Grigsby grabs pro lead at $1 million Forrest Wood Open

Chad Grigsby of Colon, Mich., finished in first place in the Pro Division after turning in a 19-pound, 14-ounce catch. Photo by Gary Mortenson. Angler: Chad Grigsby.

June 19, 2002 • Gary Mortenson • Archives

Israel out-duels male counterparts in splendid fashion while snaring lead in Co-angler Division

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Last April, Chad Grigsby entered the very first FLW tournament of his career. Although he wound up missing the cut by a mere 6 ounces, the rookie was unfazed by the outcome. Case in point: The very next month on Old Hickory Lake, Grigsby took another giant step forward – making his first FLW cut and ultimately notching a respectable 19th-place finish. Now, heading into the Lake Champlain event, there was one pressing question on Grigsby’s mind: Could he improve on his past two performances?

Amazingly, with only one day of tournament action completed, the answer already appears to be an emphatic “yes.”

Using a catch of 19 pounds, 14 ounces, Grigsby captured first place overall in the Pro Division in commanding fashion, demonstrating for the third consecutive tournament that he has what it takes to thrive in the high-octane world of professional bass fishing.

“I’ve always had confidence in myself and that’s important,” said Grigsby, a resident of Colon, Mich. “So far, so good.”

Grigsby acknowledged that the lack of “pressure” probably factored into today’s fishing success as well.

“A lot of these guys came here trying to qualify for the championship and win the Angler-of-the-Year award,” said Grigsby, a resident of Colon, Mich. “But I just came here to win a tournament. I knew I didn’t have anything to lose.”

However, there appears to be a number of other reasons why Grigsby has found himself atop the leaderboard. For starters, while many anglers were concentrating on smallmouth bass in deeper water, Grigsby was targeting shallow water and fishing for largemouth bass almost exclusively.

“I knew I wanted to go after largemouth bass today because 99 percent of the tournaments on Lake Champlain are won with a good largemouth catch,” said Grigsby, who landed the majority of his catch with a jig. “And because most of the largemouth bass are spawning or in the post-spawn phase, I targeted water between 3 and 4 feet deep. I wound up catching two of my fish on beds and three others that were guarding fry. Overall, it was a good day.”

Grigsby said his plan for tomorrow is simple: catch a limit around 15 pounds and hopefully save enough time to hunt for some more bountiful areas.

“My goal is to catch about 15 pounds tomorrow without beating up my fish too badly,” he said. “I have three good spots right now, but hopefully, I can find some more tomorrow. I mean, fishing isn’t rocket science.”

Just don’t tell that to the other rookies.

Best of the rest

Finishing in second place with a catch of 18 pounds, 14 ounces was Kim Stricker of Howell, Mich. Right behind Stricker in third place was Alton Jones of Waco, Texas, who turned in a catch of 18 pounds, 13 ounces.

Rounding out the top five pro competitors were Rob Kilby (fourth) of Hot Springs, Ark., with a catch of 18 pounds, 10 ounces and Jim Moynagh (fifth) of Carver, Minn., with a catch of 18 pounds, 2 ounces.

Al Gagliarducci of Agawam, Mass., won $1,250 and the day’s big bass award in the Pro Division after turning in a 6-pound largemouth.

Israel turns in unreal catch

By her own admission, Judy Israel has not been at all satisfied with her performance on the FLW Tour in 2002. However, that all changed today. Using a whopping catch of 18 pounds, 3 ounces, Israel not only regained her form, but she also captured first place in the Co-angler Division in one of the most impressive amateur outings of the year. In fact, today’s catch was so remarkable that it bested 171 anglers in the Pro Division – including the likes of Kevin VanDam and Rick Clunn.

“It feels wonderful. I’m thrilled,” said Israel. “I’ve had a tough season so far, but everything just went right today. I only missed one fish all day, so I’m very proud of my performance. Hopefully, I can go out and catch another big sack tomorrow.”

Israel, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., said the feat was even more special because it took place in Empire State – a state she still calls home even though she now resides in Florida.

“This is just an unbelievable fishery and it means so much to do this in the great state of New York,” she said. “New York is still my home away from home.”

Although Israel wouldn’t divulge the specifics of today’s strategy, she acknowledged that she and her partner stayed in the same location nearly all day searching for smallmouth bass in water of “medium” depth.

“Tomorrow, we’re going to go after smallmouth bass again in the morning and then we’ll be flipping for largemouth near boat docks later in the afternoon,” said Israel. “Flipping isn’t my favorite way to fish, but hopefully it will all work out in the end.”

Best of the rest

Frank Meyer of Pembroke Pines, Fla., finished in second place after recording a catch weighing 17 pounds, 5 ounces. Derek Jones of Chicago, Ill., finished in third place with a catch of 16 pounds, 1 ounce.

Rounding out the top-five co-anglers were Jimmy Batts (fourth) of Raleigh, N.C., with a catch of 15 pounds, 11 ounces; and Joel Etheredge (fifth) of Springville, Ala., with a catch of 15 pounds, 9 ounces.

Gerald Williams of Scottsville, Ky., Paula Nolan of Bull Shoals, Ark., and Sam Parker of Florence, Ala., all shared the day’s big bass award in the Co-angler Division after they each a 5-pound bass. All three anglers won $250 for their efforts.

Tomorrow’s takeoff is scheduled to take place at 6 a.m. at Mooney Bay Marina, located at 15 Mooney Bay, Plattsburgh, N.Y.