Michael Iaconelli, also known as Mike and by his nickname "Ike", (born June 17, 1972 in Runnemede, New Jersey) is a professional bass fisherman, television personality, and podcast show host from

Pittsgrove Township, New Jersey Pittsgrove Township is a township in Salem County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 9,393, reflecting an increase of 500 (+5.6%) from the 8,893 counted in the 2000 Census, whic ...

. Iaconelli competes on

Major League Fishing Major League Fishing (MLF) is a professional bass fishing league and television show that airs on Outdoor Channel, World Fishing Network, and Discovery Channel. The league was established in partnership between the Professional Bass Tour Anglers' ...

. As of February 11, 2019, Mike's career tournament winnings with B.A.S.S. were $2,500,205, which includes 7 wins. Iaconelli's major accomplishments include the longest active streak of

Bassmaster Classic The Bassmaster Classic (known as the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic for sponsorship) is a tournament in the sport of professional bass fishing. It was first held in 1971 on Lake Mead, Nevada. Originally it was a fall event, (1971-1983 ...

qualifications with 17 consecutive appearances, the 2017 Major League Fishing Summit Cup Champion, 2003 Bassmaster Classic champion, as well as the 2006

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

Tundra Angler of the Year. Iaconelli is the only angler to have won the Bassmaster Classic, Bassmaster Angler of the Year and B.A.S.S. Nation Championship.

Early life and education

Iaconelli was born in

South Philadelphia South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south and the Schuylkill River to the west.Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. He grew up living with his mother, his uncle and his grandparents. At a young age, Iaconelli was introduced to fishing on summer trips to the

Pocono Mountains The Pocono Mountains, commonly referred to as the Poconos , are a geographical, geological, and cultural region in Northeastern Pennsylvania. They overlook the Delaware River and Delaware Water Gap to the east, Lake Wallenpaupack to the north, W ...

. On these trips, he was first introduced to other types of fishing besides bass fishing. His first experiences were with

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salmoni ...

and various

panfish The word panfish, also spelled pan-fish or pan fish, is an American English term describing any edible freshwater fish that usually do not outgrow the size of an average frying pan. It is also commonly used by recreational anglers to refer to any ...

species. His first

largemouth bass The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, but ...

catch came at age twelve during his family's annual summer trek to the Pocono Mountains. Iaconelli used a 9S Floating Rapala lure to catch the bass. According to Iaconelli, this moment sparked his interest in bass fishing. His love for bass fishing continued on into high school.

Career

Early career

After high school, Iaconelli founded the bass fishing club, "Top Rod Bassmasters". Top Rod Bassmasters became Iaconelli's first venture into competitive bass fishing. The club had inter-club tournaments among its members. In 1992, after three years of fishing in Top Rod Bassmasters, Iaconelli made the transition to the pro-am circuit. His first tournament on this circuit was the North Carolina Top 100. This event was held on

Lake Norman Lake Norman is the largest man-made body of fresh water in North Carolina. It was created between 1959 and 1964 as part of the construction of the Cowans Ford Dam by Duke Energy. Geography Lake Norman is fed by the Catawba River, and drains i ...

Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Mecklenburg County is a county located in the southwestern region of the state of North Carolina, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,115,482, making it the second-most populous county in North Carolina (after Wak ...

. In this tournament, Iaconelli drew widely known fisherman, Tommy Biffle. In the following days of the North Carolina Top 100, he would also draw well-known fishermen David Fritts and Gary Klein. In 1994, Iaconelli once again fished the North Carolina Top 100 on Lake Norman. At this tournament, he won his first bass boat. The boat he won was a new Ranger 374. After Iaconelli won a Ranger 374, he began to tackle the Red Man and

Bass Anglers Sportsman Society The Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.) is a fishing membership organization with more than a half a million members. It is geared toward bass fishermen, mainly in the United States but with members located worldwide. The society publishes ...

(B.A.S.S.) Federation trails. In 1997, Iaconelli fished a B.A.S.S. Invitational Tournament on Buggs Island, also known as

Kerr Lake Kerr Lake /kɑr/ (officially John H. Kerr Reservoir, also known as Bugg's Island Lake) is a reservoir along the border of the U.S. states of North Carolina and Virginia. It is impounded by the John H. Kerr Dam, constructed between 1947 and 1952 ...

. The first day, he was paired with the four-time Bassmaster Classic champion,

Kevin VanDam Kevin VanDam (born October 14, 1967), often called simply "KVD," is a professional bass fisherman from Otsego, Michigan. He is the all-time money winner in professional bass fishing, having earned $7,089,388 through August 2022 according to Major ...

. One of Iaconelli's earliest tournament victories came on New Jersey's

Lake Hopatcong Lake Hopatcong is the largest freshwater body in New Jersey, United States, about in area. Located from the Delaware River and from Manhattan, New York City, the lake forms part of the border between Sussex and Morris counties in the state's ...

. In this Federation tournament, he broke the lake and one-day Federation record of just over 18 pounds. His official weight for that tournament was 19.58 lbs. In 1999, Iaconelli qualified for the Bassmaster Federation Nationals on the Red River. He would go on to win the event as he qualified for the 1999 Bassmaster Classic berth after the victory. The 1999 Bassmaster Classic was held on the Louisiana Delta in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. At the 1999 Bassmaster Classic, Classic rookie Iaconelli caught a three-day total of 39 lbs and 12 oz. That total netted him a sixth-place finish. The great finish at the Bassmaster Classic culminated in

Dick's Sporting Goods Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. (stylized as "DICK'S Sporting Goods") is an American sporting goods retail company, based in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. The company was established by Richard "Dick" Stack in 1948, and has approximately 854 stores an ...

and Daiwa becoming major sponsors for Iaconelli. In September of the same year, Iaconelli collected his first victory in the professional ranks by winning the Bassmaster Vermont Top 150 on

Lake Champlain , native_name_lang = , image = Champlainmap.svg , caption = Lake Champlain-River Richelieu watershed , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = New York/Vermont in the United States; and Quebec in Canada , coords = , type = , ...

. Michael Iaconelli bagged over 61 lbs of bass and a $100,000 check. In 2000, Iaconelli made the leap to the professional ranks. He began fishing the B.A.S.S Tour. Again, Iaconelli qualified for the Bassmaster Classic. The 2000 Bassmaster Classic was held on

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. He was able to net a top finish with a three-day weight total of 20 lbs 1 oz. In 2002, Iaconelli started the season with a victory on

Lake Seminole Lake Seminole is a reservoir located in the southwest corner of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia along its border with Florida, maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Chattahoochee River, Chattahoochee and Flint River (Georgia), Flint ri ...

. The victory on Lake Seminole was the first Tour level victory for Iaconelli. He qualified for the 2003 Bassmaster Classic after a ninth-place victory at the B.A.S.S. Invitational on Lake Ontario.

2003 to present

The months prior to the 2003 Bassmaster Classic on the Louisiana Delta saw Iaconelli file for divorce from his wife. This event led Iaconelli to seriously consider retiring from competitive bass fishing. During practice, Iaconelli traveled down to the

Venice, Louisiana Venice is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 162. It is south of New Orleans on the west bank of the Mississippi River at . It is t ...

pool where he found the backwater pond nicknamed "the Heart". This location was the area Iaconelli fished in during the 2003 Bassmaster Classic. On Day One of the Bassmaster Classic, Iaconelli caught over 15 lbs. This weight put Iaconelli in second-place after Day One just over a pound behind Day One leader Mark Menendez. On Day Two of the Bassmaster Classic, Iaconelli vaulted into first-place with a five bass limit weighing 11 lbs and 14 oz. On Day Three, Iaconelli weighed in 10 lbs 14 oz to win his first Bassmaster Classic. His three-day total was 37 lbs and 14 oz. Iaconelli's Bassmaster Classic winning fish was captured on camera. Iaconelli's winning catch has been replayed on

ESPN Classic ESPN Classic was an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns 20%). The channel was originally l ...

. That notable moment featured Iaconelli capturing the winning fish. After he landed the bass, Iaconelli exclaimed, "Never give up! Never give up, man!" Iaconelli was also awarded a $200,000 purse for his Bassmaster Classic victory. After winning the Bassmaster Classic, Iaconelli continued fishing professionally. He recorded a fourth-place finish on the Harris Chain of Lakes in

Leesburg, Florida Leesburg is a city in central Florida. The population was 20,117 at the 2010 census. As of 2019, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 23,671. Leesburg is in Lake County, between Lake Harris and Lake Griffin, at the head of the ...

in his first Bassmaster Tour event since his Bassmaster Classic victory on the Louisiana Delta. This top-five finish on the Harris Chain of Lakes was the first of three top-ten finishes for Iaconelli. At the third Bassmaster Tour event on

Lake Guntersville Guntersville Lake (generally referred to locally as Lake Guntersville) is in northern Alabama between Bridgeport and Guntersville. Location The lake stretches 75 miles (121 km) from Guntersville Dam to Nickajack Dam. It is Alabama's largest ...

, he recorded a fifth-place finish. His third top-ten finish of the 2004 season occurred at Smith Mountain Lake. At Smith Mountain Lake, Iaconelli recorded an eighth-place victory. Iaconelli qualified for the 2004 Bassmaster Classic on

Lake Wylie Lake Wylie is a reservoir or man-made lake in the U.S. states of South Carolina and North Carolina. The lake has a surface area of 13,400 acres (54.2 km2) (20.9 mi2) (5420 ha) and features of shoreline. History The man-made lake was first form ...

. However, Iaconelli was not able to repeat as Bassmaster Classic champion. He finished 19th with a three-day total weight of 20 lbs and 13 oz. In 2005, Iaconelli recorded five top-ten finishes on the Bassmaster and Elite 50 Tours. The 2005 Bassmaster Classic was held on the

Allegheny River The Allegheny River ( ) is a long headwater stream of the Ohio River in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York. The Allegheny River runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border northwesterly into ...

Monongahela River The Monongahela River ( , )—often referred to locally as the Mon ()—is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 river on the Allegheny Plateau in North Cen ...

and

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

. There, he recorded a fifth-place finish. He finished a pound and ten ounces behind the 2005 Bassmaster Classic champion, Kevin Vandam. Iaconelli started off the 2006 season with a career-low 51st-place finish at the Bassmaster Classic on

Lake Tohopekaliga Lake Tohopekaliga, Tohopeka (from tohopke meaning fence, fort); Tohopekaliga (from tohopke meaning fence, fort + likv meaning site), also referred to as Lake Toho, West Lake, or simply Toho, is the largest lake in Osceola County, Flori ...

. For the remainder of the 2006 season, he recorded top-twenty finishes in seven of the eight Elite Series events. One of his top-twenty finishes of the 2006 season included a victory at the Bassmaster Elite Series Southern Challenge on

. Iaconelli would go on to win the 2006 Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year award. Also in 2006, Iaconelli was named one of the 10 most hated athletes by '' GQ'' magazine. At the 2006 Bassmaster Classic, Iaconelli's boat had aerator issues in its livewells. The aerator issues resulted in his two fish dying. As a result, Iaconelli, out of frustration, broke the light pole on his bass boat. This resulted in his Day Two disqualification from the 2006 Bassmaster Classic. In 2007, Iaconelli was not able to repeat as the Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year. He only recorded one top-ten finish throughout the entire 2007 season. The 2008 season began with a tenth-place finish on

Lake Hartwell Lake Hartwell is a man-made reservoir bordering Georgia and South Carolina and encompassing parts of the Savannah, Tugaloo, and Seneca rivers. Lake Hartwell is one of the Southeastern United States' largest recreation lakes. The lake was created b ...

. Iaconelli did not record another top ten finish until the Bassmaster Elite Series Tennessee Triumph on

Old Hickory Lake Old Hickory Lake is a reservoir in north central Tennessee. It is formed by the Old Hickory Lock and Dam (), located on the Cumberland River at mile 216.2 in Sumner and Davidson counties, approximately upstream from Nashville. The city ...

. There he finished in ninth place. From there, he went on to finish fifth and third at the Bassmaster Elite Series Empire Chase and the Bassmaster Elite Series Empire Chase respectively.

Yamaha Motor Company is a Japanese multinational manufacturer of motorcycles, marine products such as boats and outboard motors, and other motorized products. The company was established in 1955 upon separation from Yamaha Corporation (however, Yamaha Corporation ...

, Berkley (fishing),

Abu Garcia ABU Garcia, originally AB Urfabriken (Swedish: "Watch Factory Ltd."), then ABU Svängsta, is a fishing reel and equipment manufacturing company founded in Svängsta, Sweden, and is now owned by Pure Fishing conglomerate of the United States. ...

, Bass Cat Boats,

Rapala Rapala ( ) is a manufacturer of fishing lures and other fishing related products. It was founded in Finland in 1936 by Lauri Rapala, who is credited for creating the world's first floating minnow lure carved from cork with a shoemaker's kni ...

, VMC, Tackle Warehouse, Renegade Eye Gear, Molix, Hobie Fishing, Flambeau Outdoors,

Lowrance Electronics Lowrance is a manufacturer of consumer sonar and GPS receivers, as well as digital mapping systems. Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with production facilities in Ensenada, Mexico, Lowrance employs approximately 1,000 people. The company is bes ...

, Power-Pole, Missile Jigs, RAM Mounts, and Reelsnot Iaconelli started the 2009 season by finishing second at the 2009 Bassmaster Classic on the Red River. He was the runner-up to

Skeet Reese Skeet Reese is a professional sport fisherman of the B.A.S.S. (Bass Anglers Sportsmans Society) and Major League Fishing. He was born in Walnut Creek, California on June 30, 1969. He has a wife, Kim, and a two daughters, Leamarie and Courtney. Re ...

by 11 ounces. Iaconelli would start the 2009 Elite Series season with top-ten finishes at

Lake Amistad Amistad Reservoir ( es, Presa Amistad) is a reservoir on the Rio Grande at its confluence with the Devils River northwest of Del Rio, Texas. The lake is bounded by Val Verde County on the United States side of the international border and by ...

and

Wheeler Lake Wheeler Lake is located in the northern part of the state of Alabama in the United States, between Rogersville and Huntsville. Created by Wheeler Dam along the Tennessee River, it stretches from Wheeler Dam to Guntersville Dam. It is Alabama's s ...

. In August 2009, Iaconelli again finished runner-up in a championship tournament. At the Forrest L. Wood (FLW) Cup, he finished second to Greg Hackney by 3 ounces. Iaconelli's 2010 season began at the Bassmaster Classic on

Lay Lake Lay Dam is a hydroelectric power dam on the Coosa River in Chilton County and Coosa County, near Clanton, Alabama.Tharpe, Bill"Lay Dam and Lake" encyclopediaofalabama.org, January 7, 2009, updated October 5, 2010. The concrete run-of-the-river ...

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

. He posted a sixth-place finish with 37 lbs and 6 oz. Iaconelli's other lone top ten finish of the season came on the

California Delta California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. At the 2011 Bassmaster Classic held on the Louisiana Delta, Iaconelli posted an eleventh-place finish. Following the Elite Series tournament on Lake Guntersville (Al.), Iaconelli had surgery at the Huntsville Orthopaedic Clinic to remove blood pooling in his right calf. Iaconelli finished 12th in the Guntersville event despite fishing the entire tournament with the injured leg. Iaconelli said he believes the injury occurred during the Sabine River tournament the previous week while he was changing a prop.12 Mike won the 2014 Bassmaster Elites at Delaware River, on his home water near Philadelphia. Iaconelli co-founded The Bass University with fellow professional bass angler Peter Gluszek in 2009. The Bass University is a bass fishing education organization specializing in bass fishing seminars, online training, and on-water education.

Iaconelli's Television Shows and Media

Going Ike

Originally created as a YouTube video series by Iaconelli in 2010, Going Ike became a television series in 2017 on the

Pursuit Channel Pursuit Channel is an American television network that airs programming geared to hunting, fishing, shooting and outdoor recreation. It is based in Glenwood, Alabama and was launched on April 23, 2008. Pursuit is currently available to over 45 m ...

. Going Ike reveals thrilling footage captured while filming at epic fishing destinations. Iaconelli puts a unique twist on the traditional fishing show by featuring new, game-changing fishing tactics, difficult challenges, and the stunning emotional moments of catching trophy fish
Watch Going Ike

IKE LIVE!

Iaconelli hosts 'IKE LIVE!', a fishing talk show that includes the top professional anglers in bass fishing, pro athletes & other fishing enthusiasts as special guests. On this show, Iaconelli simultaneously records his in-studio podcast & web series
Watch Ike Live

City Limits Fishing

City Limits Fishing follows Iaconelli to various big cities like

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

and

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

. The premise of the show is to catch a limit of fish, in a limited amount of time, within the city limits.

Television Appearances

truTV TruTV (stylized as truTV) is an American basic cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel primarily broadcasts comedy, docusoaps and reality shows. The channel was originally launched in 1991 as Court TV, a network that focu ...

Greatest Sports Ever, Season 1 Episode 3. Mike is featured for his celebrations after catching a fish.

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...

The Daily Show ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk and satirical news television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central with release shortly after on Paramount+. ''The Daily Show'' draws its comedy and satire form from ...

Ed Helms Edward Parker Helms (born January 24, 1974) is an American actor and comedian. From 2002 to 2006, he was a correspondent on Comedy Central's ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart''. He played paper salesman Andy Bernard in the NBC sitcom ''The Offic ...

takes a look at Mike Iaconelli, a renegade bad boy in the world of bass fishing
Watch The Daily Show with Jon Stewart's 'Fishing for Attention'
n

Career Tournament Stats and Additional Bio Information

- Bassmaster: http://www.bassmaster.com/anglers/michael-iaconelli -

: https://www.majorleaguefishing.com/angler-detail/mike-iaconelli/5388 - Fishing League Worldwide (FLW): https://web.archive.org/web/20120305061103/http://www.flwoutdoors.com/community/profile/home.cfm?uid=102108

Charity

Iaconelli founded The Ike Foundation in July 2014. The main goal is getting more kids involved with the sport of fishing. The Ike Foundation donates fishing tackle to kids and youth organizations, hosts kids fishing and fundraiser events, and assists other charitable organizations including civic organizations and existing youth fishing organizations.

Personal life

Mike is married to Rebecca "Becky" Iaconelli and he has four children: Drew, Rylie, Vegas, and Estella. Mike and Becky renew their wedding vows each year with themed or destination wedding ceremonies such as a pirate wedding with a Captain Jack Sparrow officiant in 2010. Mike has also been designated by several pro tours as an ambassador to those not part of a community.

References

12-Bassmaster.com April 14, 2015, article by Mike Suchan.

External links

Official Website

City Limits Fishing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iaconelli, Michael Living people American fishers Rowan University alumni 1972 births Sportspeople from Philadelphia People from Pittsgrove Township, New Jersey People from Runnemede, New Jersey