Grigsby at home on Big O
Northern angler flourishes on southern Florida’s monster bass factory in FLW Series BP Eastern runup
CLEWISTON, Fla. – Roughly 25 hours from home in Maple Grove, Minn., pro Chad Grigsby is experiencing the kind of success on Lake Okeechobee that makes even the best local fishermen envious. So how does an angler who grew up in Michigan and now lives in Minnesota perform so well on a fishery situated across the entire continent?
The answer, according to the BFGoodrich Tires pro, is natural. Grigsby simply prefers natural lakes, no matter how far away they are, to the impoundments and reservoirs FLW Outdoors so frequently visits.
“It’s a grass lake; it’s a natural lake,” he said. “There’s a comfort level fishing natural lakes because you can read the water. My comfort level is shallow water and grass.”
As the 200 pros and 200 co-anglers launched this morning at the inaugural BP Eastern Division event of the Wal-Mart FLW Series, Grigsby is clearly among a handful of favorites this week. His Okeechobee resume consists of three consecutive top-10 finishes spanning two Wal-Mart FLW Tour events and the recent Stren Series Southeast Division event, where he finished second.
“When you don’t have to see your depth finder, I’m at home,” Grigsby quipped, while fishing in less than a foot of water.
And to that point, he wasn’t lying. Noticeably absent from his front deck were electronics of any kind. On day four of the official practice period, Grigsby primarily flipped to patches of Kissimmee grass with a 10-inch Berkley Power Worm. Also in his arsenal was a Venom Buzzer Shad that he primarily used as a topwater bait.
“When you see the right stuff, you pay more attention, your focus is sharper and your confidence is high. It’s real shallow, so you have to flip into a perfect window, or you won’t get a bite. You can’t just go randomly casting through the grass.”
To see Grigsby flip is a first-hand lesson on the importance of accuracy and thoroughness. Concentration never broken, he meticulously poked through hundreds of grass clumps in only a few hours.
“If you make enough perfect casts, you’ll get more bites than the next guy.”
As if on cue, his bullet weight plunges through the perfect pocket of grass, and he’s hooked up.
“Ninety percent of my bites are coming on the fall. Plus, every big bite is coming in the afternoon. When they’re biting, it doesn’t take long to get 17 or 18 pounds.”
This aforementioned Kissimmee grass figures to play a prominent role in the event, much like it did in the recent Stren Series tournament. With Moonshine Bay and the Monkey Box high and dry, expect anglers to spread out between the north and south end of the lake and its numerous canals. The canals will play a significant role, mainly because the potential for a 20-pound sack is there, although most pros doubt their ability to replenish over the course of four days.
Lastly, Grigsby predicted it would take roughly 15 pounds per day to head home with a first-place check worth $125,000.
“All these fish are either 13 or 14 inches or 4 pounds plus. I just want to go out and catch one big one per day. That’s how it was in the Stren, and I think that’s how it will play out here.”
Logistics
Anglers will take off from Roland & Mary Ann Martin’s Marina & Resort located at 920 E. Del Monte Ave. in Clewiston, Fla., at 7 EST each morning. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins will also be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 1005 W. Sugarland Highway in Clewiston, Fla., beginning at 4 p.m. For those who cannot make the weigh-ins in person, FLWOutdoors.com offers FLW Live daily, an online application that brings fans real-time weigh-in results, streaming video and audio.
Children will also be treated to a Family Fun Zone prior to Saturday’s weigh-in from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Wal-Mart. Activities in the Family Fun Zone include the Fujifilm trout pond, a Ranger boat simulator and assorted fishing-themed games. All activities are free and open to the public.
The entire field competes for the first three days of FLW Series events. Co-angler winners are determined on day three based on the heaviest accumulated three-day weight. The top 10 professionals continue competition on day four, and the winner is determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all four days.
In FLW Series competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers.
The total purse for the Lake Okeechobee tournament is $1 million, including $10,000 through 50th place and $2,000 through 75th place in the Pro Division.
Wednesday’s conditions
Sunrise: 7:12 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 64 degrees
Expected high temperature: 75 degrees
Water temperature: 70-74 degrees
Wind: NE at 8 mph
Maximum humidity: 73 percent
Day’s outlook: mostly cloudy with chance of an afternoon shower