PATTERN INSIDE THE PATTERN: Going deep the ticket for Neal at St. Lawrence 

Mercury pro Michael Neal put together the third-period surge he needed to close out the Championship Round of Minn Kota Stage Seven Presented by Humminbird on the St. Lawrence River that demonstrated why he’s now a two-time winner on the Bass Pro Tour and a perennial Top 10 threat in Fishing Clash Angler of the Year.

Using a little prior knowledge of the river and adding some information he discovered during practice, Neal went all-in on fishing his strengths to take home his second BPT win. Practice didn’t make perfect, but it certainly allowed Neal to solidify his decision on how to approach the St. Lawrence River’s tremendous smallmouth population.     

“I was really torn going into practice on where to go,” Neal said. “I’ve fished here before, but I’ve spent my time on the Clayton end of the river. I wasn’t sure how fast you could catch a lot of bass. There are a lot of small areas there, but up in the river by Waddington, there are bigger controlled drifts that I thought may possibly allow me to catch bass quickly.”

As practice progressed, Neal knew he needed to stick with what he does best and fish his style if he wanted to have success at the season finale.

“After the first day of practice, I felt I could have a really good event fishing what I knew,” he said. “I decided to fish the Clayton end of it. Shallow fishing here is not my game, and if you’re not playing your strength, you’re not winning.”

Neal focused on depths over 30 feet, and mostly fished in the 40- to 60-foot range. He did try some shallower water early in the event, but eliminated that and stuck to his guns the rest of the time.

Though Neal’s prowess as a deep-water angler is well known, he delved deeper than usual at the St. Lawrence, thanks in part to a revelation during practice.

“I was fishing deeper here than I ever did before,” he said. “I really only fished down to about 40 feet previously. This time I fished as deep as 65 feet.

“The current during one day of practice was flowing harder than usual, so I started my drift further out to cover the depths I was fishing. Well, as soon as I dropped my lure for the drift, a 3-pounder hit and 10 more came up. The lightbulb went off. There are bass in water over 60 feet here, and they’re likely getting very little pressure.”

Neal opted to start each day of the event in different locations in his area to minimize exposure of the deep-water bass to fishing pressure.

“I started in totally different areas for the first three days,” Neal said. “I changed my daily trail color on the screen so I wouldn’t repeat it.”

During the final day, Neal was in a ferocious battle with John Hunter. Heading into the final period, Neal was sitting in second place and he knew some adjustments needed to be made.

“I knew I was down – but not out – in the last period,” he said. “The wind was difficult, so I had to find the right drift. I decided to put on a larger weight and let out more line for each drift so I could get the bait to the bass. That made a huge difference and helped me catch the fish I needed.”

In addition to his extra-deep fish (and adjusting his setup on the fly), Neal felt his rod and line combos were essential for his success on the St. Lawrence.

“A very important part of my win was my line and my fishing rods,” he said. “Line made a big difference; 7-pound Sunline Shooter line for my leader. A lot of guys go heavier not to get broken off in rocks, but I never did with the lighter line. I’m so familiar with my rod and line setup with how much pressure to apply to get the bass in the boat and to the scale quickly.”

In addition to the 7-pound-test line, Neal’s rods were both 7-foot, 6-inch Denali Kovert spinning rods – but one had a unique twist.

“I caught most of my fish on a drop-shot using the spinning rod,” Neal said. “I used the same rod for my baitcasting setup using a football head jig. I had a local rod builder by my house change out the spinning handle for baitcasting and a couple of the guides. Knowing how that rod feels made a big difference.”

That difference being a massive win to punctuate another great season for Neal.

“It was a great way to close the season,” he said. “The St. Lawrence is a special fishery to me.”