Mike Iaconelli Grabs Lead in Bassmaster’s Lake Erie Open
OutdoorHub 09.13.13
Mike Iaconelli admittedly had a terrible season on the Bassmaster Elite Series. He finished 44th in Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points, well outside of qualifying for the 2014 Bassmaster Classic. Making it to the Classic is the gauge by which all Elite Series pros measure their season — if you’re within the Top 32 or so positions, you’ve done your job. Anything else is subpar.
Going into this third and final Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open on Lake Erie, Iaconelli saw his best shot at a Classic berth given his experience and prowess on Northern fisheries. The New Jersey pro made the most of his last best chance Thursday by sacking a 23-pound, 15-ounce limit of smallmouth to jump into the lead. His bag was anchored by a 5-12 brute.
“This tournament is a double whammy for me. I’ve had success at almost every level of the sport, but a win at this level is something I’ve never gotten,” Iaconelli said on stage. “It’s special to me because I cut my teeth at this level, and the second part of it is that Classic berth. I’ve had a pretty miserable Elite Series season, but you’ve just got to keep your head up and keep fishing, and you can usually get yourself out of a bad run. Hopefully, this is the end of my bad streak.”
Iaconelli made a long run into Lake Erie during Thursday’s opening round. There, he battled high winds and waves all day. However, there’s a good chance that Friday’s competition day will be cancelled due to weather, shortening the tournament by a day. If the field does fish in rough weather Friday, Iaconelli will have to alter his plan because his spot is very vulnerable to north winds.
“This is a tough position to be in, since I’m not currently in the Classic. I’ve had two good Northern Opens already, so it’d be great to come out here and get that berth, but also to win the tournament. That’s just as important,” he said. “Winning an Open is something I want to do before I’m done with my career. It’s very important to me, whether it’s a three-day tournament or a shortened one. A win is a win.”
Iaconelli said he had an OK practice, and today’s weight was a welcome surprise.
“I think I figured out a couple of key baits and spots, and I’m just trying to run that,” he said. “The hardest thing out here for everyone is the waves and weather. When you get around them, they’ll bite. It’s getting to them and getting back that can be the hardest part.”
Behind Iaconelli is Hunter Shryock of Newcomerstown, Ohio, brother of Elite Series pro Fletcher Shryock. Despite being a novice, Hunter has proved to be a quick study. Last year, he bought Fletcher’s Ranger boat and began fishing tournaments, meaning he has a little more than a year’s worth of competition experience. He caught 22-10 today.
“I got in an area, and I thought I had 17 or 18 pounds, so it really surprised me when I put ’em on the scales,” Shryock said. “I haven’t seen it this good all week, so I doubt I’ll go back and it be on fire again, but I’ll definitely be there.”
Tactically, Shryock credited standard Lake Erie techniques — a drop shot rig and tube — for his catch.
In third place is Kyle Kempkers of Hamilton, Mich., with 22-8. In fourth is Elite Series pro Derek Remitz of Grant, Ala., with 22-6, and in fifth place is Dave Lefebre of Erie, Pa., with 22-3.
Leading the co-angler division is Jeff Cutler of Minersville, Pa., who amassed an impressive 14-9 in his three-fish limit. His pro partner Joe Sancho of New Windsor, N.Y., is in sixth place with 21-15.
“Basically, it was typical Erie stuff. I was drop shotting a Poor Boys Bait Co. Erie Darter, and I didn’t get a lot of bites, but they were the right ones,” Cutler said. “You’ve got to land every one that bites, and I managed to fish pretty clean today.”
Behind Cutler is Larry Thomas of Michigan with 14-2, and in third place is Andre Sokolowski of Canada with 14-0. In fourth place is Mike Kiester of Michigan with 13-12. Rounding out the Top 5 is Paul Marchaza of Ohio with 13-9.
Leading the Carhartt Big Bass competition is co-angler Cory Krawczyh of Angola, N.Y., with a true trophy smallmouth that weighed 6-8.
