Bass Fishing with Mike Iaconelli

Mike Iaconelli kills the engine, sheds his life jacket, jumps up on the bow, and begins unfolding the trolling motor before his bass boat even comes off plane. We’ve just made a short run out to the vast flats of subaquatic vegetation on the Susquehanna River north of Baltimore. As the boat settles into the water, the air suddenly falls silent. The winner of the 2003 Bassmaster Classic smiles. “Look at all that milfoil,” he says. “That’s just sick.” He selects one of the 10 rods at his feet and starts pitching a red 3/8-ounce jig. The lure flies from his palm like a trained bird of prey, never more than 2 inches off the surface. It slithers into the water 35 feet away, no louder than a frog fart.

In fishing, as in everything else, Iaconelli—who, depending on whom you talk to is either the best thing to happen to professional bass fishing in 30 years or the…