How AOY leader Palaniuk spends a day off

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — It was a rainy morning at the Plattsburgh RV Park. Parked beside many campers were bass boats that should not be there. All was quiet except for one campsite, where a man posed with lures for a photographer.

Brandon Palaniuk wanted to be out fishing in Day 1 of the Bassmaster Elite at Champlain presented by Dick Cepek Tires and Wheels. Instead, he worked with Seigo Saito on a photo gallery for Bassmaster.com. The photo shoot was only the beginning of a busy day ahead for the current leader of the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year point race.

Unsafe conditions caused postponement of the tournament day on Lake Champlain. Palaniuk instead welcomed the break for many reasons. Among those was spending time with family visiting from Idaho. There also was lots of catch up to do.

“It is my first day off since ICAST,” he said, after moving inside the camper to respond to emails.

ICAST, the fishing industry’s annual trade show, ended two weeks ago and Palaniuk had fished every day. Make those long days.

“Here, it’s the time of year when you have 14 hours of daylight for practice and I use it all,” he said. “That leaves me little or no time to catch up on the business side of the sport.”

Earlier that morning Palaniuk stepped outside his RV and noticed the tree limbs swaying in a stiff breeze. Yesterday he anticipated the day might be cancelled. He planned accordingly.

The photo shoot came first. He then cooked a well-earned breakfast of bacon and eggs. That is a luxury when you normally wake up at 4:30 a.m., gobble down a bowl of cereal and fish for the next 8 hours for a tournament, 14 or more during practice.

Palaniuk planned to work on tackle and then enjoy the unplanned day off with his mother, stepfather and girlfriend Tiffanie McCall and their dog, Bella.

“I have been home only one week since January,” he added. “It will be nice to catch up with them, give fishing a break for the day.”

Palaniuk also holds a very tight lead in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year point race. The Idaho pro has 621 points with heady company behind. Casey Ashley is next with 613 points and Kevin VanDam third with 604 points. Jason Christie is fourth with 594 points. Holding down fifth and six places are Jacob Wheeler and Greg Hackney.

Three events remain on the regular season schedule and any of the above can unseat the leader. No lead is sacred. Just ask Ott DeFoe, who led the race for six events until a meltdown last week at the St. Lawrence River. He is now in 10th place.

Palaniuk didn’t even know he was leading until Trip Weldon, the B.A.S.S. tournament director, presented him with a check last week.

“I thought it was for my third place finish at the St. Lawrence River,” he said.

Instead, it was a bonus check for leading the AOY point race.

Palaniuk wasn’t kidding around about his unknown, lofty status. He usually finds out his final AOY ranking at the last event. Only then does Tiffanie let him know the news. It has been that way now for three years.

“I don’t look at the AOY points until the end,” he admitted. “I bombed at the Sabine River, got zero points.”

Then it got more ugly. Palaniuk did the math on what it would take to climb out of the hole, qualify for the sport’s world championship. He set a benchmark weight and focused on placing, not catching. He bombed again. Lesson learned.

“I was making decisions off points and finishes, instead of catching the most weight possible,” he explained. “Some guys need to know the numbers for motivation, but not me.”

Coincidentally, Palaniuk has fished his best three years on the tour since ignoring the AOY stats. This season is a case in point.

Palaniuk has five Championship Sunday appearances, finishing 12th or better. He won Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefitting the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. With the win came an automatic berth in the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

“A lot of guys say they are going out, fish for a limit and then upgrade, which is fishing by the numbers,” he continued. “For me I go out everyday with the attitude of fishing all day for a limit that will win.”

He proved that last week. After a dismal Day 1 he landed in 72nd place. Palaniuk admitted over thinking his pattern. He loosened up his mind, fished with a carefree attitude and the next day caught 25 pounds. The heaviest single day catch enabled him to rebound and fish for the win at the St. Lawrence.

Palaniuk won’t look at the numbers again until the season ends. This year, doing that will be more difficult than ever.