Mike Iaconelli - Good or Bad

[CamG]

Just wanting to hear your opinions...is Mike Iaconelli good for the sport of bass fishing?

[rrw4258]

Ike is absolutley good for the sport of bass fishing. He is by far the most fun angler to watch on the water. A lot of people do not like when he flips out over a big fish, but I love it when he does. He is great at finding fish, and can hold his own with the best of them, I think his results show that.

Ryan

[screwballl]

Almost any of them in the Classic and Elite series are good of course... but their attitude around people, some of them are not a people person but they can catch fish like crazy... so it all depends on the perspective you take.

[everettvet]

Well, my thoughts of Ike are different know that what they were when 2010 began. I got the chance to meet him in Nashville at Bass University and I talked with him several times throughout the weekend. I think he is great for the sport of bass fishing. He was great with the kids and everyone that was there. I told him on Sunday before I left Nashville the I was not always in agreement with the way he behaved on the water in certain situations (and yes I told him that). But after talking with him and seeing how he was around the kids and everyone else, he made a fan out of me.

[BigBassin144]

I've heard Ike is a completely different person off the water. I've also heard he is very good with his fans. I do think he's fun to watch fish, and he's one of my favorite pros.

BB

[jcw1503]

He is very good for the sport. I love seeing the emotions on the pros. He acts like we do. He gets mad if he loses a fish and exited when he catches a nice one. I hate seeing alot of the other fisher men look like robots out there. However, Ike has let me down this year. He said he was going to channel the excitement. He did not show as much excitement on the water during the classic. Hopefully he goes back to normal.

[cassidyta]

I think there is a difference between good for fishing with me on a weekend and good for TV. I think he is great for TV, but his act would get old if I had to sit in the boat with him.
The fact that we are even discussing this shows his value to the sport.

[rodnreel]

He does nothing but promote the sport and attract a younger audience. That is key to any sport. I agree with JCW1503, A LOT of other elite pros are too robotic. They show no to very little emotion on the water. Ike is always exciting, even when he is just talking about his presentations or strategy for a tournament. I'd have to say he's my favorite angler so I think he's great for fishing from both a business standpoint and showing that it's cool to be passionate about fishing.

[CamG]

Most say he's good for the sport. Just playing devil's advocate here - even with all the temper tantrums, i.e. 2006 Bassmaster Classic (where he lost a MAJOR sponsor with a tantrum) and with last years Guntersville outburst where he was on National Television beating and kicking his electronics after a lost fish. He's still good for the sport?


I guess I asked the question, so I will put my 2 cents in as well.

Is he a great angler? Yes.
Is he one of the best ever? Yes

I really, really want to like Ike (and part of me really does). I enjoy his excitement (unless he is shaking a fish and yelling in its face). I don't mind the yelling and hoopla when he catches one of his "giants". I think he is great in person, as I've spoke with him at events several times. He does a lot for fans off the water.

I just can't get over the temper tantrums when things don't go his way. It's like watching a 5 year old in Walmart. And, this is not just on NATIONAL TELEVISION (although I think ESPN is mostly to blame here.) I have personally followed him on the water to his spots, and he is entertaining. Just make sure the kids who look up to him are not within earshot as he doesn't hesitate to use very colorful word choices when he's having a rough go.

Again, I'm on the fence whether or not he is good for bass fishing. I am enjoying what you folks have to say.

[Rebbasser]

While his conduct at seminars and interacting with fans speaks well for him, I think his on the water antics are bad for the sport.

Say someone knows nothing about bass fishing but is thinking about getting into it. They are flipping through the channels on Saturday morning see a fishing show. They stop to watch, and the first thing they see is a guy screaming like he just had his private parts wrapped in barbed wire and nailed to a boat fender. They think fishing is for idiots and take up knitting instead.

I'd like the guy a whole lot more if he didn't act like a lunatic when he catches a fish.

[BassinNC]

I think he is one of the best and he is good for the sport. I like when he goes crazy when he catches a fish. On the other hand I hate how he acts when he loses one.

[CamG]

I've been reading Michael Jones articles for quite some time. Now, I definitely do not agree with all that he writes, but in this one he discusses a little on this topic (I happen to agree this time), and about another angler that I think needs to have his hands slapped a little for acting like he is "entitled".

http://www.thebbz.com/articles/article11.html

[keithdog]

Ike is quite the character. I sure as hell wouldn't want to be his fishing partner durring a tourney for fear of getting hurt in some crazy way or simply getting punched durring his over the top excitement episodes. Or getting smacked by a shoe when he break dances on his casting deck. But ya know, I've never seen him act like that except for when he's fishin for cash. From what I have heard from others, he's a pretty cool guy in person, quite different from his tourney personality. And he hosts a show about fishing in urban cities, like Chicago's harbour, the river at DC and so on. I've never seen him act like a lunitic on one of those shows. He only seems to loose it durring competition. So I think he is a pretty good guy deep down, just overly emotional when fishing in a competitive situation. He did seem a bit calmer durring the Classic from what little I saw of him. Maybe someone pulled him aside and talked with him. Namely his sponsors. If so, THAT was good for bass fishing.

[nova385]

The fact that people like us are talking about the guy is good for the sport.
The fact that he throughs a fit and kicks stuff, belive it or not gets people to watch him (and the rest of the anglers). I would have never seen a pro tennis mach until Jonh Macinrough(sp?) had a fit, makes it fun to watch-

[carolina-rig-01]

Off the water Iaconelli is a first class guy. He spends tons of time with kids and always makes himself available to fans. On the water his antics drive me nuts but that is his way of marketing himself and standing out in a business standpoint. Has anyone noticed the military medal he wears a lot of the time? It was given to him when he fished a Stren event here on Table Rock by a local guy who got the medal during a tour in Iraq. He gave it to Iaconelli as a way to say thank you for all you do for the sport and Ike wears the medal because he is honored that it was given to him by a soldier. How about when he was giving a seminar at a tackle show and on his way to his car he noticed a little kid having an epileptic seizure, Ike missed his flight so he could stay with the kid and make sure he was ok. Ike can cross the line a lot and bring a lot of color to the sport (at times too much color) but there is no question that he is good for our sport.

[MN Bass Man]

Ike is , without a doubt, my favorite angler. The way he expresses passion for the sport is one of the things I like about him. Not to mention he is a phenomenal fisherman. It is hard for me to judge him for his behavior when things aren't going his way, because believe me, if I was fishing for $100,000 or more, and I lost what could have been the winning fish, I'd probably be as bad, or worse.

[Vegasspider]

What sponsor did he loose? He is intense for real and the passion is real I think he can’t help it when it comes over him. I think most people are open minded enough to be entertained by him. I do find myself muting it when I know its coming. I wonder how many times he has fallen in the water over one of his fits? That would be a hoot to see. I took a swim this last weekend. Thank God we were docking. My son left the trolling motor dialed up and yep I did it, I stepped on the pedal with my back to the water and boom. 50 degree water gets your attention really fast…

[MallenManson]

I think he's good for the sport but he seems like a major flake.

[Tavery5]

While he is no doubt talented, I find him loud and annoying, almost to the point of being obnoxious. I usually change the channel when they are following him.

It's fun to see someone have great passion for what they are doing, however his seems to be media driven and an attention seeking thing.

It,s been 6 or 7 years since he has won one of the big ones, so maybe he need to spend more time on his trade and less on his side show.

Face it, its KVD's world, the rest of these guys are just living in it.

[BassinBandit]

I dont always agree with some of the things Ike does but here is why I will always think he is great for the sport. I meet him at a open tournament on Smith Mountain Lake. He talked with me and my father and cousin for 30 minutes. I talked to him about we had just started our small club and doing tournaments and he talked about when he helped start the club he was part of. Over a year later, at the bassmaster's university in Chesapeake I met him again. I told him that I got to see him at SML and he then before I could say anything else, ask me how my club was doing. I was shocked and very amazed. Thus the reason why I think he will always be great for the sport.

[Bassboss]

He sure is! Dude makes it look exciting, more people are gonna want to do it if it's exciting!

[basstech]

I think it doesn't make a difference one way or another. People who love bass fising are going to bass fish regardless of how great or rotten a pro tourney angler is. I've not watched him or seen him yet, have just heard a lot about him. I've never known him (or anyone else for that matter) to have such an impact on someone as to make them quit bass fishing. So I certainly don't think he's "bad" for the sport, he just is who he is.

[BigBassin144]

They're gonna have to put him on the Berkley commercial. "Official Equipment Provider of Woo!"



BB

[nofearengineer]

Frankly, I found myself actually rooting for him a little at this Classic. It's amazing what behaving yourself and acting like a professional can do for a guy. I didn't like the camera head butt, but a few fist pumps and what not is certainly acceptable and expected. He probably did less than what I would have done for a 6.5 lb'er.

Oh yeah, and also shaving off your ridiculous "look at me! I can grow facial hair!" nanny-goat beard helps.

[sac]

My two girls only know 2 pro's....."Ike, the guy that screams when he catches a big fish"....and "that guy with the pink boat" lol

I think he's a great and very informative angler, he's always giving tips and what he's doing at the moment. I feel he's good for the sport......I think even KVD was displaying some excitement when he was pulling fish in. KVD,"and the crowd goes wild for a 1 1/2 pounder" I LOL'D when he said that.