Tournament News Powered By Lake Drive Marine
Friday, October 10, 2025
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By Al McGuckin
Elder Swindle Loves A Lure You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
On a perfect autumn afternoon, there stood 79-year-old Tommy Swindle on the Goose Pond Landing boat dock waiting on his son Gerald to come into Day 1 weigh-in at the NOCO Bassmaster Elite Series at Lake Guntersville.
Many may not know it, but the father of bass fishing’s funniest man and 2-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year has a long and impressive history as a tournament bass angler. Tommy Swindle was among the original band of anglers that signed up to fish with Ray Scott’s new Bassmaster Tournament Trail back in 1968, 1969 and 1970 – all the way through 1983.
“I had just enough money to enter three B.A.S.S. tournaments per year back then, and still feed my family,” remembers the always transparent and comical former building contractor.
Mr. Swindle’s bass fishing resume garners great respect. Not only was he one of Ray Scott’s original Bassmasters, he also qualified for the 1978 Red Man All American, five top regional trail championships, and won three boats as a co-angler in the early days of the Bassmaster Elite Series a dozen years ago.
Not to mention the day on Guntersville when he brought a 5-bass limit to the scales that weighed 39-pounds, only to finish second.
But when asked what his two favorite lures have been across 60 years of accomplished bass fishing, he stated a finesse worm, and one most modern day bass anglers have never heard of … a Johnny O’Neil Weed Wing.
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By Al McGuckin
Iaconelli Is Never Without a Tackle Bag – Or Stress Ball!
Editor’s note: This is the latest installment of a new series themed “Two from the Tundra” – in which the author asks a Toyota Tundra driving pro angler to pick one special possession, and one special piece of tackle to share with fans.
If you’ve ever thought the outrageous exuberance you’ve witnessed Team Toyota’s Mike Iaconelli exhibit is some sort of made-for-TV stunt --- you’d be wrong. The dude is an all-natural bucket of fishing passion, and he’d be the first to tell you his filter is full of holes.
Hence, it makes perfect sense when “Ike” was asked to pick one special piece of fishing tackle and one unique personal item from his Tundra – both were a reflection of his passion for fishing and the raw emotion with which he does life.
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BFOH Report
The Board of Directors of the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame announces the Hall has awarded four conservation grants this year to contribute to the mission of celebrating, promoting and preserving the sport of bass fishing. The awardees were selected through a highly competitive process, and they represent a diverse group of deserving projects.
“All our Board members are thrilled with the ability to contribute directly to these on-the-ground efforts,” said Bass Fishing Hall of Fame President John Mazurkiewicz. “These grants will help to restore subpar fisheries or to enhance healthy ones, and it’s extra special that two of the projects include efforts from high school bass fishing teams. This fulfills our preservation mandate, and by enhancing opportunities to fish we hope we can help bring new anglers into the sport.”