The Great Grigsby: At 54, Shaw Grigsby closes on his 9th Bassmaster win
Category: press release
Mar 13th, 2011 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Mar 13th, 2011 at 12:00 AM
The veteran pro from Gainesville, Fla., outfished the 99-man Bassmaster Elite Series field in a nerve-jangling contest over four days that hinged on an on-again, off-again sight bite on the Harris Chain of Lakes.
Sunshine Showdown, it was called. For Grigsby, it was a personal test as well as a competition.
“I’ve been close quite a few times since my last win in 2000. I’m turning 55 in May, and at this age, you wonder, you question, do I still have it? – and I guess I do,” Grigsby said.
He flashed his trademark grin and waved the $101,000 check he’d just been handed as reporters interviewed him. “This is awesome,” he said. “Yeah, baby! That’s a lot of zeros.”
Grigsby led for two days in the Harris event before he wrapped it up with 75 pounds, 4 ounces on Sunday. He won by 7-6 over Grant Goldbeck, who finished second with 67-14 after starting out in 97th place. Stephen Browning was third with 66-9. Kevin VanDam finished fourth with 65-13, followed by his nephew, Jonathon VanDam, fifth with 56-13.
Day 1 leader Pat Golden ended in sixth place with 55-5.
Grigsby’s Sunday win was his first in a Bassmaster event in over 10 years. He also won a 2012 Bassmaster Classic berth. It was the first one awarded under new rules that give each of the eight regular-season Elite winners an instant entry, bypassing the points system under which non-winners can still earn their way into the world championship.
“That to me is as big a thing as you can have,” he said. “Winning is great, but making the Classic is like a load off. In the past, I’ve had some good years, but still I struggled to make the Classic, sweating it until the last second – a lot like this tournament, sweating it until the last second – so to make the Classic and know it’s in the bag is like heaven, it’s so nice.”
Even though he led by more than 11 pounds going into Sunday’s final round, Grigsby said he questioned all day whether he would pull off the win. His fears were not ungrounded. Any one big bedder could have altered the outcome on the final day.
“When Grant (Goldbeck) weighed in only 16 and he had the lead, I knew I had it, and I went ‘ahhh.’ It was a relaxing moment,” Grigsby said.
He competed under one of the sport’s most unusual circumstances. For four days, Grigsby and Goldbeck fished almost side by side in a small canal in a residential area between lakes Eustis and Griffin. They respected each other’s water, and didn’t jump a prior claim on a spawning bed the other had been working.
It was a new twist on bass competition, Grigsby noted.
“That was really fun. I guess in another sense, he was my main competition, so you could keep your eye on him, and as long as he doesn’t bust 20 pounds, I’m doing OK – and I did OK.”
Like Goldbeck and a few others, Grigsby said, he found the canal off the Haines Creek during practice. It looked promising, he said, because of the hard bottom, quiet water thanks to low boat traffic, and deeper water adjacent to shallows.
The first day’s wind and rain created conditions that wrecked his chances to actually look at the spawners. Grigsby managed 14-7 out of the canal for 11th place.
“It was really brutal conditions with overcast skies and a lot of wind, so you couldn’t see,” Grigsby said. “I went back the second day and, oh my goodness, all the ones I’d see were still there, and it was just a slugfest from there.”
He slammed them Friday, that second day. His catch weighed in at 29 pounds, 8 ounces, for a lead of more than 8 pounds over Kevin VanDam. Day 3 Grigsby held on handily, stretching his lead against Goldbeck to more than 11 pounds.
Grigsby didn’t credit any one lure or setup for his fish. He tried anything he could think of to entice bites from the big females settling on the beds, from 8- to 25-pound Stren to casting and spinning reels. He pitched different baits to the spawners. His choices were mainly Strike King’s Rage Craw, Rodent and Ringworm lures.
“I just mixed it up, and it didn’t matter what color. I did a lot of black-blue, Okeechobee craw, white – white Rage Craw was really big for me. I just kept pitching and going, and stopping, locking down on one and working it, hopefully catching it and going on.
“It was rare that I could just pull up, cast and catch one. I did that a couple times, but it was more like fish one bait, and he wouldn’t pay attention, change to another one and he wouldn’t pay attention, change again and maybe he’d tee off on it.”
It was not a numbers game. He made repeated trips to the same beds for his five bass Sunday, five or six the first day, and seven each of two middle days.
“I didn’t catch very many, I caught the right ones,” he quipped.
For Goldbeck, Sunday’s second-place finish was a victory. Second place is the highest he’s ever finished in a Bassmaster tournament, but it was his zero-to-hero performance that thrilled him more. He had ended Day 1 in 97th place with 1-1, but went back to the canal’s spawners for another try, and sacked 27-1. That moved him up to 16th. Day 3 he did it again, 22-15 for the runner-up spot and direct threat to Grigsby.
“You don’t have to win them to get that feeling,” he said. “It’s an awesome feeling.”
2011 Bassmaster Elite Series Official Sponsors: Toyota, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha
2011 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Lowrance, Luck “E” Strike, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ramada
About B.A.S.S.
For more than 40 years, B.A.S.S. has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and an expansive tournament structure while connecting directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.
The Bassmaster brand and its multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications – Bassmaster Magazine and B.A.S.S. Times – comprehensive website Bassmaster.com, ESPN2 and Outdoor Channel television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, B.A.S.S. Federation Nation events presented by Yamaha and Skeeter Boats and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.
B.A.S.S. offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members and remains focused on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.
FINAL STANDINGS- SUNSHINE SHOWDOWN
2011 Sunshine Showdown – Tavares, FL 03/10-03/13 Harris Chain Of Lakes, Tavares Fla.
(PRO Division) Standings Day 4
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Shaw Grigsby Gainesville, Fla. 20 75-04 315 $101,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 5 29-08 Day 3: 5 18-12 Day 4: 5 12-09
2. Grant Goldbeck Gaithersburg, Md. 15 67-14 295 $25,000.00
Day 1: 1 1-01 Day 2: 5 27-01 Day 3: 5 22-15 Day 4: 4 16-13
3. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, Ark. 20 66-09 290 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-13 Day 2: 5 14-08 Day 3: 5 16-01 Day 4: 5 16-03
4. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, Mich. 20 65-13 285 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-09 Day 2: 5 18-03 Day 3: 5 12-14 Day 4: 5 17-03
5. Jonathon VanDam Kalamazoo, Mich. 20 56-13 280 $14,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 12-07 Day 3: 5 19-00 Day 4: 5 11-08
6. Pat Golden High Point, N.C. 20 55-05 281 $13,500.00
Day 1: 5 20-07 Day 2: 5 11-03 Day 3: 5 17-08 Day 4: 5 6-03
7. Chris Lane Guntersville, Ala. 20 53-05 272 $13,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 17-01 Day 3: 5 14-13 Day 4: 5 7-02
8. Alton Jones Waco, Texas 19 52-05 268 $12,500.00
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 5 16-10 Day 3: 5 13-13 Day 4: 4 10-05
9. James Niggemeyer Van, Texas 20 51-14 264 $12,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 5 19-12 Day 3: 5 11-05 Day 4: 5 9-07
10. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, Fla. 20 51-10 260 $11,500.00
Day 1: 5 17-09 Day 2: 5 12-04 Day 3: 5 12-02 Day 4: 5 9-11
11. Rick Clunn Ava, Mo. 19 51-02 257 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 5 14-03 Day 3: 5 15-06 Day 4: 4 10-02
12. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, La. 12 39-11 254 $10,500.00
Day 1: 4 13-05 Day 2: 5 16-05 Day 3: 3 10-01 Day 4: 0 0-00
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Big Bass of Tournament
Matt Greenblatt Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. 10-04 $500.00
Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year Leader
Shaw Grigsby Gainesville, Fla. $1,000.00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 79 453 1052-09
2 68 427 981-12
3 35 219 507-01
4 8 52 127-02
———————————-
190 1151 2668-08
TOYOTA TUNDRA BASSMASTER ANGLER OF THE YEAR POINTS
2011 Sunshine Showdown – Tavares, FL – Sunshine Showdown – Tavares, FL Pro Points After Harris Chain Of Lakes, Tavares, Fla. Ending 03-13-2010, Day 4
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Place Name St Pts
——————————————-
1 Shaw Grigsby Fla. 315
2 Grant Goldbeck Md. 295
3 Stephen Browning Ark. 290
4 Kevin VanDam Mich. 285
5 Pat Golden N.C. 281
6 Jonathon VanDam Mich. 280
7 Chris Lane Ala. 272
8 Alton Jones Texas 268
9 James Niggemeyer Texas 264
10 Terry Scroggins Fla. 260
11 Rick Clunn Mo. 257
12 Cliff Crochet La. 254
13 Andy Montgomery S.C. 0
13 J Todd Tucker Ga. 0
13 Greg Vinson Ala. 0
13 Casey Ashley S.C. 0
13 Matt Greenblatt Fla. 0
13 Ott Defoe Tenn. 0
13 Jeff Kriet Okla. 0
13 Jami Fralick S.D. 0
13 Brandon Palaniuk Idaho 0
13 Jason Williamson S.C. 0
13 Kevin Wirth Ky. 0
13 Skeet Reese Calif. 0
13 Michael Iaconelli N.J. 0
13 Ben Parker Tenn. 0
13 Zell Rowland Texas 0
13 Cliff Pace Miss. 0
13 Jared Lintner Calif. 0
13 Clark Reehm Texas 0
13 Brent Chapman Kan. 0
13 Fred Roumbanis Okla. 0
13 Marty Robinson S.C. 0
13 Brian Snowden Mo. 0
13 Peter Thliveros Fla. 0
13 Rick Morris Va. 0
13 John Murray Ariz. 0
13 Keith Poche Ala. 0
13 Aaron Martens Ala. 0
13 Dustin Wilks N.C. 0
13 Steve Kennedy Ala. 0
13 Todd Faircloth Texas 0
13 Edwin Evers Okla. 0
13 Lee Sisson Fla. 0
13 Mike McClelland Ark. 0
13 Gary Klein Texas 0
13 Davy Hite S.C. 0
13 Bill Lowen Ind. 0
13 Dean Alexander Texas 0
13 Mark Davis Ark. 0
13 Dean Rojas Ariz. 0
13 Randy Howell Ala. 0
13 Yusuke Miyazaki Texas 0
13 John Crews Va. 0
13 Nate Wellman Mich. 0
13 Travis Manson Wisc. 0
13 Bernie Schultz Fla. 0
13 Tommy Biffle Okla. 0
13 Jason Quinn S.C. 0
13 Matt Reed Texas 0
13 Timmy Horton Ala. 0
13 Keith Combs Texas 0
13 Britt Myers S.C. 0
13 Bradley Roy Ky. 0
13 Jeff Connella La. 0
13 Russ Lane Ala. 0
13 Kenyon Hill Okla. 0
13 Kelly Jordon Texas 0
13 Greg Hackney La. 0
13 Dave Wolak N.C. 0
13 Charlie Hartley Ohio 0
13 James Stricklin Texas 0
13 Pete Ponds Miss. 0
13 Gerald Swindle Ala. 0
13 Billy McCaghren Ark. 0
13 Denny Brauer Mo. 0
13 Kevin Short Ark. 0
13 David Walker Tenn. 0
13 Kotaro Kiriyama Ala. 0
13 Matt Herren Ala. 0
13 Russell Parrish Texas 0
13 Mark Menendez Ky. 0
13 Craig Schuff Texas 0
13 Scott Rook Ark. 0
13 Bradley Hallman Okla. 0
13 Scott Ashmore Okla. 0
13 Takahiro Omori Texas 0
13 Chad Griffin Texas 0
13 Ish Monroe Calif. 0
13 Boyd Duckett Ala. 0
13 Terry Butcher Okla. 0
13 David Smith Okla. 0
13 Bobby Lane Fla. 0
13 Brent Broderick Ohio 0
13 Paul Elias Miss. 0
13 Morizo Shimizu Japan 0
13 Dennis Tietje La. 0
13 Ryan Said Mich. 0
13 Derek Remitz Ala. 0