Brandon Palaniuk is off to a hot start with three bass. They were caught within 15 minutes around the 8 o’clock hour. The Idaho native entered Day 3 in second place with 48-15. His morning bite was not good on Day 2, but that has dramatically changed on Day 3. Palaniuk’s second bass of the day was cause for celebration, a 5-pound, 2-ounce largemouth unofficially.
“I think we just needed to change it up a little bit,” Palaniuk said. “I knew those were bass out there. Just like last time. Trust your electronics.”
Within the next couple of casts, Palaniuk hooked up again and landed his third keeper, a 4-pounder.
“He choked it,” he remarked. “That’s how you know you made the right change.”
The first two days, a jerkbait was his bait of choice. The bait he is using now, a Rapala OG Slim crankbait, has been in his rod locker the first two days but has produced all his weight so far today. The Rapala OG Slim is a 2 3/4-inch flat-sided balsa crankbait that is designed to run about 6 feet deep.
Palaniuk also had one hook up that he thought was a big one, but the fish pulled off before he could see it. He leads the field with 62-2 unofficially and has a Day 3 weight of 13-3 on BassTrakk unofficially thus far.