Palaniuk Caps Magical Season With Toyota Bassmaster Angler Of The Year Title

Brandon Palaniuk of Hayden, Idaho, won the 2017 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year title at Mille Lacs Lake held out of Onamia, Minn., Sunday.

Sept. 17, 2017

Palaniuk Caps Magical Season With Toyota Bassmaster Angler Of The Year Title

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ONAMIA, Minn. — As the 2017 Bassmaster Elite Series season progressed, Brandon Palaniuk always had a sense that he was in contention for the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year crown.

But he never let himself look at the standings. He never even allowed himself to think about the race.

Now, he may never stop thinking about it.

The 29-year-old pro from Hayden, Idaho, caught 62 pounds, 3 ounces of bass to finish in 20th place at this week’s Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship on Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota. That allowed him to finish 14 points ahead of Oklahoma pro Jason Christie and secure his first career AOY title.

“I didn’t know if it would ever happen,” said Palaniuk, who topped Christie by a final margin of 902 to 888 in the AOY standings. “This has been a dream of mine since I was 8 years old. I decided 21 years ago that this is what I was going to do.

“I just made up my mind that I wanted to fish for a living — and every decision I’ve made for 21 years has led to this point.”

Hoisting the AOY trophy was the culmination of a phenomenal season that saw Palaniuk record six Top 12 finishes, including a victory on Sam Rayburn Reservoir. The only time he finished outside the Top 30 in 10 Elite Series events was a disastrous 105th-place showing in the second event of the year on Florida’s Lake Okeechobee.

Palaniuk said he feared that finish might haunt him for the rest of the career — until he worked some late magic during Friday’s second round.

With only six minutes left before check-in, Palaniuk landed a 6-pound Mille Lacs smallmouth that proved to be his biggest fish of the event. He put the bass in his livewell and made it back to the weigh-in with only 40 seconds to spare.

“That’s when I really got the feeling that this was meant to be, and I think that’s why I was so calm today,” Palaniuk said. “When that happened, it gave me a completely different mental outlook on the whole week.

“It was like some light switch went off in my head. I think that’s why I went to bed and woke up this morning feeling like it was going to happen.”

Palaniuk spent the majority of the tournament using a drop-shot rig with a Zoom Super Fluke in the purple smoke color pattern with a 2/0 straight-shank hook and a 3/8-ounce drop-shot weight. He threw the rig on a 6-foot-10 Alpha Angler DSR rod and a Daiwa Exist 2500 reel spooled with 15-pound Seaguar Smackdown braid and an 8-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader.

But afterward, tackle and techniques seemed far secondary to his career accomplishment. The $100,000 he claimed with the AOY title pushed his career earnings past $1 million with B.A.S.S.

“When I first started fishing, I was running heavy equipment, cutting trees down and fishing local tournaments,” he said. “I would stash away as much money as I could during the summer from fishing local club tournaments. Then I just had one incredible year in 2010 when I qualified for the Elites when it seemed like everywhere I went in the country I caught fish.

“That’s when it all started happening for me — and that’s what helped me get here today.”

While most of the attention this week was heaped on the battle between Palaniuk, Christie and eventual third-place finisher Jacob Wheeler, the Bassmaster Rookie of the Year race was also decided.

Alabama pro Dustin Connell claimed that title by finishing 24th this week with 60-13. Connell’s closest competition — New York pro Jamie Hartman — had a tough week, finishing in 48th place with 41-7. That allowed Connell to win the ROY race by the thinnest of margins, 765-764.

“I set three goals this year,” Connell said. “I wanted to make the Classic, make the AOY Championship and win Rookie of the Year. Then, I also won a tournament (at Ross Barnett in Mississippi), so this has just been an awesome year.”

Unlike the first three years of the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship, a trophy and prize money was awarded this year to the angler with the heaviest weight for the week. The title of Toyota Mille Lacs Champion and the $25,000 bonus that came with it went to veteran Texas pro Keith Combs, who bested the field with 72-5.

“I’m a Texas guy, and that means I’m a long way from home up here this week,” Combs said. “So, to get to come up here and jack these big smallmouth with a big bait and a big stick was just an awesome experience for me.” The “big bait” was a 1-ounce Strike King jig in green pumpkin with a Rage Craw trailer in the Alabama craw color, which exactly matched the color of crawfish bass had been spitting up in his livewell.

Combs won the Livingston Lures Day 2 Leader Award of $500 for leading the tournament on Friday’s second day of competition. He also won the Toyota Bonus Bucks Award of $3,000 for being the highest-placing eligible entrant in the program.

Each qualifier went home with at least $11,000. Payouts from the $1 million purse were based on the anglers’ final standings in the AOY points race.

The second-highest-placing eligible entrant, James Elam of Tulsa, Okla., received $2,000.

Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., claimed the $1,500 Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award for a 6-pound, 1-ounce smallmouth he caught during Thursday’s opening round.

Grand Casino Mille Lacs hosted the championship.

2017 Points ReportPROFESSIONAL ELITE SERIESas of 17-Sept-2017Angler                                          Points      Lbs-Oz1 Brandon Palaniuk Hayden, ID                   902         365- 12 Jason Christie Park Hill, OK                  888         356- 43 Jacob Wheeler Harrison, TN                    885         374-114 Jordan Lee Grant, AL                          823         356- 15 Edwin Evers Talala, OK                        817         338- 56 Casey Ashley Donalds, SC                      814         336-147 Ott DeFoe Blaine, TN                          810         348-148 Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA                     794         343- 09 Keith Combs Huntington, TX                    771         349- 110 Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI                   769         344- 611 Brent Ehrler Redlands, CA                    766         343- 512 Dustin Connell Clanton, AL                   765         348- 413 Jamie Hartman Newport, NY                    764         329- 414 Seth Feider Isle, MN                         750         340- 615 Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL              735         334- 116 Aaron Martens Leeds, AL                      733         324- 917 Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL                  731         328-1218 Mark Daniels Jr. Tuskegee, AL                723         337- 319 Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ                    722         331-1420 Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX                    720         329-1021 Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR                     717         343-1422 Russ Lane Prattville, AL                     710         341-1223 Luke Clausen Otis Orchards, WA               700         311- 024 Brandon Coulter Knoxville, TN                698         333- 525 Matt Lee Guntersville, AL                    698         323- 926 Cliff Pace Petal, MS                         694         334- 227 James Elam Tulsa, OK                         685         337- 128 Randy Howell Guntersville, AL                680         331-1329 Josh Bertrand San Tan Valley, AZ             674         329-1530 Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC                673         316-1331 Micah Frazier Newnan, GA                     672         330-1132 Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY                    672         321- 933 Skeet Reese Auburn, CA                       672         319- 434 John Crews Jr Salem, VA                      672         311- 935 David Walker Sevierville, TN                 668         305- 436 Alton Jones Lorena, TX                       663         310- 237 Jesse Wiggins Cullman, AL                    657         330- 038 Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN              657         309- 339 Jason Williamson Wagener, SC                 648         318-1440 Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL                     644         312-1341 Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ            642         324- 442 Jonathon VanDam Kalamazoo, MI                638         323-1243 Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL                    637         315- 744 Dave Lefebre Erie, PA                        634         318-1145 Ish Monroe Hughson, CA                       634         299- 746 Adrian Avena Vineland, NJ                    627         321-1047 Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA      623         298-1548 Mike McClelland Bentonville, AR              616         315- 649 Bill Lowen Brookville, IN                    610         305- 650 Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS                609         292- 0

2017 Rookie of the Yearas of 17-Sept-2017Angler                                          Points      Lbs-Oz1 Dustin Connell Clanton, AL                    765         348- 42 Jamie Hartman Newport, NY                     764         329- 43 Mark Daniels Jr. Tuskegee, AL                 723         337- 34 Jesse Wiggins Cullman, AL                     657         330- 05 Alton Jones Jr. Lorena, TX                    454         238- 66 Gerald Spohrer Gonzales, LA                   378         224- 07 Jesse Tacoronte Orlando, FL                   373         234-138 Darrell Ocamica New Plymouth, ID              247         196- 49 Robbie Latuso Gonzales, LA                    225         164-1010 Tyler Carriere Youngsville, LA               210         197- 011 Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN                208         186- 9

Note: For a complete list of today’s standings in the 2017 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship, visit Bassmaster.com.

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