Iaconelli DQ'ed

[Bulletproof]

Did i hear it right?  Ike's been DQ'ed.?  A definite hot-button topic hey.?

[fales]

Yea you heard it right. He was towards the bottom of the list to. He had dead fish.

[MBell]

He went to check his fish and 4 were dead, either the livewell pumps broke or were shut off.  Apparently he swore and kicked his light pole.  If that is what happened that shouldn't result in a dq.  Of all the on the water fights between anglers this gets you dq'd under the sportsmanship rule?  Doesn't really matter though this classic is almost a joke, not the right type of fishery or time of year to determine the "best" angler in the world. 
-Matt

[Potter]

DQ'd for what?  I thought dead fish were only deductions.  Was the DQ for culling a dead fish?
The flag pole incident was not a real bright move. IMO

Potter

[ronhuntfish]

He was DQ'ed for bad sportsmanship. After realizing that he had 4 dead fish (probably his fault for not checking, or accidentally switching off the switch?) he had a hissy fit and swore and busted up his light post.

The tirade, according to Weldon "used very profane language in front of spectators. He removed a running light, which is part of our safety equipment and destroyed it."

He also made a call in to check if he could cull dead fish. He was told it was not against the rules, and I think he culled 2 dead ones.  The question was raised if it violated any state rules. I'm not sure on that.
"I totally feel like I'm targeted," he said. "I totally feel like I'm being sabotaged here. I don't know what my options are. I feel like if I don't take a stand, then not only myself but anglers from here on out are going to be open to this, and I'm not going to let that happen."

Well, he is the only angler I have seen act in any way like that, so I don't think any other anglers need to worry too much.
He seem to preoccupied by acting like a doofus for the camera and not worring about fishing, in the most important event of the year.
Obviously I don't care for Ike.

[Potter]

Thanks MBell

I should have waited a minute before posting, (or type faster)I could have saved my question.

Broken pole = bad day.

Potter 

[dhuff]

Him going off on the light pole. although not the best thing he could of done but certainly not bad enough to get a DQ!  He had 4 dead fish.  To me this brings up a very good topic or argument..... That being how all fisherman have to use a TRITON boat instead of their own sponsor or their own boat.  Maybe he wouldn't of had 4 dead fish if he would of had his own boat and clearly knew how to work all the controls.  Maybe that is not an exscuese.  But I hate how they can't use their own boat.  That to me is just rediculus.  Like a race car driver qualifiying all year in his car then getting to the Daytona 500 and having to use a tour sponsor car.  That is a piece of the fishermans equipment and for them to have to change that equipment in the biggest tournament of their lives doesn't seem right.

[ronhuntfish]

That being how all fisherman have to use a TRITON boat instead of their own sponsor or their own boat.  Maybe he wouldn't of had 4 dead fish if he would of had his own boat and clearly knew how to work all the controls.

He had to fish out of a Triton every event last year and had no problem. Every other angler fishes out of a Triton and had no problem.

I honestly don't know if his actions were enough for a DQ, the rule is open for a lot of interpretation.

But, when so much of your career hinges on how your sponsors feel that you represent their products, it was a bad move.  I think he needs some anger managment.

[djkimmel]

He did a pretty good number on the pole. It looked like he tossed it in the lake although we were distracted at times tonight. We were wondering when the DNR would come out and cite him for littering or pollution or something.

I think it is reasonable to expect more gentlemanly behavior from PROFESSIONAL anglers.

Fishing out of a different boat does throw you, but you know in advance everyone has to do it and they go through operations with you before you go out. It's just one more challenge that you know is coming and you have to prepare for. I'm not crazy about switching boats, trolling motor, outboard, electronics, but it's there so I just think you go in expecting it and being as prepared as you can be to adjust.

They limit rods and tackle too. Just additional parts of the adjustment. When I fished the All-American, I wanted to switch out one of my rods and I had to get permission, and then have tournament officials watch me take one rod out and put one back in. They also watched what I did with the rod I took out.

It would be nice to not have something like that take up thinking and planning time, but again, it's a known long before you get there and actually do it.

[Bulletproof]

I can't blame him for being upset, lord knows I would of been 'out of sorts'.  Bummer situation no doubt.

As a few of you have already eluded to, not very professional.  I hate to say it but just a dumb situation.  He is a role model for many youngsters in this sport, probably had 20 cameras on him and lost his cool.  As furious as anyone would of been, high profile pros have an implicit responsibility to stay the course or anyone for that matter, especially on a stage like the one he was on.  Whether or not he should of been DQ'ed is another thread and fray altogether.

Another issue that came out of this was the culling of dead fish.  Whether or not it was legal is one thing and many like minds who fish tourneys will be a bit more sympathetic to it but seems like this is an issue that may generate some subjective scrutiny as well.

[dhuff]

Just to get it straight.  He didn't have to fish every event last year from a Triton.  He fished all tour events besides the classic in a Triton.  I have a few tournaments on tape and he is in a green and white colored boat with RANGER on the side.  So changing a guys equipment such as that in the biggest tournament to me is just flat out not right.

[ronhuntfish]

The culling dead fish is another interesting situation. I'm sure PETA will be all over that one. 
Although, I would probably cull dead fish also if I had to (in the rare case that I even have a limit).  It's easier when you don't have cameras all over you.
I know guy that would not even bring 4 or 5 dead fish to the weigh-in.  One guy I know stoped and gave his 5 dead fish limit(the livewell stoped working) to some guy fishing off shore rather than bring them to the scale.

Unfortunatly, this Ike thing is distracting from the guys that are winning. I've seen less footage of them then of Ike.

[Bulletproof]

Although I'm sure it seldom happens, the idea of throwing dead fish back into the lake is not a good angle for this sport.  I hate to say it, but it demonstrates the lack ethics in the face of competiton and a 500,000 dollar check.  In an ideal world, those dead fish should of been weighed in with the others and the ounces deducted accordingly.  Most tournaments have protocol that deals with this situation and the fish are taken care of.  Tough rocks I guess for whoever it happens to, but lets do the right thing.

Integrity, Integrity, Integrity.

[Savage]

If this had been anybody but Ike, they would not have been DQ'ed.  Aaron Martens was wacking his pole onto the boat and swearing last year at the Classic....

If a camera follwed all pro atheletes around every moment, and was there when things went bad, about %90 of them would get penealized for lauguage and losing their cool.  How many times have we seen guys throw things, swear, etc?  Baseball players do it every time they step into the dugout, just a few feet from the fans.

This was a joke, and I'll say it again, anybody but Ike would have been just fine.

[dhuff]

Savage that is very true.  I also saw last year when Gerald Swindle went up to Zell Rowland and had a hissy fit because he was fishing the other end of the same 1/2 mile long bridge.  That wasn't bad sportsman ship.  You want kids seeing how they can't share water that far away.  How he got all mad like a little kid and ran over there shouting at him.  That was directly to another competitor as well.  Atleast, Iaconelli directed to something else.  No way he should of gotten DQed.  Bass to me has taken a big down turn.  You don't seem to hear about any of this stuff with FLW.  Maybe that is why alot of pros are switching over to them instead. 

[djkimmel]

He has definitely benefited from all the extra coverage because of his performances. I just think that also means there's a cost to all that extra coverage.

When you are in the spotlight, you can be guaranteed you will be treated differently because of that spotlight. I think Ike is intelligent enough to know that. He's been intelligent enough to know how to use his personality to get all the heavy coverage.

I don't hate him or like him. I love to see emotion. I don't personally like the swearing and he seems to carry it too far too often, but I fully understand why he does it - he's going by the 'there's no such thing as bad publicity' principle.

And I know there are people who like his performances much beyond the point I enjoy them. Maybe there are more of those people. I just prefer natural emotion to the overacting that he sometimes seems to sink into.

I'm definitely not arguing against anybody who says anyone else would have been fine - I totally agree that others may have gotten away with it. What my first two paragraphs imply is what my Mom told me when I was only ten - "Son, you might as well know now, life's not always fair."

[MaizeNBlue]

couldn't have happened to a nicer guy

[ronhuntfish]

I guess there are always going to be people who like him, hate him, or don't really care.

It seems to me this creates bad publicity. If I was a sponsor of his, I don't know if I would be happy about how he presents himself.

I think emotion is good, but it's become just a show. Every time he's on camera he has to put on a bigger show than last time.

I've lost my temper before, but what he did showed no control, with cameras on him and everything!  Maybe a DQ was not needed, but I don't feel sorry for him.

Why even have a rule about sportsmanship if you can't enforce it?  Where's the line? Did he need to smash the windshields, throw his gear in the lake, smash the dead fish with his foot, moon the camera?

[dhuff]

I totally understand where everyone is coming from.... The only point I am making is that we can't judge what they are doing or how we would act.  Unless we are in the same spot that he is.  You have to remember we fish tournaments normally for a few hundred or thousand dollars.  He is fishing for the championship of the world and 500,000 and we all know proffesional anglers can most of the time use all the money that they can get.  So until we are fishing on the same scale as he is it is very hard to judge. 

[canvsbk]

The light in question was carrying an American flag. After ripping it out of the socket and beating on the livewell he stomped it into a pretzal and pitched it into the lake. I was pretty sure he was history at the time.
He did call in on culling the dead fish and they said ok.
There's too many guys that do endless good for the sport and the future of it to have to put up with a 6th graders private pity party because he didn't have the brains to turn on the aereator.
Later on I'll tell you how I really feel.