Coolibar Athlete Chad Grigsby

I love to fish! I have fished since I was six years old, and it gave me a passion for the outdoors. I started fishing local tournaments in Michigan when I was 17 and always had the goal of taking it to the next level. I had a job in advertising and sales for about 10 years and then finally decided to take the risk and try fishing full time in 2002. I have been extremely fortunate in being able to live my dream and fish for a living. I love what I do every single day and know how lucky I am to do it.

2012 marks my 10th year as a full-time pro on the FLW Tour – the top level of tournament bass fishing. I have 7 top ten finishes on the Tour and one win, which was in 2011 on Kentucky Lake. I have qualified for the Forrest Wood Cup (superbowl of bass fishing) four times. My goals at the beginning of every season are to be Angler of the Year, win a Tour event and qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup.

I spend more than 100 days a year on the water during practice and tournament days. Some days I spend 15 hours on the water with over 12 hours in the direct sun. It takes a product like Coolibar to protect me from harmful UV rays – I apply sunscreen every morning – but I don’t always think about re-applying, and I need to. Coolibar eliminates that necessity.

When I’m not fishing, I enjoy hunting, golfing, mountain biking and also spending time with my family and do-it-yourself home improvement projects.

Career Highlights:

Grigsby has six top-10 finishes, including a 2011 win at Kentucky Lake, on the Walmart FLW Tour and a runner-up finish at the Forrest Wood Cup in 2005…Grigsby began his professional fishing career in 2003 when he compted in his first full season on the FLW Tour.

2011: Grigsby earned his first FLW Tour win at Kentucky Lake by weighing his career-heaviest stringer (22-13) on the final day.

2010: Grigsby posted a runner-up effort on Fort Loudoun/Tellico lakes.

2009: Grigsby, who excels at sight fishing, began the FLW Series Eastern Division season with a 16th-place finish on Lake Okeechobee, which happens to be his favorite lake, and ended the year ranked 19th in the Angler of the Year standings.

2006: He registered three top-20 finishes on Tour with a ninth-place finish on Lake Okeechobee, a 17th-place effort on Beaver Lake and a 15^th-place finish on Lake Champlain.

2005: In Tour competition, he finished the year ranked 26th in the AOY race and fell just short of securing a win on bass fishing’s biggest stage – the Forrest Wood Cup – when he finished second on Lake Hamilton. 2003: Grigsby posted three top-15 finishes in 2003 EverStart Series Southeast Division competition, including a season opening sixth-place finish on Lake Okeechobee, to end the year ranked seventh.

Personal:

Chad is married to Bridget and they have two daughters, Isabelle (4 years) and Avrey (2 years). When Chad isn’t competeing on Tour he loves to hunt and golf and he especially enjoys cooking for his family.

We are honored to have Chad as part of Team Coolibar and look forward to a sun AWARE fishing season.