LIVING THE DREAM 24/7: A PROFILE ON WAYMAN COLEMAN
By day—and night— Wayman Coleman can be found at the Greenwood, South Carolina municipal fire department—working 24 hour shifts to support the people of his community. When he isn’t working in first response, Coleman also operates a landscaping business from his farm—a farm that also holds a dozen cattle and other animals that need care. To say that Wayman Coleman is a busy man would be a great understatement. The rest of his time? Fishing bass, competing in tournaments, and spending time with his family.
“I’ve been in the fire service since 2002. I started as a volunteer. I went to college and then I came back. I also have a land clearing business, but in that process, I was hired full-time by the fire department. My current position is as a driver/engineer, so my responsibilities are getting the fire truck and the crew to the scene. I have to make sure the truck has water and tubes, and equipment for getting the job done. I love the job! The camaraderie with the guys on shift is like another family. We work 24-hour shifts, so I probably spend more time with these guys than I do my own family. And no emergency call is the same. It’s always something different,” says Coleman.
When Coleman isn’t working, he’s either practicing for tournaments or fishing tournaments. Coleman’s goal is to make the Bassmaster Elite Series and like millions of fellow anglers, his “ultimate dream” is to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic.
Coleman’s start in fishing happened early in life. Both his dad and grandmother would take him to nearby creeks where the young Coleman first caught bass and catfish. “My dad would take me to the creek and that’s where I first learned how to fish—and swim, too. There were a couple bridges where we’d jump off and swim, too. Those creeks hold a lot of memories. Me and my grandmother used to walk to the creek and go fishing on those days when she babysat. You’d catch about everything, from bass to catfish to panfish,” remembers Coleman.
Of all the various techniques for catching bass that Coleman regularly employs in tournaments, he says he’s known for his prowess with a hollow-body frog. “If I got to choose the way I like to catch bass, it would be frogging—there’s nothing like catching them on topwater.” notes Coleman.
But don’t limit Coleman’s game to shallow, sloppy water. He relies on Humminbird Helix and Solix units and Mega 360 Imaging to help him find fish—deep or shallow. “Humminbird has been there since the beginning of my fishing. My dad had a Humminbird on his boat and I’ve been using them ever since. The units have been a tremendous help fishing tournaments, that’s for sure. And the people who work at Humminbird are awesome—very knowledgeable and helpful. Sure, the gear is great, but the passion of the people behind the brand is really special. I’m glad to be running Humminbird products and have the opportunity to be associated with the brand.”
Our hats are off to everything Wayman Coleman does for his community as a firefighter and first responder, and instilling positive values in his children to become the anglers of tomorrow. Likewise, our best to Wayman as he pursues his goal of qualifying for the Bassmaster Elite Series and his dream of fishing the Bassmaster Classic.
Minn Kota and Humminbird, proud fishing brands of Johnson Outdoors, are always excited to highlight stories like that of Wayman Coleman and his dream of competing in the Bassmaster Classic. To read up on more interesting stories like Wayman’s, but in other sport activities that Johnson Outdoors participates in, jump over to our new Outdoor Adventure Blog.