By BassFan Staff

Following his 2006 Elite Series Angler of the Year campaign, Mike Iaconelli was a free agent of sorts and looking for a new boat company. He'd been let go by Ranger shortly after the 2006 Bassmaster Classic as a result of his behavior during the tournament.

Ron Pierce reached out and took him in at Bass Cat. If Pierce felt it was a risk, given Iaconelli’s reputation and controversial antics, he never let on and Iaconelli has been in a Bass Cat ever since.

Pierce’s ability to make people feel like part of his inner circle was one of the qualities that will be sorely missed in the wake of his passing Sunday. Iaconelli was on his way to Louisiana for a sponsor event when he received word that Pierce had died.

“When I came on board in Bass Cat, it was a time in my career when a lot of people were shunning me because I was different and people thought I was over the top,” Iaconelli said. “I was the furthest thing from the norm and I will never forget how he accepted me into that family.”

What also impressed Iaconelli most about Pierce was his tack-sharp memory.

“I remember being at the 2007 Bass Cat Owners tournament,” he said. “There must have been 700 boats there and I was sitting with Ron and hundreds of people were coming up to him and he knew them all by their first name. I asked Rick (Pierce), ‘How does your dad do that – remember everyone’s name?’ He just had that special quality.

“Everybody who ever met or talked to him, the first thing they’d tell you is he’s the kind of guy who’d go out of his way to know you and help you. He’s going to be missed. He was definitely a pioneer in the fishing industry. I know Forrest Wood and Ray Scott will always be at the forefront, but I’d put Ron right there with those guys. He was a really intelligent man. You don’t get to accomplish all he accomplished by not being smart.”

Friend for Life

Tommy Martin was a member of Pierce's initial pro staff and won the 1974 Bassmaster Classic while fishing out of a Bass Cat.

"There were only a few companies making bass boats in those days and I had a good friend in Mountain Home named Gene Miller," he said. "Gene kept telling Ron about me – that I guided on Toledo Bend and fished tournaments and that I was a good guy who had a future in pro fishing, so I went up to meet him. Ron just up and gave me a boat and said he wanted me to represent his company."

Martin stayed with Bass Cat for several years until he got an offer from Skeeter that Pierce simply wouldn't allow Martin to refuse.

"Skeeter came along and they were going to pay me a good salary – I don't remember how much it was back then, but it was a lot. I didn't tell Ron about it, but he heard about it and he came to me and told me I had to take it. He said, 'You'll never make any money working for me; I'm a small company. You need to go with them.'

"I told him I wasn't going to do it and he said, 'Oh yes, you are. I'll fire you if you don't. Go with them and make some money.'''

Their business relationship ended at that point, but their friendship endured for another four decades.

"He was just a great guy and everybody liked him. I never knew anybody who had a bad thing to say about Ron Pierce."

Liked to Reminisce

Elite Series angler John Crews has competed in a Bass Cat since 2007. He, too, was struck by Pierce’s ability to foster lasting relationships and his impact on the industry.

"It made me very sad when I heard about the passing of Ron Pierce,” Crews said. “He was a wealth of knowledge and told great stories. He told me a few things early in our relationship that helped me be a better boat driver. That is not easy to do. I also loved to hear his stories about back in the day because I am old enough to know many of the people he was talking about.

"Ron always had a smile on his face and loved the Bass Cat family. He did so much to help the sport and boat building that he will forever be an icon in the sport of bass fishing and especially with the modern bass boat. Ron will be missed and his legacy is one to be very proud of.”