Iaconelli Finishes 2010 Elite Series Season in 22nd Place

Mike began the season with impressive top 10 finishes in the Bassmaster Classic and the first Elite series event in the California Delta. A 25th place finish rounded out a respectable tour of the West Coast.

Mike's first real faltering in the 2010 season was at Smith Mountain Lake, where he'd registered top 20 finishes in 2007 and 2006 and a 8th place finish in 2004. Mike has not registered a top 40 at Smith Mountain Lake in his last two visits.

Mike rebounded with an 11th place finish at Pickwick Lake, a big river-like lake in South Tennessee and Northern Alabama, that's not in the normal BASS tour rotation. After Pickwick, Mike was in 7th place in the Angler-of-the-Year points, his position of the season.

At the regular Alabama stop, Guntersville, where Mike has had some career highlights (including his 2006 win, 100lb. catch in 2009 and several top 10s), he was unable to make the day 2 cut.

In true, "Never Give Up" fashion, Mike rebounded again with a 17th place finish at Clarks Hill. That performance put him back in 13th place in the Angler-of-the-Year points, well within striking distance of the top 12 that would go on to fish the Elite Series Postseason.

Mike was only about 10 places out of making the day 2 cut in both of the last two tournaments of 2010 (Kentucky Lake and a Relocated event on Fort Gibson). But being outside the cut, his 58th finish at Kentucky Lake moved him into 17th in the AOY points, and 56th at Fort Gibson moved him out of the top 20.

Mike is slated to fish the Northern Opens (Champlain 7/22-7/24, Detroit River 8/19-8/21 and Chesapeake Bay 9/16-9/18). Mike finished in the top 10 in both the Northern events he fished last year.