I know its very minor in contrasts to some of these other subjects, but, Ikes behaviour in the Classic was more obnoxious than normal. Yes, I know he’s going for a world championship, but, he now has a reputation for “freekin out” after a catch, that he feeds on. He was barely tollerable when he first started, now, he puts on this huge “act”. I have to change the channel as soon as I see him boat one. Ikes a great fisherman, and outside of that one time frame, I like him a lot. Somebody mentioned that these guys actions are based on honesty, and I totally believe that. Ikes actions are made up for the camera. Not enough money in the world for me to act like Ike. Sorry
i agree, KVD, Larry nixon, Rick Clunn, Gary Klien, D Brauer.....do well in a year or not, those are true ambassadors 4 the sport, Ike is good 4 the younger crowd, but if thats what kind of people we praise him for bring into the sport, what does the future of Fishing look like.....I like Real men and women to be people i look up to, i want my ambassadors to be the same quality people i would want as neighbors.....if Ike brings in people and they all act like him, fishing will look like professional wrestling in the future, just all 4 show.
Ike seems like a decent fella, but I don’t like the way he flips out like that either. Just put the fish in the live well and go catch another! By the time he gets done havin his moment he could have made a couple more casts! To each their own, I guess.
The only reaction I have seen of him catching a fish at the Classic is the one posted on the ESPN site. He is yelling ‘I’m a bad man!” into a fishes mouth.
I personally think that is ridiculous - so ridiculous that it is funny and entertaining. I say lighten up a little. The guy is fishing at the highest level this sport knows, he has earned the right to act however he wishes through fish in the livewell.
Let the men fish and leave the gossip to the women.
I just wish that he would act like he’s “been there before”. Act like a true professional, with pride and dignity. No matter how good you are at your particular sport, it does not give you the right to behave unprofessionally and without class.
Hey tennesee.... It’s not about talkin gossip! It’s showing your professionalism! If Ike showed up on my jobsite and acted like that, he would get escorted off the property. The way he acts is not professional. By the sounds you can’t make a judgement by seeing him on tv in one T. Hollering down a fishes throat didn’t seem to entertaining to me, I like to watch the pro’s catchin fish not acting like a clown on a floating stage!
the main think is, Just like Barry Bonds as an example. he does have the right to act like he does, but when the day comes when teams dont want him and fans dont like him, i dont wanna hear him whine, it is his own childish actions that will bring it all to a head....he can use his right, but i have the right to think he acts a fool. its far more than just emotion, he seeks attention.
Ikes intial re-actions are generated out of pure emotion.(As hard as it is to believe). I’m not saying that some of his actions arent over the top and a little ridiculous at times, but they are definitly not all “staged”. None the less, he is someone who is futhering the sport. Ikes been asked numerous times about his excited behavior on the water, and each and every time his response is:"Its something I’ve always done....., even at the smallest club level or fun fishing"."Catching a fish gets me excited.” I know when I catch a fish I get excited, not to the point of jumping and yelling but it definitly gets my blood flowing. Even if we dont all agree with his actions, he STILL is an ambassador to the sport, same as KVD or any of the top pros that get a lot of TV / magazine exposure. Like TOP 10 posted as well (post#1), he is a guy that has focused on the younger generation, the true future of the sport. As we all know, if we dont get the younger crowd interested in this sport, it will eventually peter-out and die. How many other top pros can you think of off the top of your heads that has dedicated himself to the younger crowd? Not many right? The bottom line is, it takes different people and faces to get new people interested in the sport, if IKE doesnt appeal to you, so be it. It still doesnt take away from what he has done and what he is still trying to do. To say that, IKEs behavior is only going to turn the sport it into a spectacle like Pro-wrestling is totally unrealistic as well. You cant fake catching a fish to easily, either you did or you didnt catch them. The younger crowds need someone that they can relate to in order to help them become interested in the sport, no different than how the NFL or MLB markets their perspective sports. Do you think that because Micheal Vick (NFL) got caught holding dog fights, that all of the future NFL participents will emulate this behavior as well? I think not. If we were all the same, the world would be a very boring place. All in all, Ikes actions are undoubtably different then most, but lets not fault someone for being different. He’s never hurt anyone doing it.
Anglers become people to look up to and learn from, but whether older or younger, Anglers dont actually bring anyone into the sport...from the post about what got you started fishing, most of the answers was.....Family, your father, brother, grandpa, grandma, mother or uncle will bring you in, once in, its the angler that you follow that will sculpt a fishing style. i dont dislike him at all, i still think hes a fish catching machine, maybe its cause im in my 40’s and all the people i grew up watching was a lot more low key.......but if i was gonna make a commercial advertising the sport, i would use a low key professional to bring the attention to the fishing and not someone high strung who takes the attention away from the catch and stategy and focuses it on the angler. i agree that he hasnt hurt anyone doing anything, but will he eventually hurt himself (not physically) but with sponsors, my guess is eventually he will......
i can say, they are fishing for a bigger stake, its thier job, but i as well as most on site are.....a competitor, the fish Ike catches doesnt make blood flow any more than catching a fish in a tournament than it does mine.....i want to win just as bad as he does and a 1st place would mean just as much 2 me. i love his ability and talent, but his actions take away from a lot.....to this day, i couldnt tell you what 1 of his sponsors are because my focus goes to how hes acting instead of what hes using or whos name is on his boat. Good 4 Ike, bad 4 his sponsors....
I am an extremely passionate person about a lot of things and especially fishing, but, I don’t act like that. What it all boils down to though, is when he catches a bass, all he is doing is his job, what he is paid to do. So, having control and behave professionally with sportsman like conduct, which is showing respect for the sport that has brought him some “fame and fortune”. Putting on an act(like a moron) is not good for him or the sport.
I totally agree with you on the fact that it is normally a family member that gets one involved with fishing intially. Aside from just fishing for fun, the other people that influence us are typically the pros. Especially those of us that are into tournament fishing. And you are 100% correct in stating that it is who we follow that will help us scuplt our own styles. I dont doubt that catching fish makes your blood flow as well, the same as it does most folks on this site. But I would almost gaurantee you that we all react to it differently. I may want to shout and such, but I dont, (and you probably dont either based on your responses) this is only because I choose to surpress the true emotions, but I dont think that IKE does. (again, I do think that he does jazz it up a bit at times)
As far as Ikes behavior hurting his sponserships.....it definitly has. Remeber the 06 classic when he trashed his light pole on the back of his boat? That kind of behavior cost him one of his major sponsers. I respect Ikes ability as a fisherman and I also have to respect how he markets himself. Good, bad, or indifferent he is making a mark in the sport because of his behavior and his ability to catch fish, and as a result we are all talking about him. Thats the funny thing about marketing, as long as you are getting talked about people will take notice. So, ultimately he is acheiving his goal, he’s just taking a different approach than most. He must be generating some sort of revenue for his sponsers because he isn’t going away anytime soon.
i understand that, but on other hand, we talk about Mike Vick, sports figure who constantly get DUI and have car wrecks, Barry Bonds...bet these are all people who has lost everything, incuding the fan base who is key to motivating you to get yours right. I want my kids to see the other figures who have a positive impact ona sport and not a negative one.......we are talking about him, mission accomplished....but bad publicity is not always best move, its just temporary....if i could put myself into a position to be noticed, i think i would like to be known for my fishing and how mature i act win or lose....i would want respect from young and older.
I do agree its just emotion and we all handle it different, if he could just bottle half of it, i would see him in a lil different light.
Its not all about what i see or think, but its more about what my kids and the next generation see…
TOP 10: I think that we are on the same page. I wouldn’t want my kids to act like he does either. (and like I said before, I couldn’t act that way.) But he’s only one guy in the midst of all Professional anglers out there(maybe the only one who acts this way). One thing about Ike that hasn’t been noted in these posting is how he carries himself off the water, during the publicity tours and tradeshows. He isnt the crazy fisherman all the time. I think you’ll see him in the different light that you were referring to earlier. Thanks for the conversation / discussion. Its always a pleasure talking fishing no matter what the differences of opinion are on any given topic. Hope to chat with you soon again.
i understand that, but im in a place where we dont have a lotta shows or appearances.....so i only know what i see on tv.
I really shouldnt judge without knowing more, but as i said, all i have is what i see on tv.
as we speak im watching FLW, the championship from last year, Scott Suggs had a 4 lb lead going into final day......this was for 1 million dollars.....when he caught a good one he showed Cameras and yelled......but that was all, when he lost a fish, he said dang and carried on his interview as if nothing happened......i respect that a lot.
Wow...I’m with Tennessee. I hate to remind everyone, but this is bass fishing. I would doubt that Ike would show up to any “real” job and be as intense as he is on the fishing scene. He is passionate about his fishing (something I’ve learned to appreciate). Like in other sports, I think having an Ike and a G-man around adds passion and flare to the sport. They might also carry the “class clown” titles, too, but who cares? It is a sport...not life or death. Would I be proud if that was my son? Depends if he’s spending his winning on me, I guess *L*. Sure, I understand that the “class” of the sport is perceived to look bad to the outsiders, but that is that. I have been a racing fan for a number of years. Racing has a redneck persona around it and there is just nothing you can do to change that in some peoples mind. If you are concerned that the actions of Ike (or others) will make the sport have “less class” don’t. It’ll continue to grow because of anglers like him. It is the “freaks” that draw in the “non-fans”. Once they are drawn in, the meet the “classier” anglers like Clunn, VanDam, and others. Then a new fan can learn to appreciate a sport. Just because an angler is different doesn’t mean he should be thrown to the wind. Every sport and room for them all.
