THE
LAST CAST
By Ken Duke hold on tight to your dreams
Q uestion : What do you do when your real-life accomplishments exceed your childhood dreams ?
Answer : No one knows . It never happens because we all have big dreams – huge dreams – and it would be almost impossible to outdo them . Whether you fantasize about winning Angler of the Year or hitting a walk-off home run in Game 7 of the World Series , our appetite for that kind of glory and accomplishment knows no bounds .
So , when Michael Neal won the 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Angler of the Year title and later raised the champion ’ s trophy at Lake St . Clair in an MLF Bass Pro Tour event , one man ’ s childhood dreams were coming true , but they ’ re the tip of the fantasy iceberg . In fact , you could say that Neal had already done those things , many , many times … in his head .
To have them come true in real life , with family , friends and fans watching , makes the dream more special , makes it something he can share , changes his hopes and dreams for the future , and makes him a kid again .
Though he ’ s “ just ” 30 years old , Michael Neal was a very accomplished professional angler , even before winning these titles . For five consecutive seasons he finished in the top 20 of the Pro Circuit AOY standings . He finished fifth in his first Forrest Wood Cup ( 2013 ) and second in 2016 . He ’ s always been a threat , but until this year he didn ’ t have the hardware to show it .
“ I ’ ve been consistent , but I ’ ve never been able to win anything ,” Neal said shortly after winning AOY on the Pro Circuit . “ Maybe winning Angler of the Year will free me up a little bit and let me fish a little more loose and not like I ’ ve got a chip on my shoulder . Hopefully , I can win an event or two . That would be the next box to check off .”
Neal couldn ’ t have known he would do exactly that – win his very next tournament , check that box , and set the stage for even more accolades – but he obviously had some newfound confidence . When asked if he would approach tournaments differently after winning AOY , he had a thoughtful answer . “ No , I ’ m trying not to have a very different approach going into practice , but I might do something different on the final day . I usually like to play it safer and not take gambles and risks instead of swinging for the fences . But to win , I ’ m going to have to start doing some of that more often .”
He didn ’ t need any last-minute heroics at St . Clair , but he was ready to gamble if necessary , and his new attitude paid off . The childhood dream of hoisting a champion ’ s trophy was finally realized . Now there are more dreams
88 to realize and a bright future ahead for the budding star . With his recent success , Neal joins the ranks of other greats who have made some of their dreams come true . No one ’ s won more tournament accolades than Kevin VanDam . Like Michael Neal , he dreamed of sports greatness , but imagined it would come on the baseball diamond before he ever thought it could happen through fishing . Early success fed KVD ’ s confidence , and he ’ s always maintained that if you believe in yourself , you can accomplish anything .
“ Honestly , I ’ m surprised it ’ s taken Michael so long to win ,” VanDam says . “ He ’ s extremely versatile , and no one on tour is surprised by his success . It ’ s great to see such a good guy do well .”
Edwin Evers won the inaugural REDCREST championship and knows a thing or two about making dreams come true .
“ It can take a while for that kind of success to sink in ,” Evers says . “ For me , I needed to sleep on it . When I woke up and realized it actually happened , that ’ s when it hit me in almost equal parts of joy and relief .”
To get meaningful advice on how to handle dreams coming true , you almost have to go to someone who ’ s been there , like Evers .
“ Sometimes everything just falls into place ,” Evers says . “ Other times , you feel you ’ re making all the right moves without having the same success . It ’ s frustrating , and the joy can be short-lived . I hope Michael can enjoy and embrace it , but you can ’ t allow yourself to be content with it .”
We can also hope that Michael Neal will tap into his inner child now and then . After all , the boy is never very far from the man he grows into , and dreams do come true .
MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2021
ILLUSTRATION BY JOE MAHLER