1 million in tournament bass-fishing. You’ve fished with and against Shaw. What are his strengths?
Cochran: First, Shaw’s not only a great fisherman, he’s a great guy. By doing two TV shows with him, I really got to know Shaw Grigsby the man and not just Shaw Grigsby the fisherman. But if I had to evaluate him strictly as a fisherman, I’d say that his strengths are fishing light line and finding and catching spawning fish. Shaw’s from Florida, and he’s really good at catching shallow-water bass when they’re spawning. Shaw’s probably the best there is at sight-fishing for bass, which is what Shaw’s known for, however, after fishing with him for several days, I know that Shaw’s good at a wide variety of techniques.
When we go to a lake to fish a tournament, and the fish are spawning, then Shaw’s the fisherman to beat. He’s proven over the years that sight-fishing is his strength by winning plenty of tournaments using his sight-fishing tactics. When Shaw sees a fish in the water, he can figure out a way to make that bass bite. I think there’s a lot that we all can learn from Shaw about how to catch bass you can see and not just bass that are spawning. I think Shaw also has extremely-good eyesight. I’m not just talking about his ability to read an eye chart. When I say eyesight, I’m talking about his ability to spot a bass that other fishermen may not be able to see, to see and understand what that bass is doing and to know how to place his lure so that the bass will see it and how to give that lure the action that will cause bass to bite.
Shaw’s also extremely-good at picking the lures that will make bass bite. Shaw’s good with the jig, the tube and the Zulu. Although he can fish crankbaits, spinner baits, the shaky-head worm and any of the lures that Strike King makes, if you’re going to pick his strong suit, it will be fishing for shallow-water spawning bass. If you look at Shaw’s career wins, you’ll see that he makes the most money and usually finishes best in the tournaments that lend themselves to clear-water sight-fishing. I believe that most of the Strike King pros fish to their strengths, and for Shaw, I believe that’s clear-water sight-fishing.
Next: Kevin VanDam
Contents:
- Part 1: George Cochran
- Part 2: Shaw Grigsby
- Part 3: Kevin VanDam
- Part 4: Denny Brauer
- Part 5: Why I Switched
