By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor


Michael Neal remembers what it was like being a rookie on the pro side of the FLW Tour in 2012.

“I got it handed to me,” he says with a chuckle as he recalls his mixed bag of finishes and struggles across the five events he fished that saw him wind up 96th in Angler of the Year (AOY) points.

The final event of that year, though, still stands out in his mind. It was at Lake Champlain, more than 1,000 miles from his home in east Tennessee and just as many, if not more, miles away from his fishing comfort zone, that he learned a little something about himself.

With a 28th-place finish – “I was on the fish to make the cut,” he recalls – he proved to himself that he could find his way around a lake he’d never fished before and achieve a favorable result. It was a veritable “ah-ha” moment for him.

“Going into it, I was a little worried and intimidated, but after that felt like I could really do it,” he said. “That really showed me I could go somewhere I’d never been and get out of my comfort zone and do well.”

He still points to that event as the flashpoint for the momentum he’s built up over the previous two seasons and that he hopes to carry through the 2015 Tour season that kicks off in early March at Lake Toho.

He’s had other instances where a good finish leads to another which leads to another.

“What made me a believer in momentum was back in 2011, I’d had some good finishes in BFLs, but I couldn’t get over the edge and win one,” he said. “Then I won one in March, another in May and another one in June. When you’re fishing good, you know it. It changes how things happen and everything falls into place a lot easier.”

No Let Up

Neal followed up his rookie season with a 20th-place finish in points in 2013 and a 7th-place showing a year ago. Continuing that upward trend is what he’s focused on this year, but he knows it’ll be a challenge.

“It’s going to be hard, but very important,” he said. “Anytime you get into the top 15 in points, you feel like you’ve done something. Coming in seventh last year, I want to set my goal to move up every year. I know it won’t be easy.”

He said even with the departure of several top performers from the FLW Tour – Brett Hite, Brent Ehrler and Jason Christie finished ahead of Neal in points in 2014, but will fish only the Elite Series this year – it’s silly to think he’s a shoe-in for another top-10 points finish.

“I’m not going to say the competition is dropping off because there are a bunch of new guys coming in that could take their place,” Neal said. “You still have guys like Andy Morgan and Cody Meyer and other people out there so it won’t be any easier or harder. I’d say it’ll be just about the same.”

Mind On Winning

While some may pigeon hole him as a Tennessee River ledge ace, Neal feels like he’s building his skillset to suit a variety of fisheries. He showed that by earning a check in every Tour event a year ago.

“I feel like I’m more well-rounded than I was to begin with,” he said. “I watched a Kevin VanDam video that came out a month ago or so and in it he talked about if you don’t feel like you’re going to win, why even go. That really struck me and hit home and made sense. You have to feel like you’re going to win or there’s no sense in going at all.

“I go out in every tournament, whether it’s May on the Tennessee River or February in Florida, you have to feel like you have shot to win going into it.”

Neal is a lifelong resident of Dayton, Tenn., and was raised in a fishing family. Growing up, he’d fish with his dad or uncle and when he was 13 he started fishing in team tournaments on Lake Chickamauga. He was raised a competitor and nothing would bring him more joy than to claim his first win as a professional angler on his home waters when the FLW Tour visits Chickamauga in mid June.

He took 3rd there in 2013 when the umbrella rig was the dominant technique. That won’t be in play this year as it’s been banned from competition.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “I would like nothing more than for my first win to be around the hometown crowd. At same time, I don’t’ have the odds and end places I had the last time (2013). Some got found last time and some will be found this time. I’d like to be home to do more homework in May, but time wise I won’t be able to find new stuff.

“I do feel like my chances here are better than anywhere else. It’ll be a summer time ledge deal. That’s where I want to be.”