Entry 259-5

Fishing One Tournament after Another with Shaw Grigsby

Part 5: The Third and the Final Day of the Competition

Question: Okay, Shaw, you were in third place on the second day of competition, so what happened on the third day?

Grigsby: I had a miserable day on the third day of the tournament. I had a cameraman in the boat with me and caught three little keeper bass on the Red Eye Shad on my first stop. I had a limit early of five fish that weighed about 5 pounds. I threw the Ocho, a spinner bait and just about every lure I had in my tackle box and never got a big bite the entire day.

I backed off, fished a 1/2-ounce Red Eye Shad and caught a few more bass that helped me a little bit. However, I finished the third day with only 7-1/2-pounds. So, I dropped from third place in the tournament to 11th place. I didn’t think I’d make the 12-cut the final day after that morning’s fishing. I felt really lucky to have made it into the 12-cut after such a miserable performance on the third day of the tournament.

Question: What’s it like when that happens?

Grigsby: It’s a really-deflating experience when you work hard all week to put yourself in a position to win the tournament, then you come back with a little bitty stringer like that. I was really sad. I’d worked so hard and knew that the bass were there in the grass, but I just never could get a big bite. I continued to change my lure selections, worked as hard as I could just as I’d done on the previous days, but I just couldn’t get that big bite.

When I dropped from third to 11th place, my feelings were hurt. When I returned to my room and reviewed the entire tournament, I said to myself, “Shaw, you really messed-up. But if you look at the entire tournament, having a top-12 finish against the best bass fishermen in the world isn’t really that bad. Too, from 11th position, the worst you possibly can be is 12th with only one place below where you are right now.

So, you can go for broke and try any tactic you want to win. You don’t have to worry about points or your position in the tournament. After all, you’ll have a cameraman with you, so you’ll get TV time for your sponsors. Last year, you made the 12-cut twice, and this is the first time for this year. When you look at the entire tournament, you haven’t really done as bad as it looks like you have.” So, on the final day, I got my 3/4-ounce Red Eye Shad and decided to go fishing.

Question: How did you do on the final day of the tournament?

Grigsby: I caught a quick limit on that day, and then I caught two good bass – one on the Ocho and one on the 1/2-ounce Red Eye Shad. I weighed in 11-1/2-pounds and finished in 10th place.

Question: How big were your two big fish on the last day?

Grigsby: One was a 4 pounder and the other was a 3-1/2-pounder.

Question: Why did you change from the 3/4- to the 1/2-ounce Red Eye Shad, and what color was the 1/2-ounce Red Eye Shad you fished on the last day?

Grigsby: We didn’t have a lot of wind on the last 2 days of the tournament, and I thought I needed to fish slower. I decided to try the Sexy Shad color on that 1/2-ounce Red Eye Shad on the final day.

Question: Why do you believe so much in the Red Eye Shad?

Grigsby: The Red Eye Shad is the best lipless bait ever built. When you kill it, it swims down instead of falling like a rock. It’s also really easy to pop through the grass. And, the bait just works well. I’ve caught a ton of bass on it.

Question: Right now, you’re planning to fish Kentucky Lake. What do you know about that lake?

Grigsby: The last time I fished there I didn’t make the cut, and pretty much every time I fish there, it’s June. Although I try really hard to fish the ledges, I just can’t seem to catch the bass. The lake has dropped 4 feet, so I’m not really looking forward to this tournament. Right now, I’m struggling in practice to catch fish up here, but I’ll go out there, fish those ledges and see if this is the year I do well on Kentucky Lake.

Shaw Grigsby finished in 36th place at the Elite Series Tournament on Kentucky Lake.

Contents:

• Part 1: A Level Playing Field
• Part 2: Practice Lessons
• Part 3: The First Day of the Tournament
• Part 4: The Second Day of the Tournament
• Part 5: The Third and the Final Day of the Competition