Idaho’s Palaniuk Makes A Run — Again — At A Bassmaster Elite Series Win

Aug. 8, 2013 - WADDINGTON, N.Y. — Brandon Palaniuk busted one of the largest first-day bags of the Bassmaster Elite Series season on Thursday. That was the second item of big news coming out of this Upstate New York town on the banks of the St. Lawrence River.

Thursday’s first newsmaker was from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. He made a rare visit to Waddington in the morning, touting the St. Lawrence fishery and other attractions of the region.

As if to prove Cuomo’s point, Palaniuk of Rathdrum, Idaho, hauled 23 pounds, 9 ounces of smallmouth bass to the scales to lead the Evan Williams Bourbon Showdown at St. Lawrence River on Day 1.

He wasn’t the only one to show off the river, and the big smallmouth that live there. Even to make the Top 12 Thursday, an Elite pro had to break the 20-pound mark. To be among the Top 50 (the second-day cut mark), a pro had to have more than 17 pounds.

Among those turning in 20-plus pounds were Yusuke Miyazaki of Forney, Texas, with 22-2 for second place, and Dennis Tietje of Roanoke, La., with 21-9 for third place. Landing fourth place was a two-time St. Lawrence event champ, Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., who weighed 21-1. Fifth place was a tie at 20-15 between Charlie Hartley of Grove City, Okla., and Randy Howell of Springville, Ala.

Palaniuk — who also led Day 1 of the previous Elite event, which was on the Mississippi River — said he made a decision to make a hard run of 100-plus miles to a spot he’d found in practice. Allowing time enough for a return trip left him with just two hours of fishing time.

“It took me almost three hours to get to my first spot today,” he said. “My first two casts, I caught two 3 1/2-pounders. That gave me the confidence that I was going to be able to catch them.”

And confirmation that he’d made the right decision to spend most of his competition time running to the fish rather than casting to them.

“My goal was to catch 23 pounds a day. I thought if I could do that, I could put myself into contention to win,” Palaniuk said. “I’d caught that in practice, so I knew the potential was there.”

Palaniuk makes no bones about it: He’s after a win to nail an instant qualification for the 2014 Bassmaster Classic, one of the Showdown’s prizes. The winner also takes home $100,000.

“I don’t care about the money, just give me the Classic berth,” Palaniuk said.

He was heading toward that prize on the Mississippi River in June. He led the first two days by a wide margin, but his second-day catch was disqualified when he inadvertently culled a fish in Minnesota, which is against the law.

Palaniuk’s closest threat after the first of four competition days on the St. Lawrence was Miyazaki, who had two 5-pounders in his five-fish limit. Like Palaniuk, he had all smallmouth.

And like Palaniuk, Miyazaki said he also committed to a longer-than-usual run to get back to the best fish he’d found in practice.

“I find a good school of fish, I stay with it,” said Miyazaki, who, again like Palaniuk, had never before competed on the St. Lawrence.

The Carhartt Big Bass of the day was a 5-pound, 8-ounce smallmouth brought in by Brian Snowden of Reeds Spring, Mo.

The full field will return to the St. Lawrence River Friday. The Top 50 will advance to Saturday’s round. Only the Top 12 will compete Sunday for the Showdown’s title and prizes.

Also at stake at the Showdown are points in the 2013 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year competition. The top pro will take the AOY crown later this month after the season finale on Lake St. Clair in Michigan at the Plano Championship Chase. Points also determine qualifications for the postseason in September and the Classic in February 2014.

The AOY race leader going into the Showdown was Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla. His biggest threats have been Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., 44 points in back of Evers, and Kevin VanDam, trailing Evers by 50 points.

Compared to VanDam’s fourth-place showing on Thursday, Evers was losing some ground at 25th place in Showdown standings. Reese, in 36th place, wasn’t helping his bid to catch up to Evers in points. But points won’t be awarded until the event has ended, so that game can still change.

2013 Evan Williams Bourbon Showdown at St Lawrence 8/8-8/11
St. Lawrence River, Waddington, N.Y.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 1

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts

1. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 5 23-09 99
Day 1: 5 23-09
2. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 5 22-02 98
Day 1: 5 22-02
3. Dennis Tietje Roanoke, LA 5 21-09 97
Day 1: 5 21-09
4. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 5 21-01 96
Day 1: 5 21-01
5. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 5 20-15 95
Day 1: 5 20-15
5. Randy Howell Springville, AL 5 20-15 95
Day 1: 5 20-15
7. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 5 20-11 93
Day 1: 5 20-11
8. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 5 20-10 92
Day 1: 5 20-10
9. Jonathon VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 5 20-09 91
Day 1: 5 20-09
10. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 5 20-05 90
Day 1: 5 20-05
11. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 5 20-04 89
Day 1: 5 20-04
12. Chad Pipkens Holt, MI 5 20-04 88
Day 1: 5 20-04
13. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, AL 5 20-02 87
Day 1: 5 20-02
14. David Walker Sevierville, TN 5 19-10 86
Day 1: 5 19-10
15. John Murray Phoenix, AZ 5 19-09 85
Day 1: 5 19-09
15. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 5 19-09 85
Day 1: 5 19-09
17. Kevin Short Mayflower, AR 5 19-08 83
Day 1: 5 19-08
18. Josh Bertrand Gilbert, AZ 5 19-05 82
Day 1: 5 19-05
18. Kevin Hawk Guntersville, AL 5 19-05 82
Day 1: 5 19-05
20. Bobby Lane Lakeland, FL 5 19-04 80
Day 1: 5 19-04
21. Jeremy Starks Scott Depot, WV 5 18-13 79
Day 1: 5 18-13
22. Derek Remitz Grant, AL 5 18-12 78
Day 1: 5 18-12
23. Hank Cherry Maiden, NC 5 18-10 77
Day 1: 5 18-10
24. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 5 18-09 76
Day 1: 5 18-09
25. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 5 18-07 75
Day 1: 5 18-07
25. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 5 18-07 75
Day 1: 5 18-07
25. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 5 18-07 75
Day 1: 5 18-07
28. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, GA 5 18-06 72
Day 1: 5 18-06
29. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 5 18-05 71
Day 1: 5 18-05
29. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 5 18-05 71
Day 1: 5 18-05
31. Michael Simonton Fremont, OH 5 18-03 69
Day 1: 5 18-03
32. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 5 18-02 68
Day 1: 5 18-02
33. Brandon Card Caryville, TN 5 18-01 67
Day 1: 5 18-01
33. Timmy Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 5 18-01 67
Day 1: 5 18-01
33. Casey Scanlon Shawnee Mission, KS 5 18-01 67
Day 1: 5 18-01
36. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 5 18-01 64
Day 1: 5 18-01
37. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 5 18-00 63
Day 1: 5 18-00
38. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 5 17-15 62
Day 1: 5 17-15
39. James Elam Tulsa, OK 5 17-14 61
Day 1: 5 17-14
40. Billy McCaghren Mayflower, AR 5 17-13 60
Day 1: 5 17-13
41. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 5 17-12 59
Day 1: 5 17-12
42. BJ Haseotes Centerville, MA 5 17-10 58
Day 1: 5 17-10
43. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 5 17-09 57
Day 1: 5 17-09
44. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 5 17-07 56
Day 1: 5 17-07
45. Matt Greenblatt Port St Lucie, FL 5 17-06 55
Day 1: 5 17-06
46. Boyd Duckett Demopolis, AL 5 17-05 54
Day 1: 5 17-05
46. Morizo Shimizu Osaka JAPAN 5 17-05 54
Day 1: 5 17-05
48. Grant Goldbeck Boerne, TX 5 17-04 52
Day 1: 5 17-04
49. Alton Jones Lorena, TX 5 17-03 51
Day 1: 5 17-03
49. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 5 17-03 51
Day 1: 5 17-03
51. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 5 17-01 49
Day 1: 5 17-01
52. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 5 17-00 48
Day 1: 5 17-00
53. Kurt Dove Del Rio, TX 5 16-15 47
Day 1: 5 16-15
54. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 5 16-11 46
Day 1: 5 16-11
55. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC 5 16-10 45
Day 1: 5 16-10
56. John Crews Salem, VA 5 16-09 44
Day 1: 5 16-09
56. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 5 16-09 44
Day 1: 5 16-09
58. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 5 16-09 42
Day 1: 5 16-09
59. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 5 16-07 41
Day 1: 5 16-07
59. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 5 16-07 41
Day 1: 5 16-07
61. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 5 16-06 39
Day 1: 5 16-06
62. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 5 16-05 38
Day 1: 5 16-05
63. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 5 16-03 37
Day 1: 5 16-03
64. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 5 16-02 36
Day 1: 5 16-02
65. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 5 15-15 35
Day 1: 5 15-15
66. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 5 15-14 34
Day 1: 5 15-14
67. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 5 15-12 33
Day 1: 5 15-12
68. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 5 15-10 32
Day 1: 5 15-10
69. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 5 15-08 31
Day 1: 5 15-08
70. David Smith Del City, OK 5 15-04 30
Day 1: 5 15-04
71. Rick Morris Lake Gaston, VA 5 15-03 29
Day 1: 5 15-03
71. Nate Wellman Newaygo, MI 5 15-03 29
Day 1: 5 15-03
73. Shaw E Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 5 14-14 27
Day 1: 5 14-14
74. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 5 14-13 26
Day 1: 5 14-13
75. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 5 14-12 25
Day 1: 5 14-12
76. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 5 14-10 24
Day 1: 5 14-10
77. Jamie Horton Centerville, AL 5 14-08 23
Day 1: 5 14-08
78. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 5 14-04 22
Day 1: 5 14-04
79. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 5 14-03 21
Day 1: 5 14-03
79. Chris Zaldain San Jose, CA 5 14-03 21
Day 1: 5 14-03
81. Fletcher Shryock New Philadelphia, OH 5 13-13 19
Day 1: 5 13-13
82. Zell Rowland Montgomery, TX 5 13-11 18
Day 1: 5 13-11
83. Matt Herren Trussville, AL 5 13-09 17
Day 1: 5 13-09
83. Pete Ponds Madison, MS 5 13-09 17
Day 1: 5 13-09
85. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 5 13-07 15
Day 1: 5 13-07
86. Kevin Ledoux Choctaw, OK 5 13-04 14
Day 1: 5 13-04
87. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 5 13-03 13
Day 1: 5 13-03
88. Kelly Jordon Palestine, TX 5 12-12 12
Day 1: 5 12-12
89. Jared Miller Norman, OK 5 12-10 11
Day 1: 5 12-10
90. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 5 12-06 10
Day 1: 5 12-06
91. Matt Reed Madisonville, TX 5 12-05 9
Day 1: 5 12-05
92. Casey D Ashley Donalds, SC 5 12-03 8
Day 1: 5 12-03
93. Kenyon Hill Norman, OK 5 10-15 7
Day 1: 5 10-15
94. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 5 10-03 6
Day 1: 5 10-03
95. Jason Quinn Rock Hill, SC 5 10-01 5
Day 1: 5 10-01
96. Jami Fralick Martin, SD 4 09-07 4
Day 1: 4 09-07
97. Chip Porche Bixby, OK 1 01-14 3
Day 1: 1 01-14
98. Scott Ashmore Broken Arrow, OK 1 01-05 2
Day 1: 1 01-05
99. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 95 481 1621-05
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95 481 1621-05