Iaconelli Begins Bassmaster Elite 50 Series As Top 20 All-Time Money Winner

With an all-time Bassmaster tour earnings total of $732,245, Mike Iaconelli will begin the Bassmaster Elite 50 Series at Smith Lake in Alabama on April 20th. Smith Lake will be one of four Elite 50 tournaments in 2005, all with a $400,000 total payout, and $100,000 going to the winner.

The four Elite 50 events for 2005 will be held at Smith Lake, Ala., on April 20-23, Lake Dardanelle, Ark., on May 18-21, Lewisville Lake, Texas, on June 1-4 and Lake Wissota, Wis., on June 15-18.

Three other competitors will be last year's Bassmaster Classic Champion Takahiro Omori, Angler of the Year Aaron Martens, and Rookie of the Year David Wolak. The rest of the field consists of the top 27 anglers in angler of the year points over the last three years.

The Bassmaster Elite 50 top 10 at the end of the year will qualify for the 2005 Citgo Bassmaster Classic.