A return to the mountaintop
Renewed conviction and relentless positivity helped RON NELSON join an elite list of multi-time AOY winners
By Mitchell Forde
on Nelson could taste it .
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Nelson had taken the water on the third and final day of the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals event at Lake Eufaula in Oklahoma with a 4-pound lead over his nearest pursuer , and in the first five hours or so of competition , he ’ d boated another solid limit . The only thing standing between him and his first national win , he believed , was one or two more big bites .
Then he got the news that completely shattered his outlook . Tournament officials informed Nelson that he ’ d caught four of his five keepers in an area marked off limits to competitors . He ’ d have to throw those fish back .
The perpetually positive Nelson made it clear that he ’ s long since moved past the frustration he felt in that moment . But he did pinpoint the instance as the most daunting adversity he ’ s faced on the water .
“ I would say that was probably the toughest , mentally , point of my career ,” Nelson said . “ As far as like , hey , you ’ ve got a 4-pound lead , you ’ ve worked hard for this , you ’ ve got a real shot to take home a title , and then it doesn ’ t happen .”
That was also the day that , more than any other , the Michigan pro believes won him the inaugural Invitationals Angler of the Year title . Forced to scramble with less than half the fishing day remaining – on a lake he ’ d never competed on before and where his mobility was limited by 4-to-5-foot waves , no less – Nelson thought for the briefest of moments about heading back to the ramp , calling it a day . Instead , he found the closest bank that looked good to him and “ just went fishing .” He scratched out a five-fish limit that weighed 11 pounds , 14 ounces .
While that wasn ’ t enough to maintain his lead , it salvaged a thirdplace finish . Had he quit or let the mishap derail him and failed to catch another keeper , he would have fallen to 22nd in the event and finished second to Michael Neal in the season-long points standings .
“ The easy way out would have been to have just a big fit , have a meltdown , put the boat on the trailer and go home ,” Nelson said . “ And my mindset was , no , I ’ ll deal with adversity , and I ’ ll figure a way out to go forward and give it my best .”
Nelson points to that mindset , one of relentless positivity and conviction , as the primary reason he was able to author another dominant season . He logged top-25 finishes in five of six Invitationals events , placing among the top five three times . His Angler of the Year victory marked his second on a national tour , as he also won the 2020 title on the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit . That puts his name alongside an elite list of pros who have won AOY multiple times on the tour , which has evolved from the FLW Tour to the Pro Circuit to the Invitationals through the years : David Dudley , Andy Morgan , Bryan Thrift , Clark Wendlandt , Jay Yelas , Neal and now Nelson .
PHOTO BY HUNTER RUD
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