Mike Iaconelli's Panic Box

I'm often asked what I do when all else fails. When what you have been doing stops working. When a cold front hits. When the fish shut down. When just nothing is working for you. Well, I have actually created a box especially for these situations. This box has bailed me out so many times, it's really unbelievable! It has salvaged many tournaments for me and has enabled me to make a check or...Continue Reading 'Mike Iaconelli's Panic Box'

Flipping and Pitching for Bass

This is my strength. The essence of power fishing. The ability to present lures quietly and efficiently into heavy cover. It's one of the 'must know' techniques. It relies heavily on the mechanics part of the technique. This is great because we can practice even in situations where we're not on the water (winter time). In fact most of my mechanical techniques were learned as an employee of Dick's Sporting Goods, flipping and pitching down...Continue Reading 'Flipping and Pitching for Bass'

Cranking Up Deep Water Bass

The first time I saw the potential of deep water cranking was at a 1993 BASS Top 100 tournament, where I got drawn to fish as an amateur. On the third day of the tournament I got paired with Bassmaster Classic Champion David Fritts. That day we fished the ends of slow tapering points in about 15 feet of water. He was throwing a crankbait and I choose to throw a carolina rig. And although...Continue Reading 'Cranking Up Deep Water Bass'

Crankbait Basics from a Bassmaster

As a power fisherman I absolutely love to fish crankbaits. The reasons are simple. I can cover an immense amount of water, and I can elicit the reaction type of strike for inactive bass. KNOW YOUR CRANKBAITS - each crank bait has it strengths and weaknesses. Wide wobble baits, tight wobble, wood baits, plastic baits, floater and suspenders. Get comfortable with a crankbait or a family of crankbaits. Learn what depth a...Continue Reading 'Crankbait Basics from a Bassmaster'

Boat Positioning and Bass

More critical than most people think. I don't think I realized this right away. Initially I learned how to bass fish from the bank. Then I progressed to a small jon boat for a lot of years. I think out of necessity I learned many of the basics of boat positioning. When I finally got into a full sized bass boat I understood how the position of the boat was crucial in executing what I...Continue Reading 'Boat Positioning and Bass'

Bass Fishing and Cover

This is one of the most basic concepts of bass fishing. Bass and cover is similar to peanut butter and jelly. It's like the chicken and the egg. They go together. The Bass is a creature of prey. He uses cover as a point of ambush to attack. Cover also provides protection from other species. Cover can be the obvious like stumps, laydowns, docks, vegetation. Or it can be subtle like the change of two...Continue Reading 'Bass Fishing and Cover'

Making the Jump from the Federation Ranks to the Pro Circuit

My change, as a bass angler, from the federation ranks to the FLW and Bassmaster professional tours felt really natural and came quite easily. I think the reason it seemed so easy, is because of the fact that my entire fishing career has been a series of stair step progressions. I never attempted to jump into a higher level of fishing before I felt I like I was ready for it. Some fisherman try and...Continue Reading 'Making the Jump from the Federation Ranks to the Pro Circuit'

All Year Jerkbaits

I'm not going to lie to you. One of my favorite ways to catch bass is using a jerkbait. Because I am a true power fisherman, this technique allows me to cover maximum amounts of water, and allows me to generate that reaction strike that I'm always trying to generate. In fact, my first major win as a pro, the 199 B.A.S.S. Top 150 on Lake Champlain, came in part to help from a jerkbait....Continue Reading 'All Year Jerkbaits'

Deep Water Jig and Pig

Right away when anyone mentions jig and pig, you tend to automatically relate that with flipping and pitching to shallow visible cover. And sure that?s a dynamite way to catch bass. But it leaves a giant window of opportunity open. Just as guys like David Fritts and Paul Elias exploit deep water with crankbaits, the same can be done with jigs. Jigs in fact, in my opinion are more effective than crankbaits. First and most...Continue Reading 'Deep Water Jig and Pig'

Deep Water Structure

This is still probably the most misunderstood type of fishing out there. We've all been brought up with the notions of casting to visible cover. This makes non-visual targets difficult to fish for the average fisherman. To me anything deeper than 10 feet can be considered deep. As deep as I personally like to explore, under most conditions, is around 50 to 60 feet; although I've caught bass as deep as 80 feet (Lake...Continue Reading 'Deep Water Structure'

Topwater- A Really Misconceived Type of Lure

The most common misconception with the topwater bait is that its only a bait to fish in the morning and in the evening(low light). The second most common misconception is that it's only a bait to fish when you want to have fun because the hits are so exciting (It has always been misplaced as a tool for tournament fishing). Well let me personally tell you both those are definitely false. The whole family of top water baits are tools just...Continue Reading 'Topwater- A Really Misconceived Type of Lure'