Never Give Up: The Mike Iaconelli Story! (Episode 3) [The Welcome] 

You are my favorite pro angler. I would give anything to fish with you one day. I love your passion and intensity for bass fishing. As a young man I would copy you. When I would catch a fish in front of my buddies. Now I'm 42 and I'm disabled I can only get excited in my chair on the boat. But thank you for being my idol for all these years.

Finally had the opportunity to binge watch the first 3. Being just north of Philadelphia, I find you as my inspiration and got into this sport watching you fish and all your informational videos on RU-vid. This has brought me back to the bobber and worm days!! Awesome series!!! Good luck at the Classic Ike! Never give up 💪

Mike, thank you for sharing all this with us! You are the best comunicator fishing sports has ever seen! Sure all of us must identify with some stories from the first episodes at least... congratulations, and best regards from a Portugal fan (one of many)!

Wish these were longer!

Loving the stories and insights. Could listen to Ike for hours

The jamms are great🤓 Mike I'm loving this lol

Love it need more awesome to hear about your life before fishing and were you started keep it coming we all need more. Thanks again Mike. Late.

Can't wait... IKE's Stories brought me back to my childhood in every bit of way possible Thanks Mike 🤘🏽

I remember that boat and this kid being everywhere I wanted to fish.

I sure hope you keep this series going because I can tell you I am enjoying so much

Recently picked up, " Fishing on the Edge".. again. A wonderful insight into the real world on the front lines of professional bass fishing. An underdog story. Good stuff.

We love Mr.Mike Ike , great life and we are so happy for you too , sincerely

Song is fire at the end!!

Love the mention of your Uncle Don getting a trailer hitch attached to his van while you were out fishing the tournament. ❤️ that is straight up God’s will right there 👍👍👍

Great series Mike. Very inspirational and humbling. Thank you for sharing your journey with us. I am looking forward to watch more. Tight lines.

This episode goes so quick but I can’t wait until next Tuesday lol awesome life story Mike keep up the awesome work!!!

What an awesome story teller. Wish these videos were longer, thanks for sharing Ike!

Great stuff Ike! I love seeing all the old footage from BASS and remembering back to the first Classic I went to in the mid 80's. There's something nostalgic about reliving those days. I'm almost 50 now but find myself regularly using 'old' rods and reels from the 70s and 80s, and even buying more old rods and reels off eBay, just to go fishing with what I used as a kid in an effort to remember a simpler time. You have certainly been an inspiration to so many over the years and I'm sure this series will be just as moving to someone.

Man Ike, these series are great! Can't wait til next Tuesday.

I can only imagine what you was thinking when the cussing started. Hahaha... keep up the great work Ike.

I swear this has to be the best series on RU-vid right now! Freakin awesome hearing your entire story of fishing!

I am 52 years old now and am seriously thinking about being a BASS co-angler! I’m from So Cal but I fish a local tournament out in Tennessee every year for the past 5 years. I absolutely love it and have done quite well seeing that I’m fishing against guys who’ve been fishing the local lakes their entire lives. Last year I took 2nd place ( 25 boats 50 anglers ) and biggest smallmouth of the year! Maybe it’s time I step up my game🎣

My LSC guide when he was a touring pro had several run ins with Biffle over the same tactic. Great stories…

Thanks 🙏🏼 mike for sharing

Great stories ....makes me feel a bit old, when my second, but first new boat was in 1985! You make it sound like they were just invented! You may find it interesting ....the last tourney I fished, was the 05' FLW Tour on the Potomac! ....guess who won! .... yes, it was you!

Great story telling! Can't wait for the next one!!!

These are great! Ike its so good to see you back with BASS!

This is easily one of the best series on RU-vid! Getting to live your story through your storytelling and amazing editing is so fun! I am hooked and hope other great anglers follow your lead! Thanks for all you do for the sport and keeping us entertained!

Series is 🔥🔥🔥

It’s 12 degrees in SD right now…but this is getting me amped up for this years season! Make this a permanent series!

Thanks Mike, yeah that is some crazy stuff!!

Already can’t wait for next week 👊

Tim Landwehr interviewed on Wet Fly Swing podcast episode 273 recently. Provides a decent enough insight. Into that intersection between the culture of 'trout' and the one of small mouth bass. As he lived through various decades. In recent modern times in America. It's a kind of a story that Landwehr weaves about those two angling cultures. And how they cross paths. Or don't cross paths. Which reminds me of the Michael Iaconelli story. Dave Stewart is the interviewer and is a Pacific sea-run rainbow trout angler (what I think is wrong in the title for episode 273 though). Although I could be incorrect. When bass anglers say 'sight fishing'? Is that what they mean? As opposed to 'site fishing'? If the title is wrong, you'll have to cut some slack to those of us. Who remained longer on the trout fishing side. And did not learn enough about bass. When we were growing up. On holidays around lakes or rivers. We're trying to learn the lingo. It is though, a different language for us. It's not our native tongue.

You know it would be a blessing to get to fish with you

That was a great story Mike, i love hearing about this stuff!

I believe that was the same year that I fished as a co-angler and I also fished with Tommy along with it OT Fears , Harold Allen that's amazing

Well done

Great stories ike i love to hear them🔥🤘

I love this series!! Hell yeah👊🏻👍

Okay Mike, tell me the truth here, I remember the first time I was in a powerful boat and it scared the absolute shite out of me. Did that first ride like that on Lake Norman have a similar effect? Awesome content Mike, I so relate to your story and cannot wait to see the rest unfold! Never Give Up!

Loooooooooove this….THANK YOU

Mike I know what you are talking about I fished a top 100 in 93 best time in my life bassmd

Great series mike keep it coming

AWESOME!!

Let’s go !!!!

Love it

Best series yet I'm a big fan ike. your living my dream, i wanna see you hold up another elite series or classic trophy. smash em at santee cooper #nevergiveup

Mike did Guido invent the Sluggo as well as the Banjo Minnow? Therde was another lure called the "Flying Lure!" It caught me more fish than all the other jigs i owned. The Sluggo was equally amazing. Where did these lures go?

What about back in the day !! When alot of those guys from the south !!!! Were not to kind to us guys from the north !! Some never got over the civil war ! Had a few episodes! Back then ! Dont touch my fish !! Back boated !! Not all guys but a few !! Lot different today !

I’m an old guy. Fished a handful of what was called the BASS Invitationals in the late 80’s which were draw tournaments. Never knew Denny to be a jerk like this but many were. It was pure cut throat and if you weren’t a “big name” you kept your mouth shut.

fuckin excellent story mike!appreciate it!

N.G.U!!

These are great Mike. Did Tommy wear the man-hood suffocation shorts back then also? Hilarious. Who gave you the best advice for wanting to fish for a living?

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Hey Mike?

👏👏👏👏👏😅