I hate to keep this pot stirred, but…
If you take offense to this, sorry...didn’t mean to hit a nerve. Everyone is certainly entitled to their opinion, but where I get my feathers ruffled is when “opinions” are based on bias vs. facts.
I am new fan to the sport of fishing. I enjoy watching all the fishing shows on TV, reading the magazines and have recently started to enjoy reading more about anglers, like Ike, through their books. While I can understand that SOME people are not fans of the acts that Ike does, unless you know the man and where he comes from, I don’t see how it is fair to spill your “opinion” as facts stating he’s bad for fishing (a statement NOT true). Despite his actions ON THE WATER, he is a true ambassador for the sport and gets kids (the future of fishing) involved.
Crazy comparisons to Michael Vick or Barry Bonds, a convicted criminal and probably a soon to be convicted criminal, are NOT fair in the least. Besides, Barry Bonds is a prick OFF THE FIELD, not on it. He is a jerk to his teammates which makes them all wish he was dead. Michael Iaconelli is NOT a criminal nor is he hated OFF THE WATER by his competitors. Ike’s actions certainly are not criminal. While some question why people migrate to something “different” (different as in a way a player acts to add “fun” to the game), I tend to enjoy the uniqueness of the moment. EVERYONE talks a little trash. C’mon, I’m sure we’ve all rubbed in our success to our fishing partner’s “bad” day. Because someone acts a certain way doesn’t mean they lack dignity or that they are not professional. Are you going to tell me that when KVD was talking a little smack (in FUN) at Jeff Kriet at last year’s Sooner Run, he was not being professional? Was KVD still being a “dignified” angler by have a lttle fun? And despite the “opinion” of some, I am STILL of the opinion that yelling into a fishes mouth (or performing any other of Ike’s actions) does no harm to a fish.
Think about it, as Tennessee explained, how is 30 seconds (to maybe a minute) of excitement while holding a fish any different than the stress caused by having a hook wedged in a fishes jaw, yanking that fish from its natural habitat, putting the fish in a tiny holding cell (for many hours in some cases) in your boat (likely with other fish), putting the fish into a bag (with probably 4 other fish), removing the fish from the bag to be weighed (more like poured into a box that has had several other fish flop around in it) and then take that fish out of the box to hold it up to be displayed for all to see (who knows how many countless minutes have gone by that the fish has been out of water) before being put back into a holding tank (with the mass of other fish that were caught) before being put back into the lake. Again, how does Ike’s display of excitement put any more stress on the fish than that whole process? I have done a lot of reading on BASS and how they run their tournaments. I am fairly confident in saying that since the bass caught in a tournament are treated like royalty, with the utmost in care, I KNOW that Ike’s actions are NOT causing any “extra” stress to the fish than being caught and going through the whole tournament experience does. I am pretty sure that BASS founder Ray Scott, or any of the tournament directors over the years would be reprimanding Ike for his actions IF they felt he was causing any undue stress to the fish. But guess what? That has NOT happened!
Like it or not, unlike previous eras in BASS’ history, ESPN is going to grow the sport and introduce it to all kinds of different markets and people. A growing sport means better things for ALL involved. This would include everyone from weekend anglers who’ll have better fisheries to tournament fisherman who’ll have more prize money to win (not to mention a larger fan base to buy products, such as hats, shirts, etc, and spend their nights in forums on their web sites). The new era of fans will do to bass fishing like the “young guns from the west” did to NASCAR. Soon, fishing tournaments won’t just be some hillbilly sport reserved for the backwoods, it’ll be big time event and enjoyed by all different types of people, just like other “real” sports. If you’re afraid of the change and chose to have the opinion that the folks out there who might act like Ike (who is also likes to power fish like KVD) are going to kill the sport, or somehow do some kind of harm to it, then you are gonna get passed and will soon be hating life. Ike brings the fans in! He brings POSITIVE attention to the sport AND sponsors.
This whole thread was started by someone who probably got excited because ESPN put some extra coverage on Ike being Ike at the Classic. There is an old saying in politics that there is no such thing as bad press. I believe that applies here in bass fishing, too. Not every new angler will scream and yell like Ike (I know I don’t, but I’m willing to bet that when you land a monster pig that you, too, might get more excited than you want to admit in this thread), there can only be one Ike, but the anglers who think this tattooed freak, who gets excited, is funny/interesting, will start to watch this sport and realize, wow, this is pretty cool. Next thing you know there is a new fisherman who’ll pay his/her license fees (which helps improve fisheries). He’ll (or she’ll) get his (or her) buddies involved and...I think you see the picture here (growth, in case you missed it).
Bottom line, if you don’t like Ike’s actions, cool. I really do believe that everyone who thinks Ike is not right and base their “opinions” of him solely on his acts, REALLY needs to read his book. If you understand where Ike is, where he has been, where he is going, then you’ll understand him and realize just who Ike is. NEVER GIVE UP (sorry, couldn’t pass on that one)!
thats just it, what you just said ..part of it anyway is a contradiction
“Despite his actions ON THE WATER, he is a true ambassador for the sport” << your saying his actions on the water is less than professional, are you not?
how can you be an ambassador for the sport when your actions on water are childish.......who made him an ambassador, a few fans, but not the level headed TRUE ambassadors to the sport that act like adults. i agree, we all have opinions, and i respect all of em, but on the water is where he should ask his most professional, thats where the kids see him most, not book signings.
Does a person in any other sport get excused of unsportsmal like acts, just because the hit home runs or score tds, no......i know its a whoile different act, but does people say its ok 4 that football player to drive drunk because he has 18 TD’s and gave 5 million to charity? no, its not ok.
i dont care if he break dances, i dont care if he yells......just put the damn fish in the livewell then act silly.
i still wanna know how many who disagree would pull the same actions in the back of KVD’s boat and still get a handshake and “it was nice fishing with you” comment at the end of the day. i would bet anytime you show up at a tournament a pro would say.....yeah, i heard about you.....dont pull that around me !!
AND, i agree reg tournament events stress fish, so why do it more than you have to? anything you can do to prevent stress helps....
many good points in your post, but many contradictions too......his book dont mean squat compared to his actions.......if you reread your post several times you say something about his on water actions arent great, but he is doing this and that........his on water actions is only thing im talking about, thats what kids look at.....how many times as a kid did you try to slide like pete rose, or catch a pass like Dwight Clark, or run like barry sanders........kids look up to what they see during the sport, not what they do as secondary events......we needs kids to get involved, but we dont need kids to think of him as a barry sanders of fishing and try to act like him. Society has gone the wrong direction over last many years, no values or morals anymore, but since things have gone that direction its become more acceptable......same here, actions that are tolerated now wouldnt have been 20 years ago.......I just dont wanna see my sport going in any direction but up, andi just dont feel like Ike is moving it that direction.
Yea I agree about getting fish in livewell first. As far as being a backboater I would probably try to keep it toned done out of respect of pro for sure. I do like Mike I. and I think he would be fun to fish with.
i understand that, but people are equal, back boater should be allowed to act like boater. if it was the right way to act you shouldnt have to toone it down, if ya felt those actions are too much that ya have to tone it down, then in your mind, his actions are too much too.
like i said, i have seen what he does off the water, i like him to....no question about that, i just dont like the parts of him that kids see and would try to act like.
Top 10, the use of “despite his actions” (or any other reference to his on water acts) is in for those of you who can’t get past the way Ike displays his adrenaling flow. Some, such as yourself, can’t get past this, thus the use of that terminology. I think it’s apparent that his actions don’t bother me. I would refer you to stories such as what was posted here where he not only fished with a Make-A-Wish Foundation kid, he spent extra time fishing with the kid (of course, regardless of a possible joke or not, the part of the whole thing that really troubles me is that some of you probably feel that kid should be shot and then burned for having had the wish to fish with Ike in the first place). It is stories like that which make Ike a tremendous ambassador to the sport. Just the fact he brings fans to the sport makes him an ambassador to the sport, much like what KVD does.
Again, I can see where Ike’s actions can turn you off to him (or make you feel like he is ruining his angler skills by the way he acts). I didn’t like him at first because, I, too, thought he was some whacked out freak. However, I chose to learn more about him and discovered Ike being Ike is unique and something special. Learn more about him and you can accept him for the way he is, that’s my point. To only see his actions and think he is just wrong is not right.
It is apparent you haven’t read the book, but if you had, you’d know that Ike and KVD were actually paired up once. KVD was cool and actually shared the front of the boat with Ike (vs. making him stay in the back of the boat). This, of course, shows how cool KVD is. Ike started to get a bit “Ikeish” so KVD asked him to go back to the back of the boat, which Ike did. After they got off the lake, KVD apologized to Ike for his actions. That made Ike appreciate KVD that much more. Hmm...if a class act like KVD can accept Ike for who he is, wonder why others can’t?
Top 10, you’re right. Unless you attend a BASS event, or get personally touched by a charitable event by Ike (or any other angler), the on the field/water actions are the only things a fan will see. That is why kids like athletes like Barry Bonds because he is an exceptional athlete on the field! They don’t see him being a jerk in the lockerroom or away from the field. Let me give you another example to display that I understand your thoughts. I USED to love the NBA. I was an old school fan of the Boston Celtics and loved the old Lakers/Celtics game. After Larry Bird retired, I phased out the NBA. I feel that it has become too much of a street thug game. However, do I feel that the top stars of the NBA are ruining kids or the game? No. I see kids still working hard to become the best basketball player they can be. I may not enjoy some of today’s NBA “stars”, but I don’t think they are sending the game to hell either.
I believe that when kids see Ike break into dance or do whatever Ike act he performs on tv during the tournament they get excited about fishing. Why? Because they dont’ see the sterotype of their grandpa fishing and telling them to shut up and stop moving around to not scare the fish. They see someone who gets excited and shares the excitement of the moment, just like they do. That is why people are drawn to Ike. I sort of understand your point on the “bad” changes to the sport (see previous paragraph), but I can’t understand how getting a kid hooked on fishing (regardless if it is through Ike) is bad. Ike does everything right. He doesn’t destroy the fishery is fishes. He is respective to his fish (I know we’ll not see eye to eye on that one, but if you’ve watched as many Ike moments as I have, you’d see that RARELY does his acts involve the fish. He USUALLY is quick to get it in the tank and then celebrate/destroy himself or his equipment). Ike is a very versitle angler with many different skills. These ARE lessons that are good for a young angler to learn. That, again, is why Ike is a good ambassador to the sport. Don’t be afraid of the future, my friend, enjoy it. IF you see a new angler who isn’t “doing it right” then take the time to educate that angler. Invite them to fish with you so that YOU can become the role model. However, I don’t think Ike brings in any “bad apples” though.
Ike is the best fisherman to watch because of his energy and if there were more people that had his heart for the sport, fishing would be more popular than what it is.
I’ll say this, I’ve watched this guy get a little over excited about catching 3-5 lber’s. If it was an 8-9, i could see that, but every fish? I have read his book and let me tell you, I have read a book since high school and it kept me interested. Ike is a showman, like David Lee Roth or Mick Jagger. Thats all he is. Dont get me wrong I would go out and have a couple of beers with the guy, but he like to play an act. His passion has pushed him to the top at times, and also pushed him over the edge. He is the most flamboyant angler there is. I gathered that from the book. If he could only separates his 2-sided gemini nature, and come together as one he could be a hell of a lot better than he is now. He is just not reliable. 5th in one, 28th in another, 16 in another, 1st, 37th....etc. Up down up down. And being a gemini myself, I see a lot of how he is in myself. Good days of catching and bad days. But thats fishing? Not really. Ask the more consistent anglers like KVD, Skeet Reese, etc. and they will tell you the same thing. I would not bet on Ike nor would i fish him in a fantasy league. But I think the outside distraction play a HUGE part in the way he fishes. I personally dont know the man, but when you are in the spotlight, you are up to be judged by the world. And it doesn’t matter if you have walked in his shoes, everyone is entitled to there own opinions.
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