THE
CLOSER
by Paul Strege
Certain anglers possess a special ability, an uncanny sense,
for closing out victories.
New York Yankee Manager Joe Torre walks out to the mound in the
bottom of the ninth. He calls upon his trusted relief pitcher,
Mariano Rivera, to close the game. Torre’s team leads by a single
run with two runners on and no one out. Forty thousand opposing fans
begin a rhythmic chant in hopes of rattling the seasoned reliever.
With a nonchalant poise that defies those in attendance, Rivera
takes his place at the mound. He toes the rubber, hunches over, and
focuses on his catcher. The next three successive batters are
retired quickly in order. The Yankees win, congratulate each other,
and walk off the field.
The workmanlike approach of the game’s best closers is often viewed
by competitors as arrogant, overconfident, and even conceited. But
for the closer, this approach is essential to ensure a win.
Otherwise, they will most certainly succumb to the enormous pressure
of closing the game and blow the chance at a victory.
Semi- and tour-level bass fishing circuits have similar situations.
In multiple day tournament formats, front-running anglers are faced
with unique pressures. Fields in excess of 200 anglers are
continually chasing down a single person – the leader of the event.
The angling peloton often consists of the best local and touring
professionals bass fishing has to offer. Review the final standings,
and one can see that certain anglers possess a special ability, an
uncanny sense, for closing out victories.
Michael Iaconelli of Runnemede, New Jersey, has the gift. He has
placed atop the leader board at virtually every tournament level.
His victory event list includes: the BASS Federation National
Championship, BASS Top 100, BASS Top 150, Bassmaster Elite Series,
the Bassmaster Classic, and the FLW Tour. Most recently, Mike
secured the Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year title on the
last day of the last event of the tour season. He led the points
race for almost one-half of the season. Aside from the titles,
nearly all of his victories have one thing in common: he has led
going into the last day. So, how does one person who rose from the
grass-roots level to the upper echelon of bass fishing continue to
“close the game” at every level along his rise?
ANATOMY OF A VICTORY
Mike established a formula early on in his career that seamlessly
translated into closing final day victories. Founded from the very
beginning, the formula has carried through today and has evolved
into a purposeful style of fishing. For an angler who follows that
model, it can tip the odds in favor of getting on the tournament
podium. The basic components include: pre-tournament preparation,
executing a sound game plan, being versatile enough to adapt to
changing conditions, and concluding every tournament with an
evaluation. In a recent interview, Mike identifies specialized
tactics and proven strategies that can improve any angler’s chances
of closing tournament victories. And, as he was quick to point out,
it all starts with preparation.
PRE-TOURNAMENT PREPARATION: DEVELOPING A GAME PLAN
Much has been documented of Mike’s thorough preparation ritual. In
fact, his method has generated enough of an interest to inspire the
release of an instructional audio disc. In his tutorial, Mike
discusses the importance of completing lake research, searching
tournament results, practicing hard, and game planning. But beneath
those scribed words, is there actually more to be learned?
Practice Approach
The approach used by Mike during practice is organized, but at the
same time open-minded.
Mike explains, “I don’t approach the lake like ‘Hey, let’s go
fishing!’ It is more organized than that. I have always been big
into research and putting together a game plan. In the three
official days of practice, I am trying to identify locations of fish
and develop confidence in a wide variety of lures. In essence, I am
developing a template to put me in the ballpark of what the fish
will be doing when conditions change.”
Although structured, Mike’s practice period involves breaking the
lake down into sections or, if the lake is large enough, focusing on
a section that he believes will be most productive. Concentrating on
one piece at a time helps him to gain confidence in the template
that he will utilize during the event.
Tournament Format
Although rarely discussed by touring professionals, game planning is
extremely important when entering a tournament and will often have
the greatest influence in positioning an angler for the win.
Tournament format, a basic factor that many competitors overlook,
can be categorized into two types: cumulative- and reset-weight.
With cumulative-weight tournaments, the winner is determined by the
total weight caught for the entire event. For reset-weight contests,
an angler’s position entering the finals (the last day, or last two
days of competition) is established by the total weight caught
previously. Weights are then reset for the final day of competition.
Mike notes the differences between the two formats. “There
definitely is a big difference in strategy between the two
tournament formats. The reset-weight format is probably the only
time where I feel like I try to conserve both numbers and weight of
fish that I catch in the opening rounds. I believe an angler fishing
that style tournament should almost build up their weight when going
into and fishing the finals. Doing that creates momentum. I am often
asked if I ever save fish during a tournament. I can honestly answer
that I have never done that in a cumulative-weight tournament to
date. In my opinion, you go after the most amount of weight you can
catch every day. I think that is important because conditions
change, and you cannot count on catching fish the same way and in
the same locations as the day before.”
Game Plan Styles
As obvious as the differences between tournament formats are the
not-so-evident subtleties between game plan strategies. Depending
upon the time of year, familiarity with a lake, or the results
achieved from pre-fishing, an angler may choose to develop a
tournament strategy focused on winning. That single decision
ultimately factors into the frequency of wins and the variability of
not-so-victorious occasions. Take, for example, an angler who
chooses to fish their strength. A stubbornness to adapt to actual
conditions may prohibit the angler from achieving a “decent” finish.
But when that devotion is applied to the appropriate conditions, the
angler will be very difficult to beat. Examine the tournament as a
whole, and the margin of victory will be relatively large, even more
so if weather and other conditions remained stable.
Mike confirms the success of this methodology. “In most cases,
everyone has to do what works for them. There are a handful of guys
out there that love to do one thing. Over the years they have
developed the strategy, ‘If I’m going to win a tournament, I am
going to win it fishing my strength.’ And they fish their strength
all year. And I can testify that they have won tournaments,
Classics, and Angler of the Year titles. The strategy there is ‘If I
keep fishing my strength, it’s eventually going to put me in a
position to win.’”
Multifaceted anglers, however, are known for their ability to change
and for being good at several different techniques. Their tournament
resumes are highlighted with successful performances across the
country and on several different types of water. When that style is
used in game planning, a consistent performance almost becomes
routine. And, once that particular angler takes the lead, that
consistency will pay big dividends, especially in variable
conditions.
“Everyone eventually develops a strategy to win that they are most
comfortable with. For me, it’s been preparation before I get to a
lake, developing a game plan, practicing hard every day, fishing the
moment, and being versatile. Yeah, I prefer to power fish, but in
most of my tournament wins, I’ve had a spinning rod involved. So it
is that versatility that has allowed me to fish instinctively and to
ultimately win.”
EXECUTION AND ADJUSTMENT
Putting yourself in a position to win and closeout a victory is no
easy task. Executing a solid game plan simply may not be enough.
What happens if the weather changes? What if you’ve underestimated
the production of your key fishing areas? How do you “hang on” with
a lead that is diminishing? These are questions that are addressed
by proper execution and adjustment.
“Get Your Five”
Mike is a devout believer in catching a limit. He attributes his
2006 Bassmaster Elite Series victory on Lake Guntersville, Alabama,
to his decision to fill his limit. When conditions changed that
prohibited him from milking another fish from his key weed line, he
changed his strategy and went shallow.
“The last day of Guntersville, I caught two nice fish right away and
went the next couple of hours without a bite. During that stretch, I
was saying to myself, ‘All I need to do is to wait for these fish to
turn on.’ At the same time, though, I knew that I needed five. So I
scrapped my original plan to stay off shore and crank, grabbed my
spinning rod and went up shallow. The decision paid off and I caught
three more keepers. Looking back on it, those three fish won the
tournament.”
This simple principle also went a long way for Mike during the 2006
Bassmaster Elite Series, when he secured the Angler of the Year
title. A single fish on the last day, at the last event of the
season proved to be the difference between winning the title and a
runner-up performance. Also of note is that when Mike first captured
the lead in the season points race, he never relinquished the top
spot – another result of his daily efforts to secure a limit.
Versatility
A focus on obtaining a limit also encourages change. The phrase,
“Fish the Moment”, has become a mission statement for Mike. It is an
axiom that he continues to follow during competition.
“Forget about what happened yesterday, an hour ago, or even five
minutes ago. You are trying to fish in the present. When the bite
dies and an hour passes, that is when the fish are telling you to
change. That says to me, ‘Hey, Mike, you gotta change!’ I try and
listen to that. It is hard because, as a human being, your instinct
is to go back and fish your history. Everybody does that at times,
even the best in the world. But when you open yourself up and start
fishing ‘free’ – fishing instinctively – that is really when you are
going to start to win tournaments. You have let your instinct take
over.”
That versatility is accommodated in Mike’s original game plan, where
he established a template to put himself “in the ballpark” of what
the fish will do when conditions change.
The Final Day
Tournaments today are unique in that anglers are competing against
one another without knowing how the opposition is performing. Couple
that lack of knowledge with situational encounters such as boat
breakdowns, spectator traffic, and a camera crew recording every
second, and it is easy to forget what the competition is all about:
catching fish. An angler, however, can maintain focus simply by
redefining the things that cannot be controlled. Mike will
categorize those situational occurrences with other variables such
as weather, current, water color, and season. As much as tournament
anglers would like to ignore the fact that a virtual armada of boats
is chasing them, the reality of the situation requires conscious
adjustment.
Mike takes those adjustments in stride, “For years, we’ve talked
about how the neat thing about this sport is that there are
thousands of variables coming at you every day. And they change all
the time. You are trying to identify those variables and keep up
with the overall puzzle. And, when leading, the pace required to
keep up is that much greater.”
Adjusting to those additional final day factors does not require a
change in how or where an angler fishes, but rather requires a
change in the approach. Spectator boat traffic, as Mike identifies,
is one good example of when there may be a need to adjust to those
special factors.
“If I have 40 boats following me and I’m fishing a weed bed, I’m
going to stop short of the spot and make longer casts. I may ask
people to shut their depth finders off, too. So, yeah, spectator
boats factor into the equation. To me, it’s not a situation where I
would change and do something completely different. It’s just
another variable.”
With final day factors identified, Mike surprisingly tries not to
think about the competition. Whether he is leading or chasing, he
tries not to get caught up in what the other competitors are doing.
“I try not to waste energy worrying about things that are out of my
control, especially the performance of other anglers. If a guy
decides to gamble and goes out and catches 50 pounds and beats me –
man, that was awesome. He absolutely made the right decision. But it
doesn’t help me to continually look over my shoulder because it is
out of my control.”
Often to the detriment of their performance, many anglers will scrap
their original game plan, even within sight of a win. Mike advises
that, if in doubt, anglers should not make a change.
“If I am within two or three pounds of the lead, I’ve got a
realistic shot of winning. So, I stick with my original plan. But
there are other tournaments where I go into the last day in 12th and
am 10 pounds out. That’s really I say ‘Man, I have to swing for the
fences.’ But honestly, when I am in sight of the win, I don’t fish
like that.”
Going into the final day with a lead, this approach has helped Mike
close every one of those professional tournaments with a victory.
And, as the size of his trophy case has grown, so has his comfort in
being a front-runner.
“I’d rather have the lead, whether it is a pound or 10 pounds. I
don’t think there’s ever been a situation where I said to myself, ‘I
wish I was in second’ going into the last day. I want to be in first
from the very beginning of the tournament until the final day.
Early-on in my career, yeah, there was tremendous pressure
associated with being a leader, but as you mature as a tournament
angler, you learn how to adapt to that pressure.”
In those situations where he has lost a lead prior to the final day
or was unsuccessful in overtaking the front-runner, Mike will try to
learn from experience by evaluating his performance.
POST-TOURNAMENT EVALUATION
In every tournament, there is only one winner. For those anglers
that are left looking up, a post-tournament evaluation can pay
dividends down the road. A thorough introspection asking the most
basic question, “What did I do and what did the winners do?” serves
as a good starting point according to Mike.
He adds, “As disappointing as it is not to win, I try and use that
feeling as a tool to make things better in the future. I will say to
myself, ‘Next time I am going to try and not let that happen.’ Then
I will put it out of my mind and start thinking about the next
event. That’s the mentality you need to have, especially over the
course of a season. You need to be able to put disappointments
behind you.”
Evaluations, however, don’t always have to be depressing. An
analysis of tournament wins or successful performances can help an
angler notice similarities between their victories and the decisions
that were made to get them there. For Mike, the common trend is
obvious.
“I think every one of my victories came down to a last day decision.
And going into the last day, if you were to ask me, ‘Mike, how are
you going to win the tournament today?’, I would have answered with
a description of a pattern or plan that ended up being completely
different than what I had done in the previous days of the event.”
Identifying that trend also builds the confidence required to make
an instinctive change on the last day. Combined with game planning,
execution, and adjustments, Mike has proven that his formula is a
success.
So, the next time you are at the ballpark, take note of who’s on the
mound in the bottom of the ninth.
You may be watching Michael Iaconelli – the game’s best closer.
Paul Strege
