Grigsby Sight-Fishes to the Top of Group A on Lake of the Ozarks - Major League Fishing

Grigsby Sight-Fishes to the Top of Group A on Lake of the Ozarks

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Shaw Grigsby weighs in one of his 14 scorable bass he caught on Lake of the Ozarks on Saturday. Photo by Garrick Dixon Photo by Garrick Dixon. Angler: Shaw Grigsby.
April 30, 2022 • Mason Prince • Bass Pro Tour

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. – It was a day that began with a lightning delay, but it quickly made way to sunny and clear skies for a flat-out sight-fishing derby on Lake of the Ozarks. The anglers in Group A fishing their first day of the Bass Boat Technologies Stage Four Presented by Bass Cat were greeted with near-perfect weather for much of the day, and timing to sight fish the over 1,100 miles of shoreline the 54,000-surface acre lake has to offer.

Shaw Grigsby ended the day on top of Group A with 14 bass for 37 pounds, 15 ounces, edging out Alton Jones by just 11 ounces for that top spot. Jordan Lee finished the day in fourth place and put himself in a favorable position to keep his AOY lead over Jacob Wheeler.

Grigsby Happy With Results, Hopes for Better Conditions Monday

Grigsby may have had the best day out of anyone on Group A, but he sure didn’t feel like it immediately following his round.

“I guess if it was tough for me this afternoon, it’s been tough for everyone,” Grigsby said at the end of his round. “It was tough because we had 20 MPH winds and the water kind of stained up from the rain yesterday.”

The Florida pro caught 14 fish on the day, but 12 of them were caught during the first two periods. As the wind and cloud cover started to roll over southwestern Missouri, the sight-fishing bite slowed down for not only Grigsby, but many of the pros in Group A.

There were 87 bass caught in Period 1 and 75 bass caught in Period 2, but only 55 bass caught in Period 3. Only 23 percent of the total weight scored in the day was weighed in during Period 3 as well.

Tough third period aside, Grigsby is feeling positive heading into his off day. He admits he has some spinning rods to re-tie and will need to find some more Strike King KVD Perfect Plastics Ocho’s, but he hopes that he’ll get to come back out on Monday with another shot at doing what he loves—and that’s sight fishing for bedding bass.

“I had such a fun day, and the fishing is just really ideal for sight fishing right now if we can get the weather to cooperate,” Grigsby said. “I wasn’t able to fish for the two biggest fish I found in practice because the water just turned to chocolate milk because of the rain runoff. If I’m able to get to those on Monday, I’ll be extremely happy.”

Jones Second Guessing Sight-Fishing Tactics

Alton Jones used his sight-fishing prowess to move toward the top of SCORETRACKER®, but he may not use the same tactics come Monday’s second Qualifying Round for Group A. Photo by Josh Gassmann

Alton Jones finished the day in second place on SCORETRACKER® with a total of 11 bass for 37-4. Like Grigsby, Jones’ strategy revolved around sight fishing near or underneath boat docks on the crowded lake.

“My plan was to sight fish today and some fish I could see, some of them I couldn’t,” Jones explained. “I found a good number of fish in practice that paid off, but I’m not sure I have enough to keep only sight fishing on Monday.”

Jones’ baits of choice included a Ned-rigged Yamamoto Senko and a Canyon Plastics 3 ¾-inch tube. While Grigsby is hoping for better weather come Monday, Jones is preparing to move away from sight fishing altogether thanks to the weather and the rising water on Lake of the Ozarks.

“This lake is going to change quite a bit by the time that we get back out here on Monday,” Jones predicted. “The water level is going to continue to rise which is going to make sight fishing even more difficult than this afternoon. My plan is to go run new water, find pockets and see if I can find some fish shallow. I really will have to treat it like another practice day.”

Lee’s AOY Lead Looks Secure… For Now

Jordan Lee entered Stage Four as the leader in the Bally Bet Angler of the Year standings with just a two-point lead over Jacob Wheeler. That lead looks to be safe for at least the next few days as Lee positioned himself safely above the Toro Cut Line and in fourth place heading into his second Qualifying Round on Monday.

The Alabama pro caught most of his fish sight fishing with a Texas-rigged Berkley PowerBait Gilly in HD Bluegill color. Lee caught nine of his fish in the first two periods but was only able to add one more in Period 3. His biggest of the day was a 4-15 bedding fish he saw underneath a boat dock.

Lee brought in 10 bass for 32-13 and is just 5-2 behind Grigsby for the lead. If Lee is able to pull off a Group A win come Monday and earn an automatic berth to the Championship Round, that could perhaps give him some cushion over Wheeler depending on Wheeler’s performance in his respective Qualifying Rounds.

Daily Leaders

  • The Berkley Big Bass of the Day was Dakota Ebare’s 6-14 largemouth.
  • Grigsby had the most weight on SCORETRACKER® with 37-15.
  • Grigsby also had the most scorable bass with 14.

What’s Next & How to Watch

Group B takes on Lake of the Ozarks tomorrow for their first competition day of Stage Four. The 40-angler field is highlighted by Jacob Wheeler, who currently sits in second place in the Bally Bet Angler of the Year race, and fourth-place AOY angler Kevin VanDam. Lines are in at 8 a.m. CT. Live coverage begins at 7:45 a.m. CT on the MLF NOW! live stream. Watch for free on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MLF app, or the MyOutdoorTV app.