What Would You Do? Mike Iaconelli

Pure Fishing Pro Mike Iaconelli by Pure Fishing Pro Mike Iaconelli...

by Dave Landahl

New stuff is cool. New stuff is fun. So, keep reading, because Pros4- 1Source is launching a new series of articles. Is it hard-hitting and super-dee-duper tough investigative journalism at its finest? Relative to what passes for journalism today, you're darn tootin' it is!

Welcome to the first installment of What Would You Do? Each subject is asked various questions ranging from ethics to religion, or anything else that comes to mind. For the inaugural article, the legendary bass-angling superstar Mike IaconelliPure Fishing pro Mike Iaconelli with a miracle fish on Day 2 Lake Travis preview.jpg-300 inside agreed to answer, What Would You Do?

DL - What would you do if a venomous snake fell into your boat during a tournament?

MI - That's funny. If you surveyed the guys on tour, I bet an easy 60/40 split on fear of snakes exists, with the 60 including those who are deathly afraid of snakes. Even more so than running into a hornets nest.

I'm on the 40 side. I don't mind snakes. Anyway, I'd probably take a 7'6" Abu Garcia Ike model medium-heavy action rod and gently pin the snake down, grabbing the snake behind the head safely, since I know the technique.

Then, using my trolling motor, I'd head over to my nearest competitor and toss it in their boat and then head back to fishing. You have to gain an advantage over these guys.

DL - What would you do if a little kid was fishing on a spot that you knew would win either the Bassmaster Classic or the Angler of the Year title for you, and it was the last day?

MI - We deal with people fishing the areas we're fishing all of the time. It's public water, so everybody can fish it.

Now, when I see kids fishing, I get really excited in a positive way. Makes me happy. I'd come up to the boat and ask the kid if it was okay that I fished with them and explain why I needed to fish there. If they said no, I'd move on to another spot.

DL - What would you do if you were offered $10 million in cash, but had to stand naked on the Las Vegas Strip for an hour signing autographs to earn it?

MI - I'm in, sign me up!

I'd take the cash, and let whoever the sponsor is pick where I'd need to stand. In front of the Bellagio, wherever. I'd even sign nude photos. I'm totally comfortable with nudity.

In college, I was a nude model for art classes. I'd stand in the room on a turnstyle and they'd rotate me to get every angle. I liked to screw with the class. I'd shave notes or faces into my hair. Everybody has the same bits and pieces. For $10 million cash, it's so worth it.