Hey Hall of Fame family,
I'm sure most, if not all, of you reading this know the story of legendary angler Mike "Ike" Iaconelli. He's a Bassmaster Classic and Elite Series champion. He's outspoken and can often be heard screaming in joy if he's catching big fish. He's a break-dancer. He's known around the fishing world for the catchphrase 'Never give up!' This blog post isn't about Ike, his career, or even when he became famous for the phrase. It's about something that happened to me today.
Let me preface this story by saying 2024 has been one of the toughest starts to a fishing season I've ever had. It seems like I've been skunked more times than ever, going countless hours without even a bite. I've still yet to land a bass over 1 pound this year. I've gotten snagged, losing both baits and confidence along the way. It's been a struggle to catch fish this spring. Every single time I hear the words 'never give up', I instantly think of Ike lifting a tournament winning bass out of the water and screaming in pure excitement. I'm sure you know the video. Earlier today, my brother, Paul, and I were fishing a small pond near my house for catfish. We were using bread (check out the floating bread trick blog post), and were off to a slow start. After nearly an hour, my brother catches the first catfish of the day, probably 5 pounds or so. The pond we were fishing is small, so we moved a ways down the bank after catching that first decent catfish. We fished the second location for about 30 minutes without any luck, so I walked further down the bank to the opposite corner from where we started. There, I got another catfish to rise on the floating bread, it looked to be a similar size to the first one Paul caught. I tossed my piece of bread right where I thought it would eat next, and it did! I set the hook, and SNAP! My fluorocarbon leader snapped when I set the hook. I felt very defeated. The first thing I thought was "Great, this is how my year has gone, and today will be no different." However, I know those negative thoughts weren't going to do anyone any good, especially me, so I walked back over to the second spot we were fishing and retied a new hook. I looked over at Paul, who saw the whole thing, and just like Ike, say "Never give up!"
I walked back over to that corner and immediately saw another, smaller catfish feeding on the surface bread. This one was probably about 3 pounds. I only had the end pieces of bread left, so I knew I had to make my bait count. I pitched my piece right in the fish's area, and it ate almost instantly. I set the hook, a bit lighter than the first time, and the fish was on! I loosened the drag and fought the fish in. It felt so amazing to land that catfish, even though it wasn't huge. I truly felt like I overcame my previous defeat, and I feel as though today's catch will be symbolic for how my fishing season has gone. Better fishing is in store, stay tuned! Sorry for the corniness of this blog post, but both in fishing and in life, "never give up!"
Tight lines,
Erik Hoffman, Hall of Fame Outdoor Co