Interview with John Grant - "John Everyman"

I've known John for over 17 years. I credit him for having introduced me to serious bass fishing when I was a young man dating his daughter and talked me into buying my Lampro Kayak. In John, I see every fisherman I have ever known. He's knowledgeable about the bass that he pursues and has even entertained the thought of fishing at the pro level much like any other fisherman I have ever known. Of course, reality and obligation have hindered this dream, but at his base is the love of fishing that every bass angler can identify with.


Although it has been many years since John and I have done a "stomp and drag" down a river in our kayaks or competed both with and against each other in a small, local bass tourney, I still consider him a remarkable resource for any fisherman wanting to know the area. In the course of his life there is little left of the local rivers and lakes that he hasn't experienced first hand even if it has been many years back. Now, as he approaches a new phase of his life, he gets to introduce a new generation to the sport as his grandson nears that age where the child can be turned onto the love of fishing. In this, I am excited for him. With every plastic fishing rod he gives his grandson, you can see John's excitement grow and you can hear it in his voice. I look forward to seeing John finally being able to take his grandson out fishing thus passing the torch as was passed to him.


I asked John if he wouldn't mind doing this interview. Since he has never been shy about his fishing abilities, it was an easy sell. To me, he is a living example of the old saying, "It ain't bragging if it's true," even if it bugs you a bit at times. I caught up to John on a cold, windy Monday evening as a cold front was moving into town.


WTJB: Hey John, thanks for taking the time to meet with me today.

JG: No Problem.

WTJB: If you don’t mind, let’s start with your name and hometown.

JG: John Grant and I’m from Baytown, Texas.

WTJB: How long have you been fishing?

JG: I’ve been fishing all my life.

WTJB: Bass fishing?

JG: About 35 years.

WTJB: Are you or have you ever been a member of any bass clubs?

JG: Nope

WTJB: What is your favorite local lake?

JG: Twin Buttes. Back before the drought, before we lost all the water and it was near max capacity, there were a lot of big fish in there more so than any other local lakes.

WTJB: Do you have a favorite techniques?

JG: A good bass fisherman doesn’t limit himself to anything, really. It’s a matter of having confidence in whatever bait you’re using. I do not limit myself to anything. I will use certain baits to try to locate fish or find out where the fish are then change baits occasionally, but I actually really and truly do not have a favorite.

WTJB: Do you have 3 favorite lurers?

JG: Yeah, I do. In the crank bait category, I like the baby bass Bomber Model “A”. In the top water baits, I prefer cigar-type baits or a chugger-type. I do throw a buzz bait. In worm category, I just keep it simple. I do not necessarily like to go with great big worms. I like 6-inch. Color doesn’t make a whole lot of difference. If you fish it correctly, you will catch fish. I do not care what color it is.

WTJB: Do you have any advice for local fishermen?

JG: Don’t limit yourself. A lot of beginning bass fishermen, the reason they become bass fishermen, is because at one point or another they caught one. So then it sparks their interest. There is something about bass fishing that gets in your blood and it’s not necessarily a big fish as it is a fish. Use the baits you select with confidence and the reason why I say that is that a lot of guys go out and catch fish on a crank bait. Well, that is the only bait they have confidence in. They will throw a crank bait until their arm falls off. They will pick up a worm because they heard someone talk about it a couple of times and not have success on it then they pick back up the crank bait; whereas, to be a true bass fisherman, you got to use all of the weapons available to you to catch your fish. My advice to someone is “Don’t limit yourself.” Once you catch a fish on a certain type of bait, use something else until you figure out how you did it and once you do that, go to something else until you round out your arsenal and you have confidence in every bait you pick up. I’ve caught bass on top water in the dead of the winter which everybody says not to do. Well, I disagree because I have been successful.

WTJB: What is your opinion of the condition of the local fishing?

JG: I still have a lot of confidence even though the lake levels are down right now. I know the Texas Parks and Wildlife are doing everything they can to restock the lakes and I know that they have restocked a couple of years ago and they continue to add catfish and other game fish to the lake to try to increase population. OC Fisher, I know it use to be a real good all-round lake that you could catch a big bass in it, crappie, catfish. Right now I think it is more of a catfish lake than a bass lake or crappie lake simply because of the water level. Nasworthy is more of a recreational lake. There are some big fish in there. Spence is local, but is mostly catfish. We also have Lake Ivie. There are big fish out there, but the lake level is low. When the lake is up, it is a good fishery. There is potential for some very large bass.

WTJB: Do you have a favorite TRUE fishing story?

JG: Well, I have several favorite stories. The bass fisherman remembers every fish that he has caught. Believe it or not, I can remember fish I caught the very first time I started bass fishing. I have 3 wall mounts and I remember every detail about how I caught each and every one of those fish. I have even went so far as to journal some of my catches. But my biggest fish is just a little bit shy of 12 pounds and I have it mounted. I caught it under some unusual circumstances. I remember catching that fish in absolute detail. The story is that me and a friend of mine, a guy I use to work for, had entered into the KGKL $10,000 Bass Tournament. We fished that weekend in a place on Twin Buttes over by the old railroad tracks. We caught some fish, but nothing really to speak about. Nothing that would have won an hourly prize or even get close to winning the tournament. The fish that won was just over 10-pounds. Well, as it goes, the tournament was over and the next week I went to Twin Buttes in the exact same spot my friend and I had been fishing during the tournament. I threw a 6” punkin seed Carolina-rigged worm out in the exact same area I was fishing 1 week earlier. I sat down in the boat after casting out as far as I could and grabbed my thermos and poured myself a cup of coffee. I looked up and saw my line moving sideways. So, I sat my coffee down, picked up my rod, took up the slack all the way to the water and set the hook. When I set the hook, the fish ran towards me. I had no idea what it was to begin with or how big it was. The fish ran to me and I’m taking up line as fast as I can and I can’t catch up to the fish to really feel the fish. When I would feel a little bit of the fish, I would set the hook again to make sure I had a good hook set. The fish ran straight to the boat just as hard as it could and went underneath the bow. Now, I had the anchor out, the trolling motor was down, and the fish ran underneath the bow of the boat between the anchor and trolling motor. I pushed the button on my reel to go slack line and I figured that at that point the fish was gone; once I gave it slack line, it would throw the hook and it would all be over with. I was a little angry to say the least. I took my rod and stuck it up under the bow of the boat and pushed it between the anchor and trolling motor to the other side. In discouragement, I started reeling the line and I felt the fish. She was still there. At that point, I finally realized what I had; a big fish. I still hadn’t seen the fish, but I knew it was a big fish. It could have been a gar or a catfish, but it was big. As I began to play this fish, after about 5 minutes, she rolled up on the side of the boat and I almost had a heart attack. She was huge. I did what every fisherman says, “Oh God, please let me get my hands on her.” I reached down and grabbed a hold of the fish and got her in the boat. I was so excited. I was standing in the middle of the boat with this fish in hand and I was looking around the lake and there was not a soul in the lake, not one person I could show my trophy fish to. At that point, I put her on the stringer secured the stringer to the side of the boat, put her over the side, sat down and took a sip of my coffee, rerigged my worm and recasted. I sat down again and picked up my coffee and my hands were shaking so bad that I was spilling my coffee. I still didn’t believe I had that fish so I reached over and rechecked the stringer and there she was. It was not a dream. I sat back down again, picked up my rod, and started reeling back when I told myself, “There’s not no way.” I got the fish on the boat, loaded up, and took it to the taxidermist.

WTJB: Catch and release?

JG: I’m a very big advocate of catch and release. I use to keep fish. Typically if I catch 10-15 bass, I use to keep 1 maybe 2. By and large now, I am 100% catch-and–release. I do it now for the sport more than anything else. Now, I am looking for a 13-pounder.

WTJB: Do you think there are any 13-pounders around here?

JG: I think they are there. Bass will put on anywhere from a pound to 2 pounds a year. As long as we have water in the lake and if the lake level comes up to at least 50%, I think there’s potential that in about 3-4 years there will be big fish in that lake. When I first moved here, we were in a 7 year drought period at that time. I caught my big fish in 1995. The fish are there and it takes about 5 years for one to get about 5-pounds. They are very territorial, very verocious eaters so yeah, I think the potential is there. The lake is fed by Spring Creek. When Spring Creek is flowing, it is a natural resource of food. Yes, I really believe the opportunity for having a big fish is out there.

WTJB: Cool! Do you have any personal heroes?

JG: As far as fishermen, I would say number one is my dad because he taught me how to fish. My grandfather on my mother side, also. He used to go with us all the time. Number two, Hank Parker. I like Hank because he is a Christian man. He’s sincere, honest, and he’s just a good man. He enjoys teaching children how to fish. He takes his sons and they built careers from the outdoors. As far as fishermen goes, Hank Parker is one of my heroes.

WTJB: In your opinion, who are the 3 best local fishermen?

JG: Well, ummmm, I don’t know because number one I’m not involved in club activity. I just fish for myself. I consider myself to be a pretty good fisherman. Rex Davis is pretty good. When we go fishing together, we have friendly competition. I’ve out fished him and he has out fished me. But to be fair, to date, I couldn’t say because I just don’t know anybody besides my son in law.

WTJB: (chuckles) Your son in law is not a very good fisherman.

JG: He will be.

We concluded the interview with the wind howling outside. As I packed up to get home to nurse my growing cold, I couldn’t help but reflect on the many fishing trips we took together. I’ve gotten better on my fishing skill, but I will be the first to admit that John is a veteran that probably has forgotten more than I will learn. A personal hero of mine? Maybe. Still, I can’t help but hope that his grandson will inherit the love of fishing and will be able to experience the same experiences I was lucky to have so many years ago.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Hope to see you on the water!