Three names surfaced in this year's Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year (AOY) race. There was Mike Iaconelli, of course, who won the whole darn thing. But there was also Steve Kennedy with his amazing year. And don't forget Kevin VanDam, who overcame a full-tournament DQ to threaten Ike for the AOY crown.
While Ike came out on top in the points, it was VanDam who ended the season ranked No. 1 in the BassFan World Rankings. Ike ended the season ranked No. 2.
What's Ike got to say about that? Plenty. "My view on Kevin has been the same ever since before I even knew him," he said. "Our history goes back to my being a kid and reading about him, then drawing him in a (Bassmaster) Invitational in 1997. In my opinion, he's the best fisherman in the world, so you're dead-on with your Rankings.
"It's humbling, and an honor, whenever you beat that guy," he added. "Whether it's AOY, the (Bassmaster) Classic, or any event – anytime you finish ahead of him, it's humbling and an honor, because you know you beat the best in the world. To be honest, I feel better about all my accomplishments because Kevin was involved. AOY means more because he was out there competing. He's the best in the world – period, bottom line."
And something happened in that '97 season that directly foreshadowed today's World Rankings. Here's how Ike tells it: "We drew each other – Kevin and I. The Invitationals back then were a sticky situation because it was pro-on-pro. He was in 1st, and I was in 4th or 5th going into the final day. We fished hard all day. We had words out there. It was kind of one of those deals.
"At the end of the day, we both caught our limits. I was happy, but at the same time, I didn't want to go out there and make an enemy. As we were going across the lake, he said one thing that gave me the best feeling. He was sort of apologizing and said, 'You kind of remind me of me when I was starting.' That was a great feeling coming from someone of his stature. It motivated me even more."
