“The only way to get good at something is to catch fish doing it.”
Arguably, nothing in professional fishing is more exciting than watching Mike Iaconelli step up onto the weigh-in station carrying the trophy bass that could win it all. For the past three decades, Mike Iaconelli has lived many of our dreams of dominating the professional bass fishing world. Whether catching a small dink or a giant 10-pound trophy, Ike always has ecstatic energy and a true passion for the sport, leading him to become one of the most recognizable faces in fishing and he even took the time out of his busy schedule to speak with me for this article.
Raised in Runnemede, New Jersey proudly claims him as one of its own. Even after winning Regional Tournaments, National Championships, and even the Bassmaster Classic, when asked which win was most memorable, he stated that nothing was comparable to a win near home.
“It would actually be my win on the Delaware River in 2014,” reminisced Iaconelli, while adding “That was the place where I learned how to fish. My grandfather and my uncle took me there fishing when I was a kid. That win brought my fishing career full circle.”
Like The Rest Of Us
Before becoming widely recognized in professional fishing, Iaconelli’S passion grew from his roots. Like many who are born and raised near water, he was introduced to fishing through family members. His father and uncle played major roles in teaching him how to fish, from the basics like tying knots to learning how to cast.
When interviewing Mike Iaconelli, he called himself a “total fishhead,” telling me “I’ve always been a total fishhead, legitimately since before I could even remember. Ever since I was a very young kid. The feeling of having something pulling back, and that feeling that you get when you solve the puzzle of how to catch the fish, right.”
For Iaconelli, catching a fish was not a hobby, it was a desire and a passion. What he loves is the challenge behind catching each and every fish. Ike believes that whenever you go out, you are starting a puzzle and it only becomes solved when you catch a fish. He went to say that no matter where you fish, when nothing is biting, you have to find what you are doing wrong and fix it which is exactly like solving a puzzle.
Treating fishing as if it was a puzzle turned out to be an important strength for Iaconelli. As a young angler, he would notice one recurring thing when he went fishing. While many anglers were unsuccessful, Iaconelli was always able to find a way to catch fish and have a great day on the water. Knowing he could catch fish even while others were unsuccessful, sparked an idea within his mind – what if he could make fishing a career rather than just a hobby?
As a sophomore and junior while attending Rowan University, Iaconelli began fishing in amateur events. Even though he did not have a boat or expensive gear, he was able to test his skills against other top amateur anglers from across the country. He also entered smaller fishing tournaments with great success. He won in 1994, proving that he belonged in the fishing world and it helped him to gain enough confidence to take the next step.
“Hey, you’re competing well and winning against some of the best anglers, the best amateur anglers in the country, and it gave me the confidence to keep going and continue to pursue my career,” Iaconelli said.
Secrets To Winning
Most people only get to see the fishing and the weigh-ins on television but that is only part of what goes into competing and winning tournaments. Behind closed doors before every single tournament, there is an incredible amount of preparation needed before fishing can ever begin. When I asked Mike how he handles competition he made it clear that there is a constant strategy behind everything he does, and each movement has a cause. For up to a year before an upcoming event, he studies and learns everything about that lake and the fish that live within it to maximize his catching capabilities, saying “You’ve got to be really focused and prepared.”
Iaconelli explained, “Before every event, months, weeks, and sometimes a year even before the event, I’m thinking about the event. I’m preparing for the event, so that’s physically and mentally, right? Mentally, I’m saying, all right, where is this event going to be? What time of the year? What are the fish gonna be doing? I start to study. I start to plug in seasonal patterns. I look at historical results of the fishery. I try to get as prepared for that event as I can, and sometimes that involves, um, even going to practice.”
Even more than just being prepared and knowing everything he could possibly understand about the body of water to be fished, Iaconelli strives to get his tackle organized, rods organized, and reels respooled if needed. He also takes into account if there are any specific baits that are needed as well as colors and sizes. What Ike finds most important to himself is having everything organized in a way that are easily accessible to him on his boat just in case he needs to switch out his gear.
In many events, there is usually a one to three-day training period which he uses to test different baits, move around the lake, find the pockets of fish, and most importantly, finalize a game plan on how he wants to fish during the tournament. But even with all this preparation, conditions can change rather quickly. “You want to be prepared,” Iaconelli explained of having multiple game plans. “You want to have an A, B, and C plan. But you also have to have the ability to say, ‘Alright, what’s changed?’”
He calls this approach “fishing the moment.” Even after winning multiple events, Iaconelli still approaches each tournament as a challenge that needs to be tackled. “As long as you compete, you want to win,” he noted.
Behind The Curtain
The biggest misconception about being a professional fishermen is that they fish all day. Iaconelli initially believed that as well, but he soon realized that being a professional angler is much more complicated. “The reality is about 50% of what I do is fishing,” he said, explaining how the other 50% requires a ton of things that fans overlook and don’t see. Ike has to attend sponsorship meetings, maintain business partnerships, promote products, speak with fans through interviews, seminars, podcasts, social media, and digital content, and travel for countless hours. It’s all part of the business of professional fishing.
Early on, Iaconelli noticed that in order to have a long-lasting and impactful career, he would have to focus not only on becoming a great fisherman but also building a large presence. This presence was accomplished through conducting public interviews, forming his own podcast known as “Ike Live,” as well as creating an outreach program known as the Ike Foundation. “The more you establish yourself in that other 50% the more longevity and success you’ll have long term,” he added.
For Iaconelli, the most difficult part of being a professional angler has always been the time spent away from family. “The biggest challenge for me over the years has been learning to navigate being away from home,” he said, adding “At the end of the day, I’m doing something that I really love, I’m doing something that I dreamed about doing since I was a kid.”
With Iaconelli’s career growing, so did his desire to help support the younger generations and grow fishing. Following his win of the Bassmaster Classic, he and his wife Becky began brainstorming ways where they could make a lasting impact and that was the Ike Foundation.
He stated, “2004, 2005 in that era, where it started, my career started getting big enough where I had an opportunity to do this. Early in your career, you’re helping out with other existing charities, other existing causes. In the beginning, you sort of don’t have the platform to do your own thing. So, after I won the classic, it sort of, started to become a reality that, man, you know, look, that, it’s getting big enough now where I want do something good. I want to create something that’s bigger than sponsorships or fishing tournaments. It’s bigger than even me, you know it’s bigger than our brand.”
As Ike explained, “I want do something for the good, I want do something that is for a good cause.” The idea was a relatively simple one, to introduce and get more kids into fishing. Iaconelli wants everyone to have the ability to enjoy the sport.
Without the support of his family, Iaconelli believes he might have had a very different career. “If I didn’t have my family, my uncle and my grandfather specifically there to sort of teach me and guide me, I would’ve never got involved in fishing. So, thinking about that. It was really like a no-brainer to say hey, there are kids all over the country. A lot of kids in cities, a lot of kids in non-traditional places that grow up and never experience the sport that I love, you know, never experience this sport” he said.
The Ike Foundation (theikefoundation.org) works to provide access and opportunities for every young person to discover fishing. Over time, after countless years and events, Iaconelli has finally been able to see the impact of his Foundation. He and his wife hear stories and see emails of alumni mentioning how they were one of the children that attended their events and now that they are growing families of their own, they love fishing and are passing their joy onto their kids.
| PRO TIPS |
| After decades in professional fishing, Mike Iaconelli has a few tips for any anglers looking to follow in his footsteps and make it big. First, is becoming uncomfortable. “Learn as many different ways to catch fish as you can,” he said, adding “The only way to get good at something is to catch fish doing it.” Second, Ike says to keep on practicing. “The more you do it, the better you get at it,” he said. Lastly, he mentions developing skills in communication, marketing, and business. “You have to be able to speak to people,” he said. “You have to be good at social media. You have to understand the business side.” |
“Those stories are very impactful,” he said. “Tournament fishing will come and go…TV shows will come and go. But this is one of those things that I think is going to last for a really long time.”
Iaconelli has very few wishes except for his legacy. But rather than being remembered for his wins or championships he hopes people recognize him for what he has done. “I hope I helped grow the sport,” he said. Through his wins in tournaments such as the Bassmaster Classic, his media presence, and his outreach through the Ike Foundation, Mike Iaconelli has established himself as a major fishing icon, influencing generations of anglers.
