Partial Day Is Plenty For Palaniuk At Bull Shoals

By BassFan Staff

Just imagine what Brandon Palaniuk could've done had he had an entire day to fish.

The second-year pro from Idaho weighed a tournament-best 24-04 sack today at the Bull Shoals Bassmaster Elite Series in Arkansas despite a mid-day trip to a hospital emergency room to have a crankbait hook removed from the pinky finger on his left hand. The hook was planted in his digit by a 6-pounder, which was the biggest fish on a stringer that gave him a 45-13 2-day total and extended his lead to 8 pounds.

Matt Herren caught 17-00 today to retain the No. 2 position with a 37-13 total. Bobby Lane, who outfished younger brother Chris for the first time in awhile, sacked 19-12 to move up to 3rd from 7th with 37-07

Britt Myers, who's started a nice roll since finishing last in the season-opening event at the St. Johns River, scaled a 20-04 bag to move up 24 places to 4th with 35-03. Scott Rook, another guy who's gathered recent momentum after a poor 2011 campaign, bagged 20-12 and gained 29 spots to 5th with 34-14.

Here's a peek at the current Top 12, with deficit margin from leader shown by red numbers in parentheses:

1. Brandon Palaniuk: 45-13
2. Matt Herren: 37-13 (8-00)
3. Bobby Lane: 37-07 (8-06)
4. Britt Myers: 35-03 (10-10)
5. Scott Rook: 34-14 (10-15)
6. Brent Chapman: 34-05 (11-08)
7. Jason Quinn: 33-04 (12-09)
8. Mike Iaconelli: 33-01 (12-12)
9. Boyd Duckett: 33-00 (12-13)
10. (tie) Rick Clunn: 32-15 (12-14)
10. (tie) Travis Manson: 32-15 (12-14)
12. Edwin Evers: 32-14 (12-15)

The dry, sunny conditions of day 1 gave way to much cooler temperatures, gray skies and a few periods of rain today. It seemed to make the bite even better as the number of 20-pound bags doubled (from two to four) and the 50th-place cutline climbed to 27-02 – quite a bit higher than most pre-tournament projections.

It became evident today that cranking is the primary pattern, but lots of other techniques are being utilized. There's a seemingly endless number of 2 1/2-pound fish there for the taking, and one or two bites a day that are twice that size are the difference between a fun day catching a ton of fish and a bag that's considerably bigger than the what majority of the field is catching.

Only five of the Top 12 were holdovers from yesterday. The new arrivals were Myers, Rook, Chapman, Iaconelli, Duckett, Manson and Evers. Of those, Duckett made the biggest jump – he gained 55 places with a 20 1/2-pound sack.

Those who moved out were Cliff Pace (3rd to 15th with 12-07 today), Tommy Biffle (4th to 24th, 12-06), Bradley Roy (4th to 17th, 13-07), Alton Jones (6th to 20th, 13-02), Scott Ashmore (8th to 39th, 10-12), Clark Reehm (10th to 13th, 15-07) and Bill Lowen (12th to 25th, 13-05).

There will be a new leader in the Angler of the Year (AOY) race once the event concludes, as current pace-setter Skeet Reese ended up 62nd. The betting favorite would be Brent Chapman, who's in the hunt for his third straight Top-5 showing to start the campaign.

It appears as if the gloomy weather conditions are gone for the remainder of the event – tomorrow's forecast calls for sun, a high temperature of 68 and a north wind to 10 mph.

The field was reduced to the Top 50 today and will be cut to the Top 12 after tomorrow's weigh-in. The winner will be determined Sunday by highest 4-day weight.

Palaniuk's Day Painful, Exhilarating

> Day 2: 5, 24-04 (10, 45-13)

Palaniuk had a 20-pound limit by the time he got his 6-pounder into the boat at about 10:00. That fish exacted some revenge by costing him well over 2 hours of fishing time (the ride to the hospital in Mountain Home was 10 minutes each way and the hook-removal process consumed about 90 minutes).

Nonetheless, he upgraded by about 4 pounds once he returned to the water to build a commanding advantage. Unless he blanks tomorrow, he's a shoe-in to eclipse his career-best Elite Series finish of 15th, set last year at Toledo Bend.

“I honestly did not think I had 24-4,” he said. “When I got that hook jammed in my finger, I was hoping to have at least 20 pounds to keep me up in the Top 5.”

He made a minor bait adjustment today, but stuck with the same pattern that had put him in the lead a day earlier. He got onto it when he caught a 3 1/2-pounder during practice.

“I know the area I’m fishing has a lot of fish. There are a few areas I haven’t hit the last 2 days, so if I need those, I’ll fish those.

"I’d like to be leading this thing by 30 pounds Sunday if I could.”

2nd: Less Quality for Herren

> Day 2: 5, 17-00 (10, 37-13)

Herren's sack was nearly 4 pounds lighter than the one he brought in a day earlier.

"It was a decent day and I caught a lot of fish again, but I just didn't catch any quality," he said. "I had to mix it up and adjust with the different conditions. I figured out what the fish were doing and I continued to catch them really well, but this lake is all about the 4- and 5-pound bite."

He caught one 4-pound-plus fish, but none of his other four went much over 3.

"Before the tournament started, I'd have thought that would've been terrific. I've got several different things going – mostly throwing a jig and a crankbait.

"I'll stick with the same plan. I'm in a really good fishing area and there's a lot of potential there, so I'll just keep beating on it the way I have been. Palaniuk's on them, though, and if something doesn't happen, he's going to kill us."

3rd: Lane Caught a Bunch

> Day 2: 5, 19-12 (10, 37-07)

Lane said he caught somewhere between 50 and 75 keepers today. His bag was anchored by a 6-pounder that he popped in the first hour – he's picked up a kicker early on both days.

"You need an anchor like that every day and I've been getting that, thank goodness. What an awesome fishery! The times I'd been to Arkansas before were to Beaver and Hamilton and those 7-pound limits are what I was used to. I had no clue about this place.

"It's just chock-full of healthy fish. It reminds me of the Potomac River."

He revealed that he's caught his biggest fish each morning on a topwater plug. He's also throwing a crankbait and a spinnerbait.

"I think the change in weather tomorrow might shoot my topwater bite all to heck. I don't see them continuing to bite like they have unless there really are that many fish in this lake. You can catch five off a stretch, then come back 20 minutes later and catch five more off the same spot."

4th: Myers Going Deep

> Day 2: 5, 20-04 (10, 35-03)

Myers fished deeper than he did on day 1 and the result was a sack that was 5 pounds heavier.

"I figured out a little deal as the day went on about where the fish were positioned," he said. "I got one key bite that was a lot deeper, so I started running those areas and I got quite a few better bites.

"I didn't get a lot of bites doing that, but it worked out better than if I'd just kept catching the same size fish."

His bag was topped by a 5-plus-pounder and he also had one that pushed 4.

"It was one of those crazy days that you dream of having – this makes up for a lot of bad days. Now I just wish I could back up and go back to practice and look for more places like what I'd found."

6th: Chapman Made a Change

> Day 2: 5, 34-05

Chapman said his big jump in the standings was propelled by a bait switch.

"I fished the same areas, but I changed lures," he said. "That made a big difference. I don't know about tomorrow, though – it looks like it's going to be a totally opposite type of day.

He went through about 20 keepers and had a 5 1/4-pounder, a 4 1/2 and 4 1/4. He didn't lose any that would've helped him.

"I had some company today – it obviously didn't hurt me too bad, but it did put some pressure on the area. That actually might've made me change up for the better, and I've still got plenty of water to run.

"I've been fishing clean and hopefully I can keep that streak going."

24th: No Big Ones for Biffle

> Day 2: 5, 12-06 (10, 30-08)

Tommy Biffle dropped 20 places in the standings with a sack that was only two-thirds the weight of his day-1 stringer.

"I caught between 50 and 60 fish, but they were all 2 1/4 pounds or 2 1/2 maybe," he said. "I never got a decent bite for some reason. I fished some of the same areas and ran a bunch of new stuff, but it was the same thing everywhere. It didn't matter if I was shallow or deep or what."

He's been throwing his Biffle Bug on a Gene Larew HardHead.

"I've got one bank that I can run down and catch a limit in one pass, so I'll do that tomorrow and then maybe start throwing a jig a little deeper to see if I can get a bigger bite. My hands hurt so bad from catching so many fish that I can't hardly time my line on."

Notable

> Day 2 stats – 99 anglers, 98 limits, 1 three.

Weather Forecast

> Sat., April 20 – Sunny - 68°/44°
- Wind: From the N at 10 mph

> Sun., April 21 – Sunny - 70°/41°
- Wind: From the NW at 16 mph

Day 2 Standings

1. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 10, 45-13 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 21-09 -- Day 2: 5, 24-04

2. Matt Herren -- Trussville, AL -- 10, 37-13 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 20-13 -- Day 2: 5, 17-00

3. Bobby Lane -- Lakeland, FL -- 10, 37-07 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 17-11 -- Day 2: 5, 19-12

4. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 10, 35-03 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 14-15 -- Day 2: 5, 20-04

5. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 10, 34-14 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 14-02 -- Day 2: 5, 20-12

6. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 10, 34-05 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 15-06 -- Day 2: 5, 18-15

7. Jason Quinn -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 10, 33-04 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 17-05 -- Day 2: 5, 15-15

8. Michael Iaconelli -- Pittsgrove, NJ -- 10, 33-01 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 16-07 -- Day 2: 5, 16-10

9. Boyd Duckett -- Demopolis, AL -- 10, 33-00 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 12-08 -- Day 2: 5, 20-08

10. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 10, 32-15 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 17-06 -- Day 2: 5, 15-09

11. Travis Manson -- De Pere, WI -- 10, 32-15 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 17-01 -- Day 2: 5, 15-14

12. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 10, 32-14 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 16-08 -- Day 2: 5, 16-06

13. Clark Reehm -- Shreveport, LA -- 10, 32-12 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 17-05 -- Day 2: 5, 15-07

14. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, TX -- 10, 32-08 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 13-00 -- Day 2: 5, 19-08

15. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 10, 32-01 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 19-10 -- Day 2: 5, 12-07

16. David Walker -- Sevierville, TN -- 10, 31-13 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 13-07 -- Day 2: 5, 18-06

17. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 10, 31-09 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 18-02 -- Day 2: 5, 13-07

18. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 10, 31-05 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 14-15 -- Day 2: 5, 16-06

19. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 10, 31-01 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 16-01 -- Day 2: 5, 15-00

20. Alton Jones -- Woodway, TX -- 10, 30-15 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 17-13 -- Day 2: 5, 13-02

21. Kotaro Kiriyama -- Moody, AL -- 10, 30-13 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 15-15 -- Day 2: 5, 14-14

22. Keith Poche -- Pike Road, AL -- 10, 30-11 -- 78
Day 1: 5, 16-09 -- Day 2: 5, 14-02

23. Terry Butcher -- Talala, OK -- 10, 30-09 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 13-10 -- Day 2: 5, 16-15

24. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 10, 30-08 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 18-02 -- Day 2: 5, 12-06

25. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 10, 30-08 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 17-03 -- Day 2: 5, 13-05

26. Randy Howell -- Springville, AL -- 10, 30-04 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 16-07 -- Day 2: 5, 13-13

27. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 10, 29-08 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 16-01 -- Day 2: 5, 13-07

28. Derek Remitz -- Grant, AL -- 10, 29-08 -- 72
Day 1: 5, 15-05 -- Day 2: 5, 14-03

29. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, TX -- 10, 29-03 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 14-02 -- Day 2: 5, 15-01

30. Dustin Wilks -- Rocky Mount, NC -- 10, 29-02 -- 70
Day 1: 5, 13-02 -- Day 2: 5, 16-00

31. Kyle A. Fox -- Lakeland, FL -- 10, 29-00 -- 69
Day 1: 5, 13-08 -- Day 2: 5, 15-08

32. Casey D Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 10, 28-15 -- 68
Day 1: 5, 13-07 -- Day 2: 5, 15-08

33. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, AL -- 10, 28-14 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 14-05 -- Day 2: 5, 14-09

34. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 10, 28-10 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 15-09 -- Day 2: 5, 13-01

35. Chris Zaldain -- San Jose, CA -- 10, 28-08 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 11-14 -- Day 2: 5, 16-10

36. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 10, 28-07 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 12-03 -- Day 2: 5, 16-04

37. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 10, 28-07 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 15-01 -- Day 2: 5, 13-06

38. Jeremy Starks -- Scott Depot, WV -- 10, 28-03 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 12-12 -- Day 2: 5, 15-07

39. Scott Ashmore -- Broken Arrow, OK -- 10, 28-02 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 17-06 -- Day 2: 5, 10-12

40. Ott DeFoe -- Knoxville, TN -- 10, 27-14 -- 60
Day 1: 5, 14-10 -- Day 2: 5, 13-04

41. Brandon Card -- Caryville, TN -- 10, 27-12 -- 59
Day 1: 5, 12-15 -- Day 2: 5, 14-13

42. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 10, 27-11 -- 58
Day 1: 5, 15-12 -- Day 2: 5, 11-15

43. Russell Parrish -- Riesel, TX -- 10, 27-11 -- 57
Day 1: 5, 13-13 -- Day 2: 5, 13-14

44. Rick Morris -- Lake Gaston, VA -- 10, 27-10 -- 56
Day 1: 5, 14-02 -- Day 2: 5, 13-08

45. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 10, 27-07 -- 55
Day 1: 5, 12-06 -- Day 2: 5, 15-01

46. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 10, 27-07 -- 54
Day 1: 5, 13-04 -- Day 2: 5, 14-03

47. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 10, 27-05 -- 53
Day 1: 5, 13-05 -- Day 2: 5, 14-00

48. Jonathon VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 10, 27-04 -- 52
Day 1: 5, 12-13 -- Day 2: 5, 14-07

49. J Todd Tucker -- Moultrie, GA -- 10, 27-04 -- 51
Day 1: 5, 13-15 -- Day 2: 5, 13-05

50. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 10, 27-02 -- 50
Day 1: 5, 13-00 -- Day 2: 5, 14-02

The following anglers did not make the cut and will not fish on day 3.

51. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 10, 27-01 -- 49
Day 1: 5, 12-04 -- Day 2: 5, 14-13

52. Kevin Short -- Mayflower, AR -- 10, 27-00 -- 48
Day 1: 5, 12-13 -- Day 2: 5, 14-03

53. Kevin Ledoux -- Choctaw, OK -- 10, 26-15 -- 47
Day 1: 5, 13-02 -- Day 2: 5, 13-13

54. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 10, 26-14 -- 46
Day 1: 5, 12-15 -- Day 2: 5, 13-15

55. Denny Brauer -- Camdenton, MO -- 10, 26-13 -- 45
Day 1: 5, 12-05 -- Day 2: 5, 14-08

56. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 10, 26-11 -- 44
Day 1: 5, 11-07 -- Day 2: 5, 15-04

57. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA -- 10, 26-11 -- 43
Day 1: 5, 15-01 -- Day 2: 5, 11-10

58. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 10, 26-11 -- 42
Day 1: 5, 13-10 -- Day 2: 5, 13-01

59. Nate Wellman -- Newaygo, MI -- 10, 26-09 -- 41
Day 1: 5, 14-02 -- Day 2: 5, 12-07

60. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, TX -- 10, 26-01 -- 40
Day 1: 5, 14-03 -- Day 2: 5, 11-14

60. Fred Roumbanis -- Bixby, OK -- 10, 26-01 -- 40
Day 1: 5, 11-14 -- Day 2: 5, 14-03

62. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 10, 26-01 -- 38
Day 1: 5, 13-09 -- Day 2: 5, 12-08

63. John Crews -- Salem, VA -- 10, 26-01 -- 37
Day 1: 5, 12-13 -- Day 2: 5, 13-04

64. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 10, 25-15 -- 36
Day 1: 5, 12-07 -- Day 2: 5, 13-08

65. Billy McCaghren -- Mayflower, AR -- 10, 25-14 -- 35
Day 1: 5, 15-07 -- Day 2: 5, 10-07

66. Jamie Horton -- Centerville, AL -- 10, 25-13 -- 34
Day 1: 5, 12-01 -- Day 2: 5, 13-12

67. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 10, 25-13 -- 33
Day 1: 5, 12-15 -- Day 2: 5, 12-14

68. Kelly Jordon -- Palestine, TX -- 10, 25-11 -- 32
Day 1: 5, 14-08 -- Day 2: 5, 11-03

69. Grant Goldbeck -- Boerne, TX -- 9, 25-11 -- 31
Day 1: 4, 10-11 -- Day 2: 5, 15-00

70. Casey Scanlon -- Lenexa, KS -- 10, 25-09 -- 30
Day 1: 5, 11-09 -- Day 2: 5, 14-00

71. Morizo Shimizu -- Matsugaoka, Japan -- 10, 25-09 -- 29
Day 1: 5, 11-14 -- Day 2: 5, 13-11

72. Kenyon Hill -- Norman, OK -- 10, 25-08 -- 28
Day 1: 5, 11-11 -- Day 2: 5, 13-13

73. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 10, 25-08 -- 27
Day 1: 5, 12-05 -- Day 2: 5, 13-03

74. Matt Greenblatt -- Port St Lucie, FL -- 10, 25-05 -- 26
Day 1: 5, 12-02 -- Day 2: 5, 13-03

75. Jami Fralick -- Martin, SD -- 10, 25-04 -- 25
Day 1: 5, 13-01 -- Day 2: 5, 12-03

76. David Smith -- Del City, OK -- 10, 25-02 -- 24
Day 1: 5, 13-13 -- Day 2: 5, 11-05

77. Pete Ponds -- Madison, MS -- 10, 25-00 -- 23
Day 1: 5, 11-10 -- Day 2: 5, 13-06

78. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 10, 24-14 -- 22
Day 1: 5, 12-02 -- Day 2: 5, 12-12

79. Timmy Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 10, 24-14 -- 21
Day 1: 5, 12-15 -- Day 2: 5, 11-15

80. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 10, 24-11 -- 20
Day 1: 5, 12-10 -- Day 2: 5, 12-01

81. Shaw E Grigsby Jr. -- Gainesville, FL -- 10, 24-10 -- 19
Day 1: 5, 11-11 -- Day 2: 5, 12-15

82. Yusuke Miyazaki -- Forney, TX -- 10, 24-09 -- 18
Day 1: 5, 12-14 -- Day 2: 5, 11-11

83. Michael Simonton -- Fremont, OH -- 10, 24-01 -- 17
Day 1: 5, 11-02 -- Day 2: 5, 12-15

84. John Murray -- Phoenix, AZ -- 10, 23-15 -- 16
Day 1: 5, 12-03 -- Day 2: 5, 11-12

85. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 10, 23-12 -- 15
Day 1: 5, 12-01 -- Day 2: 5, 11-11

86. Byron Velvick -- Boenre, TX -- 10, 23-10 -- 14
Day 1: 5, 12-01 -- Day 2: 5, 11-09

87. Charlie Hartley -- Grove City, OH -- 10, 23-09 -- 13
Day 1: 5, 11-12 -- Day 2: 5, 11-13

88. Fletcher Shryock -- Newcomerstown, OH -- 9, 23-09 -- 12
Day 1: 4, 08-02 -- Day 2: 5, 15-07

89. Jason Williamson -- Aiken, SC -- 10, 23-07 -- 11
Day 1: 5, 12-01 -- Day 2: 5, 11-06

90. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, SC -- 10, 23-04 -- 10
Day 1: 5, 10-13 -- Day 2: 5, 12-07

91. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 10, 23-03 -- 9
Day 1: 5, 10-11 -- Day 2: 5, 12-08

92. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 10, 22-10 -- 8
Day 1: 5, 11-15 -- Day 2: 5, 10-11

93. Pat Golden -- Bethlehem, GA -- 10, 22-09 -- 7
Day 1: 5, 11-15 -- Day 2: 5, 10-10

94. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 10, 22-05 -- 6
Day 1: 5, 10-08 -- Day 2: 5, 11-13

95. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 10, 21-00 -- 5
Day 1: 5, 10-01 -- Day 2: 5, 10-15

96. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 8, 20-00 -- 4
Day 1: 3, 06-03 -- Day 2: 5, 13-13

97. Brent Broderick -- Oregonia, OH -- 10, 19-15 -- 3
Day 1: 5, 09-07 -- Day 2: 5, 10-08

98. Chad Griffin -- Cresson, TX -- 10, 19-10 -- 2
Day 1: 5, 09-09 -- Day 2: 5, 10-01

99. Jared Miller -- Norman, OK -- 6, 12-02 -- 1
Day 1: 3, 05-10 -- Day 2: 3, 06-08