Career (2004-present)
After winning the Bassmaster Classic, Iaconelli continued fishing professionally. He recorded a fourth-place finish on the Harris Chain of Lakes in Leesburg, Florida in his first Bassmaster Tour event since his Bassmaster Classic victory on the Louisiana Delta. This victory on the Harris Chain of Lakes was the first of three top-ten finishes for Iaconelli. At the third Bassmaster Tour event on Lake Guntersville, he recorded a fifth-place finish. His third top-ten finish of the 2004 season occurred at Smith Mountain Lake. At Smith Mountain Lake, Iaconelli recorded an eighth place victory. Iaconelli qualified for the 2004 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Wylie. However, Iaconelli was not able to repeat as Bassmaster Classic champion. He finished 19th with a three-day total weight of 20 lbs and 13 oz.
In 2005, Iaconelli recorded five top-ten finishes on the Bassmaster and Elite 50 Tours. The 2005 Bassmaster Classic was held on the Allegheny River, Monongahela River and Ohio River. There, he recorded a fifth-place finish. He finished a pound and ten ounces behind the 2005 Bassmaster Classic champion, Kevin Vandam.
Iaconelli started off the 2006 season with a career-low 51st place finish at the Bassmaster Classic on Lake Tohopekaliga. For the remainder of the 2006 season, he recorded top-twenty finishes in seven of the eight Elite Series events. One of his top-twenty finishes of the 2006 season included a victory at the Bassmaster Elite Series Southern Challenge on Lake Guntersville. Iaconelli would go on to win the 2006 Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year award. Also in 2006, Iaconelli was named one of the 10 most hated athletes by GQ magazine.
In 2007, Iaconelli was not able to repeat as the Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year. He only recorded one top-ten finish throughout the entire 2007 season.
The 2008 season began with a tenth-place finish on Lake Hartwell. Iaconelli did not record another top ten finish until the Bassmaster Elite Series Tennessee Triumph on Old Hickory Lake. There he finished in ninth place. From there, he went on to finish fifth and third at the Bassmaster Elite Series Empire Chase and the Bassmaster Elite Series Empire Chase respectively.
Iaconelli started the 2009 season by finishing second at the 2009 Bassmaster Classic on the Red River. He was the runner-up to Skeet Reese by 11 ounces. Iaconelli would start the 2009 Elite Series season with top-ten finishes at Lake Amistad and Wheeler Lake. In August of 2009, Iaconelli again finished runner-up in a championship tournament. At the Forrest L. Wood (FLW) Cup, he finished second to Greg Hackney by 3 ounces.
Iaconelli's 2010 season began at the Bassmaster Classic on Lay Lake in Birmingham, Alabama. He posted a sixth place finish with 37 lbs and 6 oz. Iaconelli's other lone top ten finish of the season came on the California Delta.
At the 2011 Bassmaster Classic held on the Louisiana Delta, Iaconelli posted an eleventh place finish.
Read more about this topic: Michael Iaconelli
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