Today’s Throwback Thursday historical photo takes us back to November 1984, and the Red Man All-American event held in Florida by Operation Bass. Today’s featured angler was the winner of that event, a heavily favored Florida local – Shaw Grigsby.
Grigsby was a then 28-year-old local hammer who was able to catch a daily limit of 7 bass during both competition days and capture the $100,000 first place prize.
A local write-up stated, “Grigsby was confident he could take a daily limit out of Toho, and he managed to do that in short order both days fishing Bagley DB II crankbaits outside the weedlines and flippin’ black plastic worms on the inside.
“He then moved to Lake Kissimmee in hope of culling out the smaller fish in his limit and replacing them with larger bass. Again, his strategy paid off.”
Bill Sargent, Florida Today Outdoor Editor, was Grigsby’s first day press partner. He wrote a detailed summary that included the list of winning baits Shaw used throughout that first day enroute to an 18-pound stringer (not including bonus points) and the day-one lead. Those baits included:
> An all-chrome Devil’s Horse
> A 7″ Bass Assassin worm; black body with blue glitter tail
> A chrome black-back Bagley Killer B II
> A grape firetail Pee Wee worm
> A gable green Bill Lewis Rattletrap
> A larger all black Jelly Worm
