PHOTO BY PHOENIX MOORE
period , Neal is always searching for water to match these techniques , regardless of the fishery . At times , that requires putting on the blinders .
“ In Florida , there may be a bunch of mats in certain places , but I ’ m going to troll right by them ,” he explains .
That type of fishing environment doesn ’ t suit Neal , so he spends no time there . None . Admittedly , that leaves the window open to other competitors , but Neal makes up for it by endlessly seeking out a comfortable fishing spot that ’ s suitable to his confidence techniques .
That starts by settling in right from the get-go . Neal avoids running all over the lake . Often , he spends an entire tournament – practice and competition – in one major creek arm . Idling is just part of the job .
“ I put 300 hours a year on my Mercury ,” Neal says . “ I want to learn everything about my area before competition begins .”
From there , he ’ s able to keep his line wet in high-potential spots – a line that holds a lure he has supreme confidence in . alton jones jr . keeps an eye on the field
“ I practice every day – including the tournament days ,” Jones says of his typical strategy . “ I ’ ll have a starting spot , maybe one or two ideas after that , but then I go with the flow .”
For a young angler , Jones ’ approach is surprisingly mature .
“ Is there a secret recipe to the methods employed by the sport ’ s best ?”
“ You ’ re never going to find the winning fish for six days of competition in two days of practice ,” he continues . “ The fish are going to move . And there ’ s never stable weather for a period that long , so I ’ m not going to be too attached to any one idea .”
Jones stresses the importance of expanding his fishing approach each day of a tournament . He finds it vital to never hit the panic button , while also using SCORETRACKER ® to his advantage .
“ That helps determine if what I ’ m doing is working ,” he says . “ If not , I scrap that idea .”
And he scraps it quickly , without remorse . Jones is constantly rethinking his gameplan , largely due to the catch rate being posted in this new-age tournament format .
APRIL-MAY 2023 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 45