5 In The Box with Greg Vinson

Ever wonder what it's like in the mind of one the hottest anglers on the Elite Series?  Greg Vinson was kind enough to tell me about The 2012 Bassmaster Classic, his fastball, and being ready to go to war...

 

 

 

Who introduced you to the sport of fishing?

 

My dad certainly had the strongest influence.  He was a hard-core federation angler when I was growing up.  I grew up on the lake too; me and the other kids in the area fished a lot for fun.

 

Does fishing competitively change it for you in terms of being able to just go out and fish for a few hours with your buddies or is it still relaxing for you in the ways that it is for most people who enjoy just sitting on a bank in a lawn chair with a coffee?

 

I absolutely enjoy fishing for fun, even for bass.  Tournament fishing and fun fishing are two different mental places for me.  But, I fish hard when I fun fish.  I still want to catch as many, and as big a fish possible.  It's my competitive nature coming out.  The challenge is what makes it fun.

 

What is your favorite technique, and who do you turn to or watch for tips or pointers?

 

I really enjoy shallow-water power fishing, especially when they're biting a jig or soft plastic.  There's something special about the challenge of making accurate casts to visible targets that all too often become obstacles when a fish is hooked up.

 

Although I know I've learned a lot in the past 10 years or so, I will never quit learning new things that will help me catch more fish.  For that reason, I am always willing to listen to any other anglers regardless of what level they fish at.  Thinking you already know everything will get you beat because the sport is always evolving.

 

 

 

What's your favorite lake?

 

Guntersville.

 

What's your lease favorite lake?

 

Clarks Hill.

 

What do you have planned for 2013 both on and off the water?

 

I have my tournament schedule and practice schedule planned out.  I want to make time to spend with Stephanie and Gaige otherwise.  I'll be doing some filming for several people too along with some fun fishing.  The calendar seems to fill up quick these days.

 

I remember watching The Classic last year and routing for you.  What did you learn at The Classic in 2012 looking back at it almost a year later, are there choices you made then that you second guess now?

 

Missing the win in The Classic was without a doubt a heartbreaker.  Most importantly because of what it would mean to me and my family over the course of a career.  That being said, I'm very proud of my performance, my decision making, and my composure throughout the event.  I've had a lot of time to think about what I might have done differently and I wouldn't change a thing.  I was dialed-in and had the perfect area.  It came down to who got that one big bite in the end.

 

 

 

If you weren't an angler, Greg Vinson would be a ____________.  Why?

 

Realistically, I would probably be working for The State of Alabama monitoring the water quality of our lakes, rivers and streams as an Environmental Scientist.  That's what I did before I went pro and it was a good job.

 

Ideally, I would be a pitcher in the major leagues...LOL!

 

Time for Five In The Box!

 

1.  What's it like in your house on a Sunday morning when you're not fishing?

 

Most of the time I'm cooking a good breakfast and we're planning what we will do as a family that day.

 

2.  Do you have any pretournament rituals or superstitions?

 

Not as much as I used to.  I seem to lock-on to a particular hat or t-shirt during the course of practice that's giving me good vibes.  When I have a bad day on the water I change to something different.  It's a mental way of wiping the slate clean I guess.

 

3.  If you had to guess where your best finish would be in 2013 where would it be, and where do you see yourself struggling the most?

 

The natural answer would be the Alabama River in Montgomery, AL; I live ten minutes from there.  But I know how good the Elite guys are and sometimes being a local and work against you.  I want to prepare for each tournament in a way that I can win on any given lake at any given time.  That's what I did for The Red River in The Classic.  I had never seen it before and I worked very hard to learn it well so I could choose my area based on the conditions and fishing pressure. 

 

The Northern-most fisheries like The St. Lawrence are the scariest to me right now.  Northern waters fish much differently than southern reservoirs and rivers.  I hope I can turn that into a positive and work extra hard this year to improve my game in that area. 

 

 

 

4.  What's the one body of water you would fish in 2013 if you had your choice?

 

I would probably have said Falcon Lake whether we were fishing it for the Elites this year or not.  It's been the hottest lake in the country for awhile now and I've never had the opportunity to fish it until I went there to pre-practice in November.

 

5.  What's one thing that nobody knows about you?

 

I'm pretty laid back most of the time, but "when the lights are on" so to speak, I'm ready to go to war.  I'm an intense competitor and some people miss laid back side because they see me in "tournament mode" most of the time.

 

Thanks for giving us a chance to see the laid back side.  Good luck this year and thanks for your time.

 

 

 

 

 

5 In The Box with Allison Shaw

Allison Shaw is relaxing at home in California watching the Everstart weigh-ins live at Lake Okeechobee, Florida's "Big O".  Our initial greeting is interrupted by us both being shocked at the weight of the current leader, Ben Todd, who is currently waaaaaaaay ahead.
Allison
"Dude that's a six pound average...God I wanna be there right now!!!"

We laugh; hers is more of a giggle really, but it's infectious and makes you want to laugh more when you hear it.

Q:  Allison, why do you fish?

I got the bug, I grew up fishing, I caught a huge, I mean I caught a 7 pound bass when I was 8 which is huge for any 8 year old, and I've been fishing ever since.  My Dad and Pappa (my grandpa) taught me how to fish.

Q:  Is it different now?  Does the pressure of competition take the fun out of it?

It's different but if anything it's more fun.  I'm competitive by nature.  I don't have all day to just lay around, get a tan, wait for the bite and reel it in, and that requires an understanding of the science and biology of fishing:  migration, prespawn, postspawn, and you'll never know everything.

Q:  We've talked before about techniques and presentations and I know you love to throw a drop-shot whenever you can.  Who do you watch or read about to get better?

I watch a lot of Aaron Martens videos, in fact I watched a few of his the night before my first day of filming The World Series Of Bass.  I mean I know how to drop-shot for the most part, but just watching someone do what you like to do the most is really helpful.  There are so many different ways you can throw it, bring it in; there are a million different things you can do with that one simple bait.

Q:  Some people have said that you're the Danica Patrick of fishing, how does it feel to have your name said in the same sentence as someone who's had such a tremendous impact for a whole world of women on what has for years been considered a "male dominant" sport and what do you see as your responsibility to other women who look at you and see an opportunity that maybe they didn't see before?

Ever since that all started when I was back in college (people referencing her to me) I've interpreted that to mean being an advocate.  It's really flattering to be put in the same category as her, I mean honestly I'm nowhere near her level yet but if I help promote this amazing sport to other women then maybe I'll have an impact on them in some small way that will lead them to trying to positively impact others.

Q:  Along with that likeness to her comes the image of you as being just a sex symbol as opposed to a real threat to compete.

Yep.  That's always been a concern.  There are advantages to being a woman, of course.  But I was lucky enough to show people in college that I'm not just trying to take pictures with fishing rods.  I watch videos and read and practice every day to get better and to become a better angler.  I'm from LA, I'm not from the country, though I am at heart and spent my summers fishing at my Grampa's.  But honestly, at the end of the day my goals are the same as everyone else's on the water:  catch big fish and win. 

Q:  What's your favorite lake?

That's tough.  I love The Delta because I like the idea of having tides in fresh water I feel like it adds a whole different dynamic and it really offers many different places for you to fish your strengths.  But at the same time when I was in Texas I had an opportunity to fish Lake Amistad and oh my goodness it was like Lake Mead on steroids and there are huge fish.  The water is really clear and the landscape is breathtaking. 

Q:  What do you have planned for 2013 other than fishing?

I was a child development major in college, and this year I've started a program called "My Mom said there's nothing I can't do".  Basically I'll be travelling to elementary schools all over the country, talking to them about pursuing their dreams, working 100%, and not letting anyone tell them they can't reach their goal to be whatever they aspire to be.  I mean, a girl from LA, who would've thought she would be competing professionally with all these guys from the south?!?  So if I can do it, and I'm in my fifth year now, then clearly anyone can do it.

That's really great.  I have always given back to my community so I value that in others.

Yeah there are a couple of charity tournaments that I'm going to be at as well.  One of them is in Newtown Connecticut, there hasn't been much detail released yet, but it'll be coming out soon and I know it's going to be a great event.  And the other is The Indy Bass Club there are two people who are members of that club who have been diagnosed with cancer and they wanted me to come out and be a guest speaker at their fundraising event.  I'm going to record some footage from everywhere I go and put together a sort of memoir that should be really cool to watch because it'll show that you really can accomplish a lot if you want it bad enough. 

Q:  You're an artist too, right?

Yeah, (laughing).  I paint anything:  horses, people, babies, dogs, pets, pictures from trips to Fiji, poems, really I can paint anything.  I paint a lot at Holidays or as gifts.  I paint with my fingers.  I put white on my pointer finger, black on my ring finger, and the color that I'm using on my middle finger, and that, in my opinion, is the best way to blend water-based acrylics.  That's how I taught myself.  Then when I'm done I go back over everything with a really, really fine painter's brush.  It takes me between 18 and 30 hours per painting and I am taking deposits all the time. 

Q:  How do people contact you if they want something painted?

Most people contact me through Facebook or they can email me.


OK Allison, it's time for the 5 in the box:

Q:  Let's start with the obvious, the one that I'm sure a lot of guys want to know:  Who is Allison Shaw dating?

Allison Shaw is dating herself (giggling).  I'm being selfish for the first time in a while.  Everyone thinks it's really cool to date a tournament angler until they actually date one and for the moment I need to focus on myself.

Q:  Tell me one thing nobody knows about you?

(Laughing) I was on two really lame MTV dating shows when I was in high school. 

Q:  Do you have any pretournament rituals or superstitions?

I have a wooden fish key chain that my Gramma gave me that I always take with me.  I always used to have it with me as a kid when we would fish as a family and have a contest to see who could catch the first fish for a dollar and I had it with me when I qualified for the National Championship in College.  (Between giving this interview and it being written almost all of Allison's gear was stolen out of her boat, including that wooden key chain.)

Q:  If you had to guess where your best finish would be in 2013 where would it be, and where do you think you might struggle?

Probably The Delta.  Oroville is closer to Chico but I only fished Oroville once.  And I really wanna do well on The Delta.  Clear Lake will definitely be the hardest for me just because I've never fished it before.

Q:  What's the one body of water you would pick to fish in 2013 if you had your choice?

I wanna go to Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia.  I heard it's really beautiful there.

I'm sure they'd love to see you there.  Good luck this year, Allison! 

Thanks, Jim.  You too.  And a huge thanks to Hennessy Funds (Title), ATF Fishing News, My Webfix, Topwater Clothing, ATX wheels, YoZuri, Heroes on the Water, Lake Fork Trophy Lures, Dobyns Rods, Rod Glove, PCI, Phoenix Bar and Irish Gathering, Golden State Orthopedics, Rayjus Jerseys, Oakley Big Bass Tour, Salamander Sinkers, Pizz Customs, Lake Fork Tackle, Lazer Trokar, Damiki, Bass Hookups, Pink Fishing, and all my family and friends for supporting me!

Drop the Hammer with this Rig!

 

Yellow Hammer Lures Brings Strength/Reliability

If you're like me then you really don't have thousands of dollars to spend on fishing lures, and you REALLY don't have thousands of dollars to spend on fishing lures that break.  I learned growing up to appreciate what you have, to work hard, and to be dependable.  I was also raised to expect the same.  I found at a young age that I could buy a cheap pair of boots, but they would wear out after 6 months and I would need to buy another pair.  After doing the math it became pretty clear that 5 pairs of cheap boots cost a lot more than 1 pair of quality boots.  Translation:
Buy Quality=Reward, Saving $$$

This is EXACTLY what I learned about the Yellow Hammer Rig the first time I spoke with team who developed it.  They looked at the other Umbrella Rigs on the market that were made with cheap components, mass produced, and sold for $7 and realized right away "We can do better", and that's EXACTLY what they've done.
The Yellow Hammer Rig is built to withstand the harshest conditions imaginable.  We can all agree that the odds of any of us ever throwing an umbrella rig with 5 swimbaits attached and actually hooking 5 bass that each weighed in excess of 5 pounds is highly unlikely.  But highly unlikely is NOT impossible.  And if your components are, let's just say for example, made of 5 lb leaders, are they going to withstand that level of torque over the long haul?  Are you really willing to take the chance?
My guess is that if you're a tournament angler, or just a very serious weekend warrior who thrives on bragging rights you're not into taking those kinds of risks.  Risks involved in finding fish, sure.  But in landing them, never.  That's one of the major points that defines a winner from a donator.
Higher quality components, hand made, hand painted, all in the US.  Why put your trust in anything else?

 

The best part about these rigs is that you can get them in any size, shape, color, bladed, unbladed, or other design that you want.  Contact the crew at www.bigbassheaven.com, or grab them from eBay.  You won't be disappointed in the craftsmanship of these lures.  No other umbrella rig has this kind of quality put into the design and production, I guarantee you.