The first event of the Elite Series season conjures a unique, nervous excitement amongst the entire field of pro anglers. Even for established veterans, who have competed in most, if not all, of the twenty seasons of Bassmaster’s premier level of competition; the first day of a new season brings certain questions that only a full day of fishing can answer.
Such was the case on day one at the 2025 FXR Pro Fish Bassmaster Elite at the St Johns River. To compound the first day mental debates anglers were dealing with prior to blast-off at the Palatka City Boat Dock & Ramp, they had to factor in how Wednesday’s off-day would affect what they found in practice, as well what a volatile forecast featuring a significant cold front might do to these Florida bass.
As fans we expect professional fishermen to have all the answers, but the reality is most top finishes require real-time adjustments and adapting with the fish as each day progresses. Make no mistake, how they approach an event mentality, and their decision-making process is every bit as important as the lures or equipment they employ.
With day one behind them, Elite Series pros now have the insights of yesterday to lean on. Peek inside this process with Team Toyota pros Mike Iaconelli and Matt Arey. What questions did they have coming into day one, what did they learn, and what new riddles do they hope to answer on the water today?
Mike Iaconelli: 16-lbs 7-ounces, 20th place after day one.
Longtime fan favorite Mike Iaconelli is fishing his 30th season as a full-time pro in 2025, but a few weeks ago he started dealing with a right arm injury that jeopardized his season. The Yamaha Outboards pro is making due, fishing through obvious pain and wearing a brace on his arm to hopefully thwart his elbow from getting worse.
“Yesterday I was asking questions I’ve never asked myself in my entire career,” Iaconelli admitted. “I was wondering if I was really going to be able to compete with my injury. Can I make the casts I need to make? Is my elbow going to hold up to the hooksets? Normally, the questions I’m looking to answer revolve around fish patterns but yesterday was all about physical capabilities. Which is wild to say. My elbow felt OK during practice, but practice is half speed compared to a tournament day.”
Ike had a strong day one, catching over 16-lbs including a six-pound St. Johns River special.
“Yesterday I learned I can compete, and that adrenaline is a good pain reliever,” Iaconelli said with a laugh. “My arm hurt at times, but my mindset is… I’m fishing, I’m happy. A few days before I came here, I didn’t know if I’d get to fish my “dirty thirty” season or not. It’s all good! Today, my mindset has shifted and the questions I’m facing revolve around how this cold front is going to affect the fish in my area.
“I am making a long run and fishing an area I don’t think the fish are going to completely vacate. They aren’t going to swim several miles out of there, so I just have to see what their mood is and what adjustments I need to make to put together another solid day.”
Matt Arey: 10-lbs 15-ounces, 65th place after day one.
Arey ended day one on the wrong side of the top 50 cut and while he’ll tell you he didn’t find definitive answers to his internal questions yesterday, he did eliminate some things. Which is all part of the problem-solving process for Arey, who’s proven to be one of the most consistent anglers on tour.
“Coming into day one I was battling the typical Florida questions of how these fish, that really would like to move up to spawn, will be affected by this cold front,” Arey explained. “Florida bass do not like the cold, so my main goal for yesterday was figuring out what adjustments I needed to make to capitalize on the few good bites I’ll get this week. I only had seven keeper bites yesterday. I salvaged day one, but it wasn’t what I was hoping for.
“Honestly, I don’t feel like I got answers to those main questions (on day one). I got a puzzle piece or two figured out, but the whole picture isn’t clear yet. I have more work to do today, and I’m hoping to answer the cold-front conundrum I came into day one chewing on. I have a longer day today (Friday), so I’m thinking I’ll make a long run and try to keep putting the puzzle pieces together.”
