Brandon Palaniuk made an usual statement on the weigh-in stage yesterday. He said he hasn't looked an the Toyota Angler of the Year points since the second tournament of season. Palaniuk did some calculating after he began the season with a 101st place finish at the Sabine River.
"I did the math," he said. "I needed a top 35 finish every time from there on out. The first day at Guntersville, I was 14th. I said, okay, I just need a top 35. I went out and caught 11 pounds the second day and dropped to 60th. I said, alright, I'm done looking at the points. I'm going to fish to win every single time, not play it safe and see what happens."
When the Elite Series dropped the win-and-you're-in format for Bassmaster Classic qualification and went (almost) strictly to AOY points in determining Classic berths, Palaniuk claims he changed his approach.
"I tried to adapt and look at the points," he said. "But I found out I have to fish to win in order to fish decent. It's a mental thing. I finally realized if it was about points, I miss every time. I have to fish to win and that usually ends up a lot better."
Don't ever discount the mental aspect of bass tournament fishing. The longer I cover this sport, the more I realize the importance of it. That said, I'm a bit skeptical about Palaniuk's claim that he hasn't looked at the AOY points since mid-April.
Whatever the case, Palaniuk has missed a check only once since then. He finished 42nd at the California Delta, 10th at Lake Havasu, 59th at Kentucky Lake, 19th at the St. Lawrence River and 20th at Chesapeake Bay. Palaniuk entered this season finale 22nd in AOY points, and he certainly didn't hurt himself yesterday.