“Bass Master- notes on fishing and life” by Shaw E. Grigsby Jr. and Robert Coram National Geographic Books, published 1998 ISBN 0-7922-7376-1
Reviewing Shaw Grigsbys’ book was a pleasure. As I have mentioned before I have read a lot of these books about “ my story” from various fishermen, politicians, and athletes, and keeping them fresh can be a challenge to the author. Shaw Grigsby and Robert Coram have done a good job with this one.
Of course there are the usual tips on bass ( the species), catching fish, and tournament tactics. And there are stories from the tournament trail, after all, Shaw IS one of the most successful anglers on tour. But what really makes this book shine are the shared moments from his life. Shaw uses roughly half of this book to pass along the kind of life experiences you don’t usually find in a book of this type. We get to see how becoming a tournament fisherman strained the relationship with his father, and how fishing together brought them close again. Faith experiences are also included, along with a general sort of Golden Rule theme. One gets the feeling that Shaw can see moral decline in our society and has taken this opportunity to put in his two cents. Good for him! We should ALL voice our concerns with society—what is truly amazing is that he could do this without being “preachy” about it.
The chapters bounce around throughout the book, from serious information and tips on fishing, to a personal story. This keeps the book from getting stale. I can only read so much “how-to” at one time and the same goes for somebody’s biography. By keeping the chapters short ( some are barely more than paragraphs), and changing the focus, you get a little fishing, then a little Shaw, little more fishing, some more Shaw, all the way through his career. The fishing information is solid, and his story is as good an example of “America”, as you are likely to see! I must admit I was not prepared for the emotion this book brings to the table. Some chapters clearly must have been tough to share. Live long enough and you will have some sadness in your life, and Shaw has lived long enough. I don’t know if Shaw Grigsby intended to write a book of lessons on life and living, but he did!
I started to finish this review with something like “read this book next time you’re rained out” but decided instead to finish with this:
Read this book!