South Jersey man makes an unlikely journey to fishing glory

Most of the world’s legendary largemouth bass fisherman are from the South, not South Jersey by way of South Philly.

That’s what makes Mike “Ike” Iaconelli’s induction into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame later this year unique. The Salem County resident was born in Philadelphia and grew up a few miles away in Runnemede, Camden County, a middle-class suburb where kids fish mostly in a tidal creek by the New Jersey Turnpike.

Iaconelli, 50, was attending the 2023 Bassmaster Classic fishing tournament in Knoxville, Tenn., last week when one of bass fishing’s forefathers, Bill Dance, broke the good news to him. Iaconelli will be honored at a ceremony in Springfield, Mo., in September.

“I’m still floating,” Iaconelli said Thursday as he returned from a scouting trip in Alabama. “I can’t believe it.”

A quick survey of the Hall of Fame’s members reveals a lot of Southern flair, names like “Woo,” “Rayo,” “Buck,” and “Dewey.” George H.W. Bush, the nation’s 41st president, was inducted in 2016. Since it’s generally warmer down there, year-round, the hard-fighting fish don’t have to shut down their metabolism and grow much bigger than Northern bass.

For Iaconelli, however, South Jersey remains home.

“All my family is here, so there’s that, but I also love it here,” he said. “I love the diversity of the area. I’m out in farmland, but I can be on lakes, rivers, and the ocean in the same day.”

Iaconelli credits an uncle and grandfather for kicking off his obsession with fishing during trips to the Jersey Shore and Poconos. A Triton Regional High School graduate, Iaconelli turned pro in 1992, fishing on various circuits and quickly rising up the ranks. Competitors picked up on his “Jersey-ness” quickly.

‘When I was pushing my way in, you could feel the standoffishness a little,” he said. “There was definitely razzing early on, but it’s not like that anymore.”

After finishing sixth at the 1999 Bassmaster Classic — the Super Bowl of the sport — Iaconelli picked up a slew of sponsors, a necessity for any pro angler to thrive. In 2003, he won the whole thing and one YouTube video of the event, in which he’s screaming “Never give up!” has nearly a half-million views.

Iaconelli said winning that tournament changed his life.

“I worked really hard for that and I used that win to really set up my life,” he said. “I’ve had so many amazing opportunities to travel since then. I’ve fished in Japan, Thailand, South America, you name it. Fishing is a universal language.”

The biggest bass Iaconelli ever caught was a 14.4-pound hog on Texas’ Lake Amistad. Like all fishermen, he remembers the ones he lost too — a potential 10-pounder in South Jersey, another bass that could have won him a tournament.

“On any given cast, the big one could be there,” he said.

The secret to successful fishing, Iaconelli said, is preparation.

“I just spent a few days scouting a lake for a tournament. I didn’t fish. It was all studying,” he said. “There’s no luck in it.”

Iaconelli, a married father of four, has created a handful of television shows, including an urban series that took him back to Philly to fish on the Schuylkill. His Ike Foundation aims to get more kids involved with fishing.