Ten Things You Might Not Know About Shaw Grigsby

Shaw Grigsby is one of America’s best-known and most-popular bass pros, with a stellar resume that includes eight BASS victories, 10 runner-up performances, 10 appearances in the CITGO Bassmaster Classic and more than $1 million in BASS earnings.

But here are 10 things you might not know about the 50-year-old CITGO Bassmaster Elite Series competitor:

10.) Grigsby is an avid hunter. “I love archery,” he said. “In my spare time, which I have very little of, I like to spend it hunting. It also gives me some quality time with my kids in the outdoors.”

9.) Grigsby is more than a sight fisherman. “Most people think of me as a sight fisherman,” he said. “What you don’t hear about is how I won a tournament on a spinnerbait at Lake Sinclair in Georgia. Another thing is I almost won the Classic crankbaiting. I finished second behind (David) Fritts.

“I have a lot of facets to my fishing besides sight-fishing. I feel confident with a lot of different techniques. Some of them I don’t feel so confident in. But a lot of them I feel that I can hang in there in most situations.”

8.) What he considers his best personality trait will not come as a surprise to most he has met.

“I’m very approachable. I enjoy the people and fans are what make any sport. That’s one,” Grigsby said.

“Another would be that I have a lot of passion; passion for the sport and passion for the people in the sport. I truly care where the sport goes and I have forever. I truly think that it’s the finest sport on the planet.”

7.) And his worst trait?

“I’m pretty picky; I do things a certain way,” he said. “Set in my ways would be a good term. That doesn’t mean in fishing; that’s in my personal life. In fishing you can’t be set in your ways.”

6.) Grigsby is married to a very devoted wife, who worked for years as a nurse to support his tournament habit early in his career. In fact, Polly had “CABO” inscribed on his wedding ring. It stands for, “Catch a big one.”

5.) If his late father had it his way, Grigsby might be an all-star in the family’s exterminating business.

4.) Grigsby earned his first $100,000 check in 1984, at the age of 28, when he won the Red Man All-American Bass Championship on Florida’s Lake Tohopekaliga.

3.) Fly-fishing for tarpon is a summertime passion of this well-rounded angler.

2.) The Gainesville, Fla., pro might be the best fisherman to never win a major BASS title (Angler of the Year, Classic, Major or MegaBucks) — a tag that makes him bristle.

1.) Grigsby’s first sponsor was Stren fishing lines in 1983. Although the company has been sold several times since then, he remains sponsored by Stren, which now is owned by Pure Fishing.


 

From BASS