Following the first day of competition, Brandon Palaniuk of Rathdrum, Idaho, claimed that paying attention to the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings was negatively affecting how he approached each day. He hasn’t checked the points in a couple of months. He’s been swinging for the fence ever since.
His fresh approach is clearly working to his advantage because he weighed 20 pounds of smallmouth bass to retain the lead going into Sunday’s championship round in the Plano Bassmaster Elite at Lake St. Clair. His three-day total was pushed to 64 pounds, 5 ounces, keeping exactly 2 pounds between him and the second-place angler, Todd Faircloth.
“I started my day in the same place where I managed to catch three nice fish and one that I hoped to cull out later,” said the five-time GEICO Bassmaster Classic contender. He hooked, fought and boated all four bass on Bassmaster Live, an innovative video service that lets visitors to Bassmaster.com watch the leaders fish in real time.
“I left a little earlier, based on what I learned from the past couple days. It seems that the bite is shut off by noon, and I knew there were quality fish in St. Clair that could help me wrap up a limit.”
Palaniuk believes that to seal the victory Sunday, he’ll need his hot spot near Lake Huron — a 50-minute boat ride from Lake St. Clair to produce another limit of 4-pound bass.
Coming in under the radar to take over second, Faircloth weighed five bass for 21-11 Saturday, including the Bass Pro Shops big Bass of the day, a 6-3 smallmouth. He has a three-day total of 62 pounds, 5 ounces.
“I’ve been fishing an expansive flat that is holding the best green cabbage I was able to find during practice,” said the four-time Bassmaster Elite Series champion. “I’ve been finding new areas each day, and when I am able to locate tall and green cabbage adjacent to a break in the vegetation with a hard bottom, it’s pretty much a money spot.”
An interesting perspective to keep in mind: Palaniuk’s weights have been declining daily, while Faircloth’s have been increasing each day.
James Elam has been consistently dropping 3 pounds from his daily total. He weighed 17-12 Saturday afternoon, which kept him in third place with a three-day total of 61 pounds, 8 ounces.
He plans to grind it out on a spot that he’s been sharing with Palaniuk since Thursday.
“The fishing is slow and takes a great deal of concentration on that particular spot,” Elam said. “However, the fish that I do catch there are big, and it’s time to go for broke. I’m pretty confident the tournament will be won on this particular spot. Brandon has been very cordial and willing to share the water, it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out.”
Aaron Martens made it to Championship Sunday, climbing up to 11th with 56-1. With one day of the regular season and all of the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship to go, Martens has all but sewed up what would be his third AOY title. He leads his closest challenger, Dean Rojas, by 97 points and needs to finish St. Clair 101 points ahead to guarantee the crown. To do that, Martens will have to finish seventh or higher Sunday.
If he fails to reach the magic number of 101, he will need to weigh at least one bass in the AOY Championship at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, on Sept. 17-20.
Rounding out the Top 5 after the semi-final round are Chris Lane with 58-6, and Jonathon VanDam with 57-11.
The Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year race has Martens still on top with 698 points, Rojas with 601 points, Justin Lucas has 598 points, Jacob Powroznik has 565 and Edwin Evers with 564 points.
The Top 12 anglers will compete for the championship on Sunday beginning with takeoff out of Lake St. Clair Metropark at 6:20 a.m. The weigh-in will be held at the same location at 3:15 p.m. where the Plano Bassmaster Elite at Lake St. Clair champion will be crowned.
2015 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Toyota, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, GoPro, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha
2015 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: A.R.E. Accessories, Carhartt, Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Huk Performance Fishing, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Power-Pole, Rigid Industries, Shimano
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), social media programs and events. For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series presented by Allstate, Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation events, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Costa Bassmaster High School Series, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro.
2015 Plano Bassmaster Elite at Lake St. Clair 8/27-8/30
Lake St. Clair, Detroit MI.
Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 15 64-05 100 $500.00
Day 1: 5 23-04 Day 2: 5 21-01 Day 3: 5 20-00
2. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 15 62-05 99
Day 1: 5 20-01 Day 2: 5 20-09 Day 3: 5 21-11
3. James Elam Tulsa, OK 15 61-08 98
Day 1: 5 23-07 Day 2: 5 20-05 Day 3: 5 17-12
4. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 15 58-06 97
Day 1: 5 17-09 Day 2: 5 16-13 Day 3: 5 24-00
5. Jonathon VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 15 57-11 96
Day 1: 5 20-06 Day 2: 5 19-03 Day 3: 5 18-02
6. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 15 57-09 95
Day 1: 5 19-03 Day 2: 5 19-09 Day 3: 5 18-13
7. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 15 57-08 94
Day 1: 5 17-12 Day 2: 5 20-07 Day 3: 5 19-05
8. Chad Pipkens Holt, MI 15 57-04 93
Day 1: 5 18-12 Day 2: 5 22-01 Day 3: 5 16-07
9. Fletcher Shryock New Philadelphia, OH 15 56-14 92
Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 22-01 Day 3: 5 17-08
10. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 15 56-08 91
Day 1: 5 18-03 Day 2: 5 17-01 Day 3: 5 21-04
11. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 15 56-01 90
Day 1: 5 18-05 Day 2: 5 18-08 Day 3: 5 19-04
12. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 15 55-10 89
Day 1: 5 17-01 Day 2: 5 17-05 Day 3: 5 21-04
13. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 15 55-06 88 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-03 Day 2: 5 14-07 Day 3: 5 22-12
14. David Smith Del City, OK 15 55-02 87 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 5 21-09 Day 3: 5 16-11
15. Koby Kreiger Bokeelia, FL 15 54-15 86 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 5 17-03 Day 3: 5 18-15
16. Nate Wellman Newaygo, MI 15 54-14 85 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-15 Day 2: 5 17-13 Day 3: 5 18-02
17. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 15 54-09 84 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 5 17-15 Day 3: 5 20-15
18. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 15 54-08 83 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-11 Day 2: 5 19-12 Day 3: 5 16-01
19. David Williams Maiden, NC 15 54-07 82 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-10 Day 2: 5 18-05 Day 3: 5 18-08
20. Randy Allen Shreveport, LA 15 54-06 81 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-14 Day 2: 5 19-07 Day 3: 5 19-01
21. Boyd Duckett Guntersville, AL 15 54-04 80 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-13 Day 2: 5 21-05 Day 3: 5 17-02
22. Chris Zaldain San Jose, CA 15 54-02 79 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 5 16-07 Day 3: 5 19-04
23. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 15 53-15 78 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-03 Day 2: 5 18-13 Day 3: 5 15-15
24. Alton Jones Lorena, TX 13 53-12 77 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 23-10 Day 2: 5 17-14 Day 3: 3 12-04
25. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 15 53-10 76 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 5 16-05 Day 3: 5 20-07
26. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 15 53-07 75 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-05 Day 2: 5 17-01 Day 3: 5 17-01
27. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 15 53-03 74 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-11 Day 2: 5 17-13 Day 3: 5 16-11
28. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 15 52-12 73 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 5 19-04 Day 3: 5 19-12
29. Jordan Lee Vinemont, AL 15 52-09 72 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-10 Day 2: 5 14-14 Day 3: 5 20-01
30. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, GA 15 52-04 71 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-14 Day 2: 5 19-04 Day 3: 5 13-02
31. John Murray Phoenix, AZ 15 52-04 70 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-13 Day 2: 5 15-12 Day 3: 5 19-11
32. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 15 51-06 69 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-04 Day 2: 5 18-06 Day 3: 5 14-12
33. Brandon Coulter Knoxville, TN 15 50-14 68 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-12 Day 2: 5 15-14 Day 3: 5 18-04
34. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 15 50-13 67 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-03 Day 2: 5 15-11 Day 3: 5 16-15
35. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 15 50-06 66 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-14 Day 2: 5 14-09 Day 3: 5 16-15
36. Casey Scanlon Lanexa, KS 15 50-05 65 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-10 Day 2: 5 19-10 Day 3: 5 09-01
37. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 15 50-02 64 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-02 Day 2: 5 16-12 Day 3: 5 15-04
38. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 15 50-00 63 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-08 Day 2: 5 12-04 Day 3: 5 17-04
39. Kevin Hawk Guntersville, AL 15 49-12 62 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-08 Day 2: 5 18-03 Day 3: 5 14-01
40. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 15 49-09 61 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 5 16-05 Day 3: 5 14-13
41. Matt Reed Madisonville, TX 15 49-07 60 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-01 Day 2: 5 15-07 Day 3: 5 16-15
42. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 15 48-11 59 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 5 17-03 Day 3: 5 15-04
43. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 15 48-10 58 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 5 15-13 Day 3: 5 14-06
44. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 15 48-04 57 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-11 Day 2: 5 15-08 Day 3: 5 14-01
45. Kurt Dove Del Rio, TX 15 47-11 56 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 16-06 Day 3: 5 14-00
46. Billy McCaghren Mayflower, AR 15 46-03 55 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 5 17-03 Day 3: 5 12-11
47. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 15 45-08 54 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-08 Day 2: 5 17-02 Day 3: 5 10-14
48. Jacob Powroznik Port Haywood, VA 15 44-07 53 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-11 Day 2: 5 14-11 Day 3: 5 11-01
49. Hank Cherry Jr Maiden, NC 12 40-03 52 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 5 18-09 Day 3: 2 06-05
50. Matt Lee Guntersville, AL 10 33-03 51 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 5 18-01 Day 3: 0 00-00
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 97 513 1641-01
2 95 510 1647-11
3 47 240 830-11
———————————-
239 1263 4119-07