By Jonathan LePera
Special to BassFan
If a survey of Elite Series pros was done to find out who they thought were the best sight-fishermen amongst their peers, the name Shaw Grigsby would probably be near the top of the list. The Floridian has a well-earned reputation for being able to perform consistently in events where fish are engaged in their annual spawning ritual.
There’s a lot more to it than seeing a fish on a bed and then chucking a bait in that direction, as Grigsby explains below:
Conditions
> Calm/Clear Water: Odds favor the angler since pursuing fish from a distance, they’re less likely to spook. Grigsby’s deck resembles the soft-plastics section of the annual Strike King catalogue in this scenario, as he wants multiple baits ranging in color from white to green pumpkin and black neon at the ready.
“You have all these options as you are pitching on them and all of the sudden they show interest in a bait and then you go 'I gotcha, I know what you dislike the most,' and that’s what you throw at them,” Grigsby reasoned.
To move in closer, Grigsby will ease up every 5 minutes by a couple feet, in stealth mode.
“You can get close enough to watch their movements and see how they move on the bait,” Grigsby said.
Emulating live prey that is crawling into the bed and threatening the well-being of those eggs will cause the male or female to come unglued and strike. When pitching baits, Grigsby rarely pegs his sinker because he fears a tentative fish might be put off by the excess weight.
> Dirty/Stained Water: Grigsby tries to envision where a bed could be and relies on his instincts as he methodically works the bait.
“The good thing about stained water is that fish are much more aggressive to bite since they can’t see you,” he said.
He’ll reference waypoints in his Lowrance HDS 12 highlighting fish found in practice, during the tournament, and those he missed. He cautions that, “every strike you get is important. Even though you catch a fish there, fish it hard and remember exactly where you got it because often a female’s right there.”
> High Water: At last month’s Sabine River Elite Series, the water came up 2 feet over night as the fish were spawning. Grigsby recalled a tournament at Buggs Island where he had fish pegged on beds in 18 inches of water. An influx of water over 2 days saw those beds covered with 10 feet of water. Those fish had already made their beds and they weren’t leaving, yet new fish moved up shallow to spawn.
When fish spawn in rather clear water in the backs of bushes, he’ll opt for natural colors and resort to more visible colors when he needs to visually watch what the bait and fish are doing.
Grigsby likes to have a range of creature baits, craws, worms and even a big lizard at his disposal when trying to dial in bedding bass. The Strike King baits above are: 1. Rage Tail Lizard; 2. Ocho; 3. Rage Tail Menace; 4. Rage Tail Bug; 5. Coffee Tube; 6. Rodent; 7. Rage Tail Craw; 8. Rage Tail Anaconda.
Mood of Fish
“If the fish stays close or comes back and protects, that’s a real positive sign,” Grigsby said.
Negative fish will leave and take forever to return. For those fish, he’ll wait 3 minutes before ever moving the bait for the first time. He keeps a 13-foot push-pole on board as pressured fish often shun trolling motors.
Gear Factor
> Heavy flipping: 7’6” heavy-action Quantum Exo PT casting rod, Quantum Exo casting reel, 15-, 17-, 20-, or 25-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon line (depending on water quality); braid when fishing heavy vegetation and heavy fish.
> Light flipping (3/16 oz.): 7’6” heavy-action Quantum Exo PT Tour (lighter tip), same reel, same line.
> Spinning options: 7’ Quantum Tour Tactical Shaw Grigsby spinning rod, Quantum Exo 25 spinning reel, 20-pound Seaguar braided line, 15 to 20 feet of fluorocarbon leader (pound test depends on conditions).
