Entry 267-4

Doing It All with Shaw Grigsby

Part 4: What’s that Weird-Looking Bait?

Question: Shaw, what’s required to win the 2009 Bassmaster Classic on the Red River in Shreveport, Louisiana?

Grigsby: I’m not sure, but I can tell you that Strike King’s new soft-plastic lures, the Game Hawg, the Rage Space Monkey and the Rodent, all will play major roles in my finish at the 2009 Bassmaster Classic. There’s a good chance I’ll catch bass on Strike King crankbaits as well. The Strike King 3/4-ounce Football Head jig is one of the three lures I depended on this year to make the 2009 Bassmaster Classic. Once we began having summer tournaments and fishing deep water, I fished Football Head jigs on Kentucky Lake, Old Hickory, Lake Erie/Niagara Falls and Oneida. The Football Head jig kept catching bass, and I bet that bait will fish well in the Red River, too.

I may be fishing more Strike King Premier Pro-Model jigs on the Red River. I’ve learned that there’s plenty of heavy cover on this river, so we’ll need big hooks and braided line to dig those bass out of thick cover. Since there are a lot of trees and timber on Red River, the Strike King Premier Pro-Model jig may fish better than the Football Head jig. You probably won’t see many huge weights at the 2009 Classic, and there may not be more than 10 to 14 anglers who catch a limit each day. The winner must catch an early limit each day and have time to catch a big bass as well.

Question: Because the Red River has a large amount of structure, will this river play more to your strengths than a reservoir with less structure?

Grigsby: Most definitely. If I can find one or two spots where bass are holding, I can milk those areas for every bass, instead of running up and down the river and making a few casts at every tree. If I can locate good bass-holding locations, my fishing will be strong in the 2009 Classic.

Question: What’s your strategy entering the 2009 Bassmaster Classic?

Grigsby: If I can pinpoint three regions holding fish, I’ll spend all day the first day fishing one area to catch a nice bag of fish. On the second day of the tournament, I’ll return to the same location, catch one or two bass and then travel to my second spot where I’ll fish for the remainder of the day. On the third day, I’ll catch one or two bass on my second-day spot before moving to my third site to fish the remainder of the third day. I’ll need more than one dependable place to catch bass to win this tournament.

Question: If you only can take two lures to the 2009 Bassmaster Classic, which two lures will you take?

Grigsby: The Space Monkey will be my first choice, and the Denny Brauer Pro-Model jig will be my second choice. I can make the bass bite slow-moving baits, like the Space Monkey and the Pro-Model jig.

Question: What do you like about the Space Monkey?

Grigsby: The first time a person looks at the Space Monkey, he’ll say, “What’s this? There’s a bait I’ll never use.” I didn’t think much of the Space Monkey the first time I saw it laying on the table. Then I was fortunate enough to see the Space Monkey in action at the 2008 Bassmaster Classic. Before the sports show at the 2008 Classic opened, I had the opportunity to pitch the Space Monkey into the big Dick’s Sporting Goods fish tank and watch it swim. When I saw that Space Monkey swimming underwater, I said, “Oh, my goodness. This bait has so much action. The front legs are waving like an excited school child. This bait will catch tons of bass.” I couldn’t believe the amount of action in that small piece of plastic.

Question: What colors do you like in the Space Monkey?

Grigsby: Watermelon-red, pumpkin and Okeechobee-craw are my favorite colors. I’m hoping to get my hands on the Space Monkey in really-cool colors that haven’t yet hit the market. Kevin VanDam will develop new colors because he always does, and I’ll fish with the colors he creates. The Space Monkey and the Pro-Model jig are my go-to baits for the 2009 Classic.

To learn more about Shaw Grigsby, visit www.one-more-cast.com.

Next: Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number

Contents:

• Part 1: Filming and Fishing
• Part 2: So Many New Lures, So Little Time to Fish Them
• Part 3: It’s Okay to Be Me
• Part 4: What’s that Weird-Looking Bait?
• Part 5: Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number