Customer Reviews

Fishing on the Edge: The Mike Iaconelli Story

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I am not much of a fisherman. As a kid, I fished irregularly at best. For a few years, I lived barely a cast away from an artificial lake liberally stocked with bluegill which me and my buddies proceeded to assassinate at a terrifying pace: sometimes pulling as many as 100 a day out on cheese bait and marshmallows. Despite living near the ocean, I only managed to go out once on a day boat to Catalina and in addition to the many mackeral I pulled in that trip, I managed to land a bonito (which narrowly lost the jackpot to a fair-sized halibut, I might add). I once caught a trout while on vacation in Colorado. This is about the sum total of my fishing experience. As an adult, to say that I am an indifferent fisherman would be generous. I can't even remember the last time I picked up a pole. This is why I was as surprised as anyone recently when, while flipping the channels on my satellite system, I landed on the BASSMASTERS program on ESPN2 and ACTUALLY STAYED THERE AND WATCHED IT.

I watched the program in its entirety and, I must admit, it was not uninteresting. I was a little surprised, to say the least, when I saw these men jumping aroung like maniacs, dancing on their boats, and otherwise acting goofy and hamming it up for the cameras whenever they caught each fish. Needless to say, one of the loudest was Mike Iaconelli. I remembered that name Several days later, as I perused the new titles shelves of my local library, serendipity intervened and this book, FISHING ON THE EDGE, popped out at me. I added it to my growing stack of books to look at and possibly review this week.

I read FISHING ON THE EDGE in one sitting. Iaconnelli broke down the sport of BASS tournament bass fishing for me--a sport and a league I hardly knew existed a week prior--and he made it interesting enough that I may just check out those ESPN programs again the next time I am flipping through channels. FISHING ON THE EDGE is Mike Iaconelli's auto-biography, but it is also more than that. It is an introduction to tournament bass fishing which includes not a few of the sport's dirty little secrets. Iaconelli pulls no punches when he exposes the sometimes shocking behavior of the other pros on tour, the tournament officials, and even himself from time to time. But, outsider that he is (a New Jersey hip-hop kid in a sport dominated by southern good ole boys), he displays a deep affection and respect for the sport and for the sport's greatest stars.

I also learned quite a bit about fishing itself. Sprinkled throughout FISHING ON THE EDGE, Iaconelli offers generous sidebars which shed light on everything from his theories about tackle, technique, lures, boat positioning, and his favorite fishing locales as well as a guided tour of his several tattoes and his suggestions for how to watch a bass tournament as a spectator. Underlying it all, is the portrait of the man himself: what motivates him and how he came to become a champion bass fisherman. As inspiring as the story is, I have no desire to be a bass fishing pro. Those guys work too hard. However, I may just have to sneak out to the lake one weekend this summer and see if i can land me my first bass. Go Ike! I'll be routing for you at this year's Classic.

Jeremy W. Forstadt

Mike Iaconelli's entertaining life story takes the reader into the world of tournament bass fishing as seen through the eyes of its most flamboyant fisherman. Iaconelli's story -- from South Philly to New Jersey to the national tournament winner's stage -- is humorous and intense. Fly Fishing is the quiet sport, and Bass Fishing is the way-out-loud sport. Iaconelli's voice on the page reflects this difference without being too annoying or too serious. Read this and Monte Burke's new book, Sowbelly, and you'll understand the addiction of your bass fishing friend(s).

He's a little too high on himself, but the cockiness is backed up with consistently solid performance, so who's to judge?

Say what you will....but MIKE IACONELLI KICKS BASS!!!
The only pro that gives you every single detail on how he works his magic out on the water. Great read ...insightful....delightful and sometimes.........its just freak'in hilarious. Hey, if your into bass fishing or not once you start to read you won't be able to put it down. Heck, I'll even go as far as to say if you don't like this book I'll re-fund your money.................JK.

Smitty

It is not a fishing manual, more like a Rock N' Roll Biography about a fisherman. I highly recommend it!

I loved this book for several reasons.

1) First off, I bought this book because I like Ike's style, and wanted to learn his methods! I got all of that information plus some more! Throughout the book there are sections that outline the different methods, so it's easy to mark for reference later on. (I also recommend Ike's DVD to see the methods in action: Ike's Rules for Better Bass Fishing - Volume 1: Taking Luck out of the Equation)

2) Ike tells it like it is the good, the bad, and the ugly... If there are any aspiring anglers out there with a dream of making it big, read this book early on!!!

3) Ike is truly one of the leaders of the new generation in fishing. He brings so much excitement to the sport, all while keeping with tradition. His vision for the sport is what is needed to take things to the next level. He tells his story with passion and humor. It's just a great read all around! You won't be disappointed!

This book doesn't seem to blend well with the rest of my shelf. I don't actually fish. My nephew, Miles, loves fishing, and my brother-in-law (his dad) is a competitive bass fisherman. Miles wanted this book for his birthday so we bought it for him and I decided to read it before we gave it to him.


In case you didn't know it, Mike Ianconelli is the hip hop loving, baggy pants wearing, tattoo displaying, former champion break dancer who is from New Jersey (I think - I don't remember now) and has won some major bass tournaments - traditionally a rural, good old boy activity. It is a very quick read (an hour or two) and was very interesting. Until reading this book I had known absolutely nothing about competitive bass fishing; and I feel I now have some insight into an unknown world. Don't expect to see me at a bass tournement anytime soon, or watching one on ESPN2, but this was a fun and interesting book.

Full disclosure...I had only read about the author in Bassmaster magazine or watched him on ESPN, so I had a negative opinion about Mike before I ever picked up his book. However, that doesn't mean that he doesn't know what he's talking about when it comes to catching bass. He had many valid points about the world of professional bass fishing. The material about his personal life (e.g., divorce and his sexual conquests) did not really add anything to what he had to say, but all in all it was a pretty good effort. Mike, I don't hate you any more. I just think you are emotionally immature.

Fishing on the Edge is a great book! This well written account of the life of Mike Iaconelli and the phenomena of Bass Fishing is a must have and a must read. Perfect for Fathers Day!

This is not a bass fishing how-to guide, rather an entertaining behind the scenes look into the life of bass fishing's most electric star. Ike is the driving force behind bass fishing's surge into the mainstream and this well-written account of Ike's rise to stardom tells his story in a witty and readable style.