With a minute to spare before lines out, Michael “Ike” Iaconelli landed an 18.5-inch bass to secure the win on August 7th in the Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX at Upper Chesapeake Bay. Iaconelli’s five biggest bass measured 88.25 inches, edging second-place Sterling Leach by just 1.75 inches.
It’s been a good summer for the popular New Jersey pro and 20-time Classic qualifier. His Kayak Series win comes on the heels of a fourth-place finish at the Basspro.com Bassmaster Northern Open at Oneida Lake, which lifted Iaconelli to second in the Northern Division points race.
“I’m proud of this one. I’ve been trying for three years to win a professional kayak event and I finally won one,” Iaconelli said in a write-up at Bassmaster online, adding “It feels really, really good. It is a big moment for me. Kayak fishing has been great for me personally and a lot of the companies I work with are supporting me fishing on the kayak side as well.”
At the ICAST tackle show in July, Hobie also released an Iaconelli branded kayak designed specifically around how Ike likes to fish. “I’ve only fished out of it about six times,” Ike told Bassmaster after the win on the Upper Chesapeake, adding “What a great way to break in a new kayak.”
To see what else is new from Hobie and other manufacturers at ICAST 2021 go to www.thefisherman.com/category/product-reviews/tackle-gear-reviews.
