rAMIe COLSON jr .
KENTUCKY PRO ’ S LIFE MOVES AT THE PERFECT PACE , ON AND OFF THE WATER by Colin Moore
PHOTOS BY D . W . REED II
Granny ’ s Kountry Kitchen is on the right side of Highway 68 where it crests a long winding hill that begins near the entrance road to Lake Barkley Lodge and tops out a couple of miles from the city limits of Cadiz , Ky . Granny ’ s serves the general purpose of being a gas station , convenience store , dry goods emporium , restaurant and neighborhood gathering place – a common arrangement in these parts .
Most mornings , not counting Sundays , a band of the local yeomanry is ensconced at Granny ’ s , sitting around tables with their hands wrapped around coffee cups while they discuss the latest happenings . Their gathering is not so much a coincidence as it is a tradition in the time-honored fashion that small-town citizens express their views and clarify the world and its ways for each other .
Depending on the season , the main topics of such forums at Granny ’ s include politics , basketball , hunting and fishing . The languid pace of the discussion is interrupted by comings and goings , with speakers chiming in in varying sorghum thicknesses of Kentucky twang when something germane to the subject occurs to them .
The tempo suits Ramie Colson Jr ., who is likely to be there if circumstances allow , having been initiated into the ranks some years ago . He is at home in such company . His presence both defines him as an individual and suggests why he ’ s been one of the more consistent anglers in the Walmart FLW Tour ranks . Colson is a grinder who , like the conversation at Granny ’ s , most often progresses at an unhurried , deliberate pace .
As Forrest Gumpish as it sounds , working with concrete is like fishing for bass . At least Colson sees the comparisons , and he ’ s made a lot of money doing both . When he ’ s not fishing in FLW Tour events , the burly Kentuckian is likely to be found helping his father in their concrete finishing business . Once the concrete is poured , it ’ s “ finished ” in a series of stages that can ’ t be rushed or skipped , until the slab is perfectly formed and harder than a tournament director ’ s heart .
Colson ’ s fishing style , too , can be maddeningly slow and painstakingly methodical . More often than not it involves picking cover apart , and he came by his skills honestly . Growing up near Kentucky and Barkley lakes as he did , where sinking Christmas trees and brush in not-so-secret spots is commonplace , the 12-year FLW pro has developed a knack for knowing the best places to plant fish-attracting cover . More importantly , perhaps , in the process of cultivating his home waters he ’ s also learned how to identify such bass magnets in the lakes on the Tour schedule .
Granny ’ s is ground zero not only for a hearty breakfast , but also for bragging about recent forays into the outdoors . Here , Colson shows off some trail cam photos to Randy Hefner ( center ) of Taylorsville , N . C ., and local celebrity Harold Knight of Knight & Hale Game Calls .
deCeMber 2016 I FLWFISHING . COM
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