NEVER GIVE UP!!!

One of my favorite anglers!

Mike Iaconelli, winner of the 2003 Bassmaster Classic and so-so breakdancer, is featured in a column in today's WP! Described as the "John McEnroe" of anglers, Mike Iaconelli IS the bad boy of fishing, and receives all the kudos (and the blame) that is part and parcel to such a distinction. He is one of the most widely recognized professional anglers in the world and is unsurpassed as an ambassador of the sport of bass fishing. (Yeah, I have a little bass angler's crush on the guy and Hank Parker. I have both their autographs. Don't ask and quit judgin'.)

The title of this post is a quote from Mike in the 2003 Classic. With under seven minutes left in the three-day tournament and anglers all around him leaving the water to go weigh-in, Mike made one last cast into an area where he had previously missed a fish. That one last cast turned into a nibble, then a bite. He set the hook and hauled in a modest fish, one which turned out to be THE tournament winner. Upon landing the largemouth, he knew instantly that the respectable 3-3/4 pounder gave him a good shot at the Classic title, which he announced to the world by screaming "Never give up!! Never ever give up!!"

This weekend the dc area hosts the 2006 Capital Clash Tournament, just one of several tourneys held on the potomac every season. (PSA - always catch & release.)