Mike Iaconelli is stepping out of a bass boat and into a kayak. On August 1 & 2, he'll be doing battle at the Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series event on the Susquehanna River!
One of the most recognizable names in bass fishing, competing on the water where kayak anglers live every day. This isn't a PR stunt, this is real life. Ike's rigging his own boat, running his own gear, and fishing the event for real, and there's a story unfolding as it happens.
Ike's Rig
Ike's running a Wilderness Systems Recon 120, powered by the Newport NK300 HD. It's a serious platform for a serious angler; and how he sets it up says a lot about how an elite-level angler approaches a hardcore gear-testing river system.
The Hammer Is Fishing Too
Ike's not doing it alone. Ike's son, Vegas "The Hammer" Iaconelli, will be on the water right alongside him. Though not in the Bassmaster event itself (BASS events carry a 16-year-old age minimum). Instead, Vegas is entered in the 2026 No Limit Big Bass Power Hour, presented by Native Watercraft, happening on the same stretch of river.
Vegas is running a Newport NK180 HD, rigged with a Newport rock guard and control foil. Same river, same weekend, next generation!
Two days on the Susquehanna. Two Iaconellis. One family bringing elite-level excitement to kayak fishing. This is a story worth watching unfold.