REDCREST 2019: Neal Rode Tennessee Momentum to REDCREST Bid
LA CROSSE, Wi. – There are plenty of MLF anglers who have been known to get a tad excited during a competition. Whether it be the highs of catching a big fish or the lows of losing one, plenty of pros wear their emotions on their sleeve. Michael Neal is not one of those anglers.
Michael’s Momentum
The ever-stoic Tennessee pro finished fifth in the Race for the Points Championship and amassed three Top-10 finishes and three Top-40s. You won’t see Neal doing a lot of talking when he is out on the water, whether his day is going well or terrible. That’s because the Mercury pro knows the peaks and valleys of professional bass fishing.
“I believe in momentum,” Neal said. “I believe momentum can even be from one day to the next, not just from event to event. I just feel like you have to keep your mind in a positive state and not let mishaps or lost fish keep you down very long. In MLF, one fish can turn your day, event or whole season around, so I always try to stay focused on that.”
Tennessee Top 10
Momentum was never more present than one afternoon in Dayton, Tennessee. After a Top-10 finish in Stage One of the Bass Pro Tour, Neal missed the Knockout Round in Stages Two and Three. Stage Four saw Neal return to his home lake of Lake Chickamauga, setting the stage for one of Neal’s favorite moments from his season.
“I will never forget that Knockout Round,” Neal reminisced. “I was in the Top 10 during the Knockout Round for a long time, but towards the end of the day I fell out and was below the Elimination Line.”
With only 30 minutes remaining in the third period and Neal on the outside of the Top 10 looking in, Neal used his hard-earned local knowledge to try and make the Championship Round.
“I decided I had to move to a new place, which I didn’t really feel comfortable with even though Lake Chickamauga is my home lake,” Neal revealed. “I caught enough fish to get 10th place, but I told my official I still didn’t think I made it and I was sure someone was going to knock me out. Luckily, I made it in and got a Top-10 finish out of it. It was a great feeling.”
Wanting a Win in Wisconsin
Neal heads into REDCREST Presented by Venmo on August 21 as one of the hottest anglers on the Bass Pro Tour, thanks to the momentum that helped carry him to five straight Knockout Round appearances to end the season. But next week in La Crosse, it’s not about making a cut or a Top-10 finish for Neal, he has one thing and one thing only on his mind.
“I will not be satisfied with anything other than a win during REDCREST,” Neal said simply. “This is the event where you don’t hold anything back, you don’t try to fish for points, and you’re not trying to fish to make the cut. It’s all or nothing at this point, nothing else even comes close to comparing.”
Neal and the other 29 anglers competing in REDCREST get the event started on August 21 on the Upper Mississippi River.