Michael Iaconelli - Early Years

Early Years

Iaconelli was born in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He grew up living with his mother, his uncle and his grandparents. At a young age, Iaconelli was introduced to fishing on summer trips to the Pocono Mountains. On these trips, he was first introduced to other types of fishing besides bass fishing. His first experiences were with trout and various panfish species. His first largemouth bass catch came at age twelve during his family's annual summer trek to the Pocono Mountains. Iaconelli used a 9S Floating Rapala lure to catch the bass. According to Iaconelli, this moment sparked his interest in bass fishing. His love for bass fishing continued on into high school.

After high school, Iaconelli founded the bass fishing club, "Top Rod Bassmasters". Top Rod Bassmasters became Iaconelli's first venture into competitive bass fishing. The club had interclub tournaments amongst its members. In 1992, after three years of fishing in Top Rod Bassmasters, Iaconelli made the transition to the pro-am circuit. His first tournament on this circuit was the North Carolina Top 100. This event was held on the Lake Norman in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. In this tournament, Iaconelli drew widely-known fisherman, Tommy Biffle. In the following days of the North Carolina Top 100, he would also draw well-known fishermen David Fritts and Gary Klein. In 1994, Iaconelli once again fished the North Carolina Top 100 on Lake Norman. At this tournament, he won his first bass boat. The boat he won was a new Ranger 374.