Grigsby Keeps Crushing
Chad Grigsby
June 29, 2018 by Sean Ostruszka
Chad Grigsby figured his only chance at making the Forrest Wood Cup was by winning at St. Clair. He's halfway there, but he's far from assured of anything with the way the lake is fishing.
The Maple Grove, Minn., pro sacked up 24 pounds, 4 ounces to retain his lead at FLW Tour stop No. 7, which is presented by Mercury. That weight has him as the only pro to crack the 50-pound mark after two days (50-1, to be exact), but he only has a 4-ounce lead over Dylan Hays going into the weekend thanks to even more massive bags behind him.
Grigsby's day one pattern
Weights typically drop on day two, and one would certainly expect that after a day one featuring 39 limits of more than 20 pounds. Instead, the fishing got even better. A total of 50 20-pound bags crossed the weigh-in stage today (36 pro, 14 co-angler), with Hays cracking the derby's biggest bag at 26 pounds, 7 ounces.
That said, Grigsby is pretty happy with how his tournament has gone so far.
"I've had to adjust every day, but I feel like I've managed to stay one step ahead of the fish so far," says Grigsby. "If a bait isn't working within five minutes I try something else. You just keep rotating until they tell you what they want."
Like he did on day one, Grigsby made a key bait switch to something he hadn't even thrown in practice – a smaller-profile, "super-finesse" bait – and immediately the bass told him he made the right choice, as he had all his weight by 10 a.m.
After that, he went looking for other areas near his on the southern section of Canadian waters, but was unable to really expand on his pattern or area. Fortunately, his area is pretty large, with a few sweet spots tucked in it.
"I have some waypoints in there that I follow," Grigsby says. "One of them – I don't know why – but I'm pretty much guaranteed a fish every time my boat is right on it."
While the weather has cooperated thus far – today saw bluebird skies and dead-calm conditions – St. Clair is notorious for getting rough on weekends due to boat traffic. Considering he's fishing the main lake, Grigsby might have to factor that into his game plan, though he says he's not worried.
"I'm protected, and a little bit of wave action would actually be good," Grigsby says. "I know where some good fish are at. I have the mindset to win this thing, and I'm confident I can."
Top 10 pros
1. Chad Grigsby – Maple Grove, Minn. – 50-1 (10)
2. Dylan Hays – Sheridan, Ark. – 49-13 (10)
3. Darrel Robertson – Jay, Okla. – 46-9 (10)
4. Scott Dobson – Clarkston, Mich. – 46-5 (10)
5. Bryan Thrift – Shelby, N.C. – 46-4 (10)
6. Brad Knight – Lancing, Tenn. – 45-1 (10)
7. Joey Cifuentes – Clinton, Ark. – 44-5 (10)
8. Todd Castledine – Nacogdoches, Texas – 43-9 (10)
9. Ryan Chandler – Hebron, Ind. – 43-5 (10)
10. Ramie Colson Jr. – Cadiz, Ky., – 42-7 (10)
Tags: sean-ostruszka headline-story 2018-06-28-lake-st-clair-metropark
Champlain Midday Update – Day 1
Takeoff was a little blustery, but overall, it's been a perfect start to the Costa FLW Series event on Lake Champlain. The event is the kickoff of the Northern Division, which is presented by Gajo Baits, and the tournament itself is presented by Polaris. READ MORE »
Lake Champlain Top 5 Patterns – Day 1
Last year, every event in the Costa FLW Series Northern Division, which is presented by Gajo Baits, was won entirely with smallmouth bass. This season, the kickoff event on Champlain, which is presented by Polaris, looks destined to involve some largemouths. Everyone in the top five weighed green ones on day one, though somewhat surprisingly, the south end down by Ticonderoga didn't play an overwhelming role, as only three of the top 10 anglers made the long run southward. READ MORE »
Elrod Runs Tide, Wood on James River
Bryan Elrod of Mechanicsville, Virginia, won Saturday's T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Piedmont Division tournament on the James River after catching five bass weighing 16 pounds, 10 ounces. For his efforts, Elrod took home $3,637. READ MORE »
Mittlestat Tops at St. Clair
Dan Mittlestat of Woodhaven, Michigan, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Michigan Division tournament on Lake St. Clair presented by Navionics Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 7 ounces. Mittlestat netted $6,552 for his win. READ MORE »
Schmitt Takes Champlain Title
FLW Tour pro Bryan Schmitt of Deale, Maryland, won Saturday's T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournament on Lake Champlain presented by Navionics after catching five bass weighing 19 pounds, 10 ounces. For his win, Schmitt earned $7,209 and 250 points in the Northeast Division presented by Gajo Baits standings. The winner of the division's Angler of the Year title after five tournaments will win $3,000. READ MORE »
Peter T and Crew Win ICAST Cup
Representing Lew's, the team of John Carman, Peter Thliveros and Matthew Mattingly won the 2019 ICAST Cup at Lake Toho this morning with a five-bass limit that weighed 20 pounds, 4 ounces. It's the first time in the ICAST kickoff event's five-year history that a team has won two titles, and they come back-to-back – though this time it was an outright win. READ MORE »
Kilgore on Top at Neely Henry
Andy Kilgore of Kingston, Georgia, caught five bass Saturday weighing 19 pounds, 7 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournament on Lake Neely Henry. Kilgore pocketed $4,426 for his win in the event and earned 250 points in the Bama Division Angler of the Year (AOY) standings. The winner of the division's AOY title after five tournaments will win $3,000. READ MORE »
Experience Carries Siggers
Dennis Siggers of Danville, Virginia, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Shenandoah Division tournament on Smith Mountain Lake Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 19 pounds, 1 ounce. For his victory, Siggers earned $2,585 for his victory. READ MORE »
Melton Wins on Rough River
John Melton of Corydon, Indiana, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Hoosier Division tournament on Rough River Lake Saturday after catching five bass weighing 13 pounds, 12 ounces. Melton netted $4,838 for his win. READ MORE »
Jenkel Flips Bushes on Rend
Derek Jenkel of Pinckneyville, Illinois, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Illini Division tournament on Rend Lake Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 15 pounds, 8 ounces. Jenkel earned $4,384 for his victory. READ MORE »
Campbell Gets a Hat Trick
Brody Campbell of Oxford, Ohio, won the rescheduled T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Hoosier Division tournament on Rough River Lake presented by Navionics Sunday after catching four bass weighing 7 pounds, 13 ounces. Campbell earned $5,703 for his win. READ MORE »
Harlin Sacks 24 for Ozark W
Michael Harlin of Sunrise Beach, Missouri, caught five bass Saturday weighing 24 pounds, 9 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournament on Lake of the Ozarks. Harlin pocketed $4,463 for his win in the event and 250 points in the Ozark Division presented by Bassing Bob standings. The winner of the division's Angler of the Year title after five tournaments will win $3,000. READ MORE »
Lake Champlain Day 4 Coverage
Yesterday saw the crowning of the FLW Tour 2019 Angler of the Year (David Dudley) and Polaris Rookie of the Year (Ron Nelson). Today, there's nothing left to do but crown a champion for the Tour's last stop of the season. READ MORE »
Scanlon Wins it at Ti
Running south to Ticonderoga each day, Casey Scanlon weighed 19 pounds, 10 ounces on the final day of the FLW Tour event presented by T-H Marine on Lake Champlain. With a total of 76-2, Scanlon earned the win in the final event of the season and pocketed $102,700 for his efforts. READ MORE »
Nelson Wins ROY
Ron Nelson blanked on the first day of his first FLW Tour event. Then he got things on track – so on track that he finished the season ninth overall in the standings and above every other rookie to earn the Polaris FLW Tour Rookie of the Year award. Winning ROY is typically a career-setting accomplishment, and to go with the hardware Nelson will also receive a Polaris Sportsman® 570 ATV. READ MORE »
Dudley Wins Historic 4th AOY
by Kyle Wood
Taking to the second to last day of the 2019 FLW Tour season, David Dudley finally did it again, triumphing over John Cox to win a historic fourth FLW Tour Angler of the Year title. Winning his first AOY in 2008, and then going back-to-back in 2011 and 2012, Dudley is now the only pro with four titles to their credit, surpassing both Clark Wendlandt and Andy Morgan. READ MORE »
Ticonderoga Showdown Looms
After three days of the FLW Tour event presented by T-H Marine on Lake Champlain, all but one of the top five pros are turning south from Plattsburgh to chase largemouths at Ticonderoga. In the lead, Tyler Stewart of West Monroe, La., bagged up another 18 pounds, 5 ounces to boost his total to 58-6. In second and just 1-14 behind, Casey Scanlon of Lake Ozark., Mo., weighed 18-13 on day three for a 56-8 total. READ MORE »
We're down to 30 anglers in the FLW Tour's last stop of the 2019 season. The Angler of the Year and Polaris Rookie of the Year races are still up for grabs, and second-year pro Tyler Stewart is haflway to his first win on Tour. There will be storylines apletny today. READ MORE »
A Three-Angler Race for AOY
By making the top-30 cut, John Cox, David Dudley and Joseph Webster are all still in the 2019 FLW Tour Angler of the Year race. Scott Martin, who also made the cut and started the week in fourth place in the standings, cannot mathematically earn enough points to win AOY. READ MORE »