young at heart
A t 66 years young , legendary Bass Fishing Hall of Famer Shaw Grigsby has every excuse to spend his days fishing from the comfort of a pedestal seat on the front deck of his Triton , flipping and dragging and catching fish in whatever ways are least demanding for a body that ’ s held up admirably after more than four decades of life on the road and on the water . He certainly could get away with eschewing sight fishing in favor of techniques that don ’ t require incredible visual acuity and he wouldn ’ t catch grief from a single soul if he were to prefer breaking off a quality keeper that had his line perched over a dock , instead of doing his best impression of a centerfielder laying out for a liner in the gap . That ’ s just not how Shaw Grigsby rolls . At Bass Boat Technologies Stage Four at Lake of the Ozarks , the grizzled Florida vet with the most recognizable ‘ stache in bass fishing proved once more that age is only a number , and that fishing has a magical way of making us all feel young at heart . Grigsby led Group A on Qualifying Day 1 with 14 scorable bass for 37 pounds , 15 ounces , and he did much of that damage sight fishing around docks on the Ozarks impoundment . He edged out Alton Jones Sr . by just 11 ounces – 11 ounces he wouldn ’ t have had if not for some age-defying flexibility and the fighting spirit to make every cast count .
Grigsby went on to finish 29th in the event , but he showed us all that on any given day , he can be as good once as he ever was – and as young , too .
PHOTO BY GARRICK DIXON
JUNE-JULY 2022 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 77