Nelson shows off one of the 85 keeper bass he caught en route to winning the 2023 Invitationals
Angler of the Year crown .
PHOTO BY ROB MATSUURA PHOTO BY JODY WHITE
Nelson prided himself on his ability to overcome adversity this season .
“ I think you have to have that mindset , that determination already established before you start the season ,” Nelson said . “ Like , you can ’ t get mentally bogged down , you can ’ t mentally give up , or lay up for that matter . You have to have that mental desire or that predetermined idea , like , I ’ m gonna fight , I ’ m gonna fight , I ’ m gonna fight , and I ’ m gonna somehow catch the right fish .”
The bad break on Lake Eufaula was far from the only adversity Nelson faced across his 17 days on the water in 2023 . The event prior , at Clarks Hill , he told Lowitzki during practice that he ’ d found the fish to win . But when he arrived at the spot on the first morning of competition , he found a local boat sitting on it , its anglers tossing the bass they caught into a cooler . The boat stayed there all day . The spot didn ’ t replenish until two days later , when Nelson sacked up 22-13 to vault from 23rd place to fourth .
Nelson pulled off a similar Day 3 rally at the Potomac River . After narrowly making the cut , he put together his best bag of the tournament , moving from 45th to 25th . Those two final-day surges would loom large , as Nelson edged Neal by 13 points in the final standings . Nelson , of course , chalks them up to his attitude .
“ You ’ ve got to be mentally all in and have a certain tenacity to you , or a certain not-give-up type of mentality ,” Nelson said . “ Because all it takes is one cast to take you from 10th place to 30th place .”
a dramatic finish … that nelson never saw
The one Championship Day Nelson had to watch from shore came at the final event of the season , on the Mississippi River . Nelson ’ s 65thplace finish left him frustrated . Had he landed every fish he hooked , he thinks he would have not only slammed the door on the AOY race but had a legitimate chance to win the event .
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2023 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 47