Iaconelli Takes 2nd at 2009 Forrest Wood Cup

After qualifying for the tournament without fishing the FLW Tour or FLW Series, rather through the Stren Series, Ike made a very serious (within 3oz.) bid for the 2009 Forrest Wood Cup.

FLW Outdoors reports Ike, "It's sickening to lose by 3 ounces. I lost one fish in the entire tournament and it happened to be yesterday – so yeah, it hurts. You know, I had a good tournament and I really enjoy urban fishing. Honestly, I didn't think that I had enough weight to win anyway so it was kind of unexpected to have even had a shot at the title. I knew that you had to fish for consistency and that you pretty much needed a limit each day. The first two days I fished Gulp minnows, drop-shots and a Jackal jerkbait. Then I switched to a 5-inch Gulp sinking minnow with a Tru Tungsten Ikey Head. The problem was that my (final) water really dirtied up because of all the rain, but overall, I had a great event. Greg is a great fisherman and it was just meant to be for him. That's fishing. If it's meant to be, you’re going to win. There is no disappointment here."

With this finish, Mike earned 2nd place honors in the two biggest bass fishing events of 2009 (He finished only 9oz. behind Skeet Reese in the 2009 Bassmaster Classic on the Red River). Mike's Forrest Wood Cup finish will pay a handsome $55,000 more than his $45,000 winnings at the Bassmaster Classic.