Summer 2026
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learned to simplify. “To me, the Delta, the tide, just means water movement. Is it coming in or going out? What micro adjustments do I need to make to my bait, and how can I position correctly in productive water?”
That mindset has quelled any intimidation that Pearson has had. “I’ll never be a tidal-water expert,” he added. “A Delta guy will chase every little tide detail, but I cannot do that, so I just don’t give the tides so much power that they overwhelm me.”
NATURAL LAKES MAKE SENSE REGARDLESS OF THEIR LOCATION
While reservoirs can fish differently from year to year or even week to week, Pearson feels especially comfortable on natural fisheries and attributes his Clear Lake success to that. “Clear Lake has hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of naturally reproducing fish,” he explained. “That’s similar to Oregon fisheries.”
For him, natural lakes offer dependability that reservoirs can often lack. “In a natural fishery, fish can stay consistent over time,” he explains. “In reservoirs like Shasta, sometimes they’re in the McCloud, sometimes they’re in the Sacramento arm. There’s just more deviation.”
That understanding of seasonal consistency and fish behavior have become one of his quiet advantages.
STAYING TRUE TO HIS STRENGTHS
The BAM Super 60 format has also accelerated his evolution as a tournament angler. With condensed practice periods and high-level competition, success often comes down to rapid decision-making and pattern recognition.
Rather than trying to imitate others, he focuses on refining the techniques and approaches that consistently produce for him. “The Super 60 forced me to rely on and enhance my own specific strengths,” he stated. “That’s important. I need to do what Colby does at the best level I can do it. I can’t succeed by doing what Ish does in Ish places. I stick to my techniques.” The format ha s also
sharpened his ability to quickly analyze fisheries, identify productive patterns, and duplicate those patterns across massive bodies of water. “It’s rapid analysis,” he explained. “Finding a pattern and being able to expand it quickly across the fishery is what helps me anywhere I am at.”
LEARNING FROM THE BEST
Despite his growing success, Pearson credits much of his progression to humility and to the anglers willing to share knowledge with him along the way.
“In recent years, I’ve been very fortunate to find friends and mentors that helped me become a proficient angler,” he said. He points specifically to anglers who taught him specialized techniques: Ken Mah with punching, Bill O’Shinn with ChatterBaits, and Nick Wood with a fly.
“The credit goes to guys being forthcoming and allowing me to enhance myself,” he said. Although many see anglers as tight-lipped, Pearson has found a different side to his many of his competitors. “If you approach somebody with humility and ask, ‘Would you be willing to help me learn?’ it’s surprising how many people will help, when you come off your pedestal. It’s a two-way street relationship. You can help someone and they can help you and that’s been a really important part of my game.”
THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE CAREER
Like many professional anglers, success on the water is only possible because of support off the water. Pearson points to two sponsors in particular that have played major roles in helping sustain his career. He acknowledged his appreciation specifically for Wood Brothers Carpet and Flooring and Work Sharp. “Realistically, I wouldn’t be able to do this without them,” he said.
And in many ways, that statement captures the broader story behind his career. A foundation of consistency, humility, adaptability, and the willingness to keep learning. •
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