GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (June 17, 2011) – Ramie Colson Jr. of Cadiz, Ky., caught a five-bass limit weighing 21 pounds, 6 ounces Friday to take sole possession of the lead on day two of the FLW bass fishing tournament on Kentucky Lake. His two-day catch totals 10 bass weighing 44 pounds, 11 ounces in a tournament that features anglers from all over the U.S. and Canada. The top 20 will fish day three and the top 10 will compete for the title on day four.
“I had a limit by 8:15 but they only weighed 10 ½ or 11 pounds,” Colson said. “After I got my limit and it was cloudy I figured I’d vacate the drops because the clouds aren’t good for them. I have caught them like that before, but after I fished two or three places and didn’t get bit I said, ‘Well, I need to move and come back later."
Colson said he relocated and moved to fish in the backs of some creeks, but the move produced only a few small fish. At 11:30, however, Colson moved back to deep water and went to a spot he didn’t fish on the first day of competition and caught a 5-pounder and a fish that weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces on back-to-back casts.
Colson said he has focused on brush piles he placed in Lake Barkley before the off-limits period for fishermen. He said he has picked apart brush piles on top of ledges and methodically fished each brush pile with two or three casts for fish that were “buried up in it” with a homemade ½-ounce Arkie-style jig with a Zoom Big Salty Chunk trailer Thursday and a ¾-ounce jig Friday as well as a plum-colored Zoom Ol’ Monster worm.
Colson said the option to fish shallow brush while convention wisdom says to fish deep ledges may give him a slight edge in the event.
“If the sun shines tomorrow I’ve got one creek I’ll run to for sure and four or five different things I’ll try to fish,” Colson said. “Believe me, you’d be surprised what’s back there in 2 to 3 feet of water when you put (brush) out. You can catch a 20-pound bag easily doing that. I’ve done it several times when everybody’s fishing drops and catching little fish.”
Day one co-leader Glenn Chappelear of Acworth, Ga., is in the No. 2 spot with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 37-14.
Chappelear said he caught a few small fish early but didn’t catch any quality fish until he made a 35-mile run to north Kentucky Lake. Chappelear said he caught 25 to 30 keepers during the course of the day.
“I feel really good about it,” Chappelear said. “I’ve got a lot of fish and I need the Lord to bless me with key fish. I can catch a lot of 2-pounders, but you’ve got to have 5-pounders to win.”
Rounding out the top 20 pros that will fish another day on Kentucky Lake are:
3rd: Blake Nick, Adger, Ala., 10 bass, 37-14
4th: Kevin Snider, Elizabethtown, Ky., 10 bass, 37-13
5th: Mark Rose, Marion, Ark., 10 bass, 36-8
6th: Jay Yelas, Corvallis, Ore., 10 bass, 35-5
7th: Chad Grigsby, Maple Grove, Minn., 10 bass, 34-5
8th: David Kromm, Kennewick, Wash., 10 bass, 34-2
9th: Cody Bird, Granbury, Texas, 10 bass, 34-1
10th: Richard Lowitzki, St. Charles, Ill., 10 bass, 33-15
11th: Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Wis., 10 bass, 33-11
12th: Jason Christie, Park Hill, Okla., 10 bass, 33-6
13th: Ron Shuffield, Bismarck, Ark., 10 bass, 33-0
14th: Tom Mann Jr., Buford, Ga., 10 bass, 32-15
15th: David Young, Mayfield, Ky., 10 bass, 32-12
16th: John Cox, Debary, Fla., 10 bass, 31-14
17th: Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 10 bass, 31-10
18th: Shinichi Fukae, Palestine, Texas, 10 bass, 31-3
19th: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 10 bass, 31-2
20th: Scott Suggs, Bryant, Ark., 10 bass, 30-15
Colson Jr. caught the Big Bass weighing 6-10 on the pro side to win $500.
Overall there were 574 bass weighing 1,509 pounds, 8 ounces caught by 135 pros Friday. The catch included 90 five-bass limits.
Richard Peek of Centre, Ala., leads the Co-angler Division with an opening-round total of 10 bass weighing 35 pounds, 10 ounces, followed by Tony Dumitras of Winston, Ga., in second place with 10 bass weighing 35-3.
Rounding out the top 20 co-anglers are:
3rd: Mike Helton, Jeffersonville, Ind., 10 bass, 29-8
4th: Frank Divis Sr., Fayetteville, Ark., nine bass, 29-4
5th: Maurice Cobb, Kuttawa, Ky., 10 bass, 28-15
6th: Spiro Agouros, Peterborough, Ont., nine bass, 28-9
7th: Rob Hicks, Lula, Ga., 10 bass, 28-2
8th: Dakota Lucy, Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 27-7
9th: Matt Hults, Gautier, Miss., 10 bass, 26-11
10th: Patrick Bone, Cleveland, Ga., nine bass, 26-5
11th: Dan Thill, La Crosse, Wis., 10 bass, 26-1
12th: James Dixon, Southfield, Mich., 10 bass, 26-1
13th: Billy Brindle, Calhoun, Ga., 10 bass, 25-13
14th: David Counts, Ozark, Mo., 10 bass, 24-0
15th: Justin Sward, Birmingham, Ala., 10 bass, 23-15
16th: Sean Stepp, Stafford, Va., 10 bass, 23-15
17th: J.R. Wright, Truckee, Calif., 10 bass, 23-14
18th: Scott Gibson, Wiggins, Miss., seven bass, 23-12
19th: Mike Devere, Berea, Ky., nine bass, 23-7
20th: Derek Yamamoto, Boulder City, Nev., 10 bass, 23-5
Gibson caught the Big Bass weighing 7-1 in the co-angler division to win $250.
Overall there were 474 bass weighing 1,139 pounds, 5 ounces caught by 129 co-anglers Friday. The catch included 55 five-bass limits.
Co-anglers are fishing for a top award of $25,000 this week plus valuable points that could help them qualify for the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup. The FLW Tour Co-angler of the Year will be determined by the most points accumulated over the six Tour Majors and the winner will receive a new Ranger 198VX with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.
Anglers will take off from Ken-Lake State Park Marina located at 542 Ken-Lake Road in Hardin, Ky., at 6 a.m. Saturday and Sunday mornings. Saturday and Sunday’s final weigh-ins will be held at the Murray State University - CFSB Center located at 1401 State Route 121 N. in Murray, Ky., beginning at 4 p.m.