Bassmaster Elite Series star.
Ike, who turns 43 this month, is well settled
into a second marriage and family life today
with wife Becky, and those Bad Boy days
seem far behind him. Yet that high octane
Ike motor continues to rev up not just on
Bassmaster Elite Series game days but with
increasing frequency to lure and tackle
development, his “Basshole” clothing line, the
“Ike Live” internet show, TV appearances and
his off-season “professorship” on the Bass
University winter seminar circuit, which he
co-owns and operates with FLW pro Pete
Gluszek.
His seminars delight and educate. He tracks
new tackle, technologies and techniques like
a hungry research hound, and he spends more
time in his home “lab” than your average high
school biology/science teacher.
If that sounds like a long list of distractions for
a professional angler, well, Iaconelli feels they
are all just seams in the same current, parts of
a plan designed to keep him at least one step
ahead of the fish...and a field of increasingly
talented fishermen.
Evolution of a Pro
Don’t be fooled by Iaconelli’s manic energy.
His approach to fishing and his fishing career
is deliberate, even cerebral.
“The mental side of this sport is the least
examined aspect of pro fishing,” said Iaconelli.
“We tend to talk in terms of baits and equipment
and colors, and we lose sight of what really gets
you to the next level. It’s hard to make that next
jump based on just physicality and equipment
alone. But you can on the mental side.”
Ike sees a different character on the water
today than the guy who broke rods and
windshields when the fishing gods frowned
upon him. He has learned to couple his
excellent lifelong pre-tournament planning
practices with a “fish the moment” philosophy
that puts a higher priority on on-the-water
awareness and quick decision-making.
“That’s where my fishing has really improved
– and, at times, excelled – in recent years,” he
observed. “I still study maps, weather, aerial
photos, seasonal patterns and more, but I’ve
learned to use my pre-tournament strategy
as a template only, a rough outline. If you take
your history on a lake or your study as 100%
fact, you’ve taken a wrong turn. You have to
fish what’s in front of you and let the fish tell
you what to do. That’s the ultimate form of pure
fishing – fishing the moment!”
The “mental” side of the sport has an equally
important dimension in career building.
On one level, professional bass fishing is no
different than other professional sports, Ike
notes. Figure out what works for you, and then
build success upon the success you have had
in the past. But contrast the “pay-in/payout”
structure of tournament bass fishing with that
of pro golf, and the importance of sponsorship
and personal branding to today’s pro angler
become strikingly clear. While elite figures in
every major sport often derive businesses and
revenue streams from their sports careers,
bass fishing makes sponsorship and ancillary
income a virtual necessity.
Ike’s three point plan
Years ago, Iaconelli laid out a plan that would
prepare him not only for each season’s events
but for a long career in an ever-changing sport
and ever-growing body of angling information.
Step #1
Event Preparation combined with “fishthe-moment” decision making.
As soon
as Bassmast