Highs and Lows
Most FLW Tour pros could be classified as 1.) ledge fisher-
men, 2.) shallow-water fishermen or 3.) a combination of
both. If you were to pattern him, the 49-year-old Colson could
be typified as a fourth type: a deep-water wood cover special-
ist. The 2015 Forrest Wood Cup, where he finished runner-up
to Brad Knight at Lake Ouachita, provides an example of the
good things that can happen when Colson is on his game.
That was a high point of his career, followed by a low point.
He failed to qualify for the Cup in 2016, and finished 101st in
the rankings.
As the 2016 season proved, part of what makes Colson so
effective as a fisherman also can work against him. He’s a
plodder who will bang away at a spot if he thinks it’s worth
mining. By his own admission he often struggles with the
answer to that question every tournament angler is confront-
ed with at some point in an event: Should I stay, or should I
go? In Colson’s case, it’s usually the former choice. If he
catches one solid keeper from a shallow bar, he might spend
hours fishing it without another decent bite.
“I’ve always been a slow fisherman. If I catch one fish in
an area I’m going to try to take it apart,” confesses Colson.
“Andy Morgan can go into the same place and tell within 15
minutes what kind of fish are in there and if he needs to stay.
I can’t do that yet. You take somebody like Andy or Bryan
Thrift and they’re going to put a pattern together in one day
that works over the whole lake. I know that a lot of times I get
too locked in. Sometimes I’d be better off moving around
more, but that comes when you have more confidence in
doing other things than what your main strengths are.”
Colson’s 2015 Tour campaign turned out to be his most
lucrative yet. Counting the $60,000 he won at the Cup, the
Kentucky pro collected almost $100,000 in prize money. For
him, though, the bitter was mixed with the sweet. His mother,
Ulonda, who had been incapacitated by a stroke a number of
years ago, died the week before the Lake Eufaula event.
Despite a lack of practice, and with the help of such “scouts”
as Morgan to provide some general information about the
lake, the universally liked Colson was able to finish 18th.
“Momma was my biggest fan,” recalls Colson. “Even after
her stroke, if I came back from a tournament where I didn’t
do well she’d always know. She’d give me that look like she
was saying ‘you’re going to have to do better than that,’ and
I’d get the message. Dad and my aunt and uncle were able to
bring her to the final weigh-in of the FLW Series Eastern
Division tournament that I won on Wheeler Lake in 2008.
That was a great day.”
A great day, perhaps, but not the greatest. When asked by
emcee Jason Harper if being in position to win the 2011 Tour
event at Kentucky Lake was his best day ever, Colson matter-
of-factly told him that, no, the greatest moment of his life
occurred the day his son, Douglas, then 11, spontaneously
announced that he wanted to be baptized. Such reflection
comes earnestly and easily for Colson, whose faith is under-
stated, but nevertheless built on solid rock.
Faith in the Future
24
When he was Douglas’ age, Ramie had aspirations to join
the Kentucky State Police, but his interest in competing in
tournaments eventually won him over after a year and a half
of college. Ramie, usually with his father as partner, fished
local events at first and eventually stepped up to what was
then the Red Man circuit. It became the FLW Bass Fishing
Colson’s professional
career doesn’t end at the
water. He’s also a full-time
concrete finisher.
League, where Ramie befriended and competed against such
up-and-comers as Morgan, Terry Bolton and Dan Morehead.
Now Douglas, 18, is considering a career as a tournament
fisherman. His mother, April, and Ramie encourage his aspira-
tions, but also caution him that a lot of hard work is in his future.
“My mom and dad instilled good work ethics in my broth-
er and me,” says Ramie. “They worked hard, and nothing
was given to them. It was the same with us. We were taught
that if you wanted something, you had to work for it. I think
a lot of tournament fishermen were raised that way. That’s
one thing we all have in common. If you don’t think that way,
you’re not going to stick around very long.”
Ramie plans to stick around a long time. Just as he is
patient with bass, he also is patient with his career, and con-
fident that as long as he works hard and learns from every
tournament – even the bad ones – his best days are ahead.
But there’s no timetable, no schedule for him to meet. He’s
in no hur ry.
FLWFISHING.COM I deCeMber 2016