Mike Iaconelli has a long history on Lake Fork, and to the best of his memory, he counts at least 9 bass over 7-pounds he’s caught during pro tournaments on the famed Texas reservoir.
When asked over a burger at Lake Fork Marina, featuring nothing but meat and cheese, what three lures he would call his “Greatest of All Time” on Lake Fork, the passionate New Jersey pro barely stopped chewing to name his starting line-up.
Football Jig – “Of those 9 really big ones I’ve weighed-in here, I’d say right at 50% of them ate a football jig,” says Iaconelli. “I either use a Missile Baits ½ or ¾ ounce jig, and I tie it to 20-pound fluorocarbon.”
Deep Crankbait – “Either a Rapala DT 14 or DT 20 depending on what depth I’m cranking. But the whole key is you better be hitting bottom or trees, or some piece of cover, on every retrieve,” he emphasizes.
Big Shaky Head – “Look, even on Lake Fork there are tough days. And when things aren’t good, a shaky head on spinning tackle saves the day. But I throw a little bigger one here on Fork. I’ll start as small as ¼-ounce, but I use the bigger 3/8-ounce here a lot too.”
Three very different lures, all designed to search out giants on the bottom of the lake. And for Iaconelli, all three are time-proven to be eaten by fat bass like hungry anglers hammering cheeseburgers at a lakeside diner.
