Elvis and Ike: Pioneers (of a Kind) for Our Time

Was sitting and musing this morning that Elvis Presley and Mike Iaconelli shared a common bond of sorts: They both knew how to really shake things up...Elvis, of course, in the music industry, and Mike in the world of pro bass fishing. Accordingly, they both likely will be remembered for a long time to come.

By 1956, only two years after beginning his singing career, "Elvis the Pelvis," as he came to be known, already was an international sensation. With a sound and style that uniquely combined his diverse musical influences and blurred and challenged the social and racial barriers of the time, he ushered in a whole new era of American music and pop culture.

Unfortunately, the life of Elvis was cut short by a heart attack. He died at his Memphis home, Graceland, on Aug. 16, 1977, at the age of 42.

Twenty-nine years later, at the 2006 Citgo Bassmaster Classic, Ike, the original "bad boy of professional bass fishing," got himself disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct (e.g., using profane language in front of spectators and removing and destroying the stern running light of his boat). To the chagrin of many, his meltdown was captured and aired on national TV.

Let's face it: All anglers have their challenging moments. How they handle them, though, runs the full gamut. For example, I was reading an account this morning by Jay Yelas, in which his Day 2 of a tournament on Kentucky Lake was turning into "a horror show," to use his own words. On Day 1, he had weighed a 19-pound bag.

Despite losing several big fish this second day, Yelas kept fishing and managed to catch another five-fish limit for 15 pounds and finished the tournament in the top 10, which put a nice paycheck in his pocket.

Said Yelas afterward, "There's no rhyme or reason as to why you catch bass one day, then lose one right after another the next. On those bad days, I've seen bass fishermen lose their tempers, break their rods over their knees, and mentally go berserk... . However, that's all a part of bass fishing. So, on those kinds of days, I just reason that at least I'm getting bites. And as long as I keep trying to catch bass, the chances are extremely good that I will have other bass bite that won't get away."

During my research for this post, I also came across an account of a "rising star" who had watched a top competitor disintegrate intellectually, emotionally and behaviorally as his anger slowly got the better of him.

"We were fishing a regional event, and I was a non-boater," recounted the rising star. "Clearly, this guy was under pressure from the get-go. As the morning unfolded, I caught a couple of nice fish, while the guy in the front made a few mistakes and lost some fish.

"Each fish lost, however, made him madder and madder. Eventually, his casting accuracy, his presentation skills, his hook-setting efficiency, and his fish-landing talents went down the tubes, along with his emotional equilibrium.

"Even more amazing was watching this guy's decision-making skills deteriorate as he became progressively more angry. We began frantically running from one area to the next, sometimes only staying for a few moments before he impulsively, angrily pulled the trolling motor and raced off to the next spot.

"At that point, I began to think about how many times I probably have allowed my anger to take control and ruin my day. I guess I'd never noticed it in myself, but it sure was obvious watching it happen to someone else," concluded the rising star.

As explained by psychologist Jay T. McNamara, also known as Dr. Fish, in a paper I found online, "For a number of years, popular psychology championed the the idea that the best way to deal with anger was to 'let it all hang out.' Anger management classes encouraged people to 'get in touch with their anger,' and this often involved yelling, pounding on pillows, and screaming at imaginary people in the guise of 'therapy.'

"We know now that getting angry leads to getting more angry, and the 'let it all hang out' movement thankfully has died away. The best approach to dealing with angry feelings, according to psychology research, is to replace angry feelings with more adaptive emotions. Being angry and being relaxed, for example, are physically incompatible; you can't be angry and relaxed at the same time.

"However, it's pretty hard to avoid an initial angry reaction when your trolling motor fails at 7:30 in the morning, or when the guy you knew was shadowing you in practice jumps your best spot on tournament day. Nearly everyone's first response will include words you won't find in the church bulletin. However, it's not your first reaction that matters most; it's the next three or four reactions," continued McNamara.

"It's like when you set the hook on a big bass. No one--not you, not Larry Nixon, not even Jay Yelas--can stop that fish from jumping the first time. But a great angler almost always will take control and prevent that fish from jumping again, right?

"Same way with anger. If you break the line on a big fish, your initial reaction easily could be an angry-frustrated-emotional outburst. OK, fine. No harm in that. However, after your initial involuntary reaction, you have choices to make.

"Is your next move to get more angry, perhaps to the point where you break your rod, or do you decide to take a few deep breaths, then check your line for weak spots and/or replace it? Do you let yourself stay angry, or do you treat this situation as another problem to be solved in a calm, practical way?

"Angry feelings are universal and unavoidable; they, like bass, come to the surface now and then for everyone. Whether they stay there or get replaced by adaptive feelings and constructive behaviors is what makes all the difference," allowed McNamara.