Palaniuk Stretches Lead To 13 With 1 Day To Fish

By BassFan Staff

Brandon Palaniuk is averaging nearly 22 pounds a day at the Bull Shoals Bassmaster Elite Series in Arkansas. He'll likely need less than half that tomorrow to secure his first tour-level victory.

The 2010 Federation Nation National Champion from Idaho appears unstoppable on this rejuvenated fishery where 2 1/2 pound bites are just slightly less common than January snowflakes in Alaska. If he boxes five of them tomorrow – a feat that's frequently required less than half an hour in this event – it'll take a bag of epic proportions to catch him.

He sacked 19-10 under today's post-frontal conditions to push his 3-day total to 65-07. That mark is already higher than the figure many thought it'd take to win this derby.

Britt Myers, bidding for his best finish in 6-plus seasons on the Elites, caught 17-05 today and moved up 2 places to 2nd with a 52-08 total. Bobby Lane managed just 13-06 – easily his lightest bag of the tournament – but held onto the No. 3 slot with 50-13

Matt Herren did a flip-flop with Myers as he brought in a 12-12 sack that dropped him to 4th with 50-09. Scott Rook, in the Top 12 for the second straight event, rounded out the Top 5 with a 14-12 sack for a 49-10 aggregate.

Here are the totals for the competitors who'll fish the final day, with red numbers in parentheses indicating deficit margins from the leader:

1. Brandon Palaniuk: 65-07
2. Britt Myers: 52-08 (12-15)
3. Bobby Lane: 50-13 (14-10)
4. Matt Herren: 50-09 (14-14)
5. Scott Rook: 49-10 (15-13)
6. Mark Menendez: 49-05 (16-02)
7. Keith Poche: 48-13 (16-10)
8. Brent Chapman: 48-08 (16-15)
9. Edwin Evers: 48-05 (17-02)
10. Cliff Pace: 48-02 (17-05)
11. Derek Remitz: 47-02 (18-05)
12. Jason Quinn: 47-01 (18-06)

Friday's stormy conditions were replaced by a post-frontal scenario that resulted in lower weights for most of the field. No 20-pound bags were caught and only three anglers (Palaniuk, Menendez and Poche) topped 18.

The 24-year-old Palaniuk will attempt to become the second-youngest winner of an Elite event (he's a little more than a year older than Casey Ashley was when he won at Smith Mountain in 2007). It'd be the first tour-level win for an angler from the Gem State.

Brent Chapman, who locked up his third straight Top-12 finish in as many outings this year, will be the new leader in the Angler of the Year (AOY) race once the event is complete.

The wind was virtually non-existent today, but that likely won't be the case for the final day. It's expected to blow from the northwest at 18 mph under a mostly sunny sky, with the air temperature predicted to peak at 67 degrees.

Palaniuk Winning Each Day

> Day 3: 5, 19-10 (15, 65-07)

Wire-to-wire wins aren't all that uncommon in the Elite Series – Ish Monroe turned that trick just last month at Okeechobee. Weighing the heaviest bag for 4 straight days is another notch above that, however, and Palaniuk will get a chance to achieve that tomorrow.

He was a little disappointed that he didn't reach the 20-pound mark today – he lost one good fish that would've done it for him. He went through about 20 keepers, topped by a 5-pounder.

"It was more of a grind today, but I still caught what I had fairly early," he said. "I had all my weight by about 12:00, but the action just wasn't as constant. I caught them in flurries – I'd get three or four and then go awhile without a bite, and then catch five or six more.

"I just kept jumping around and when I got into them, I'd usually catch a couple really quick."

He said 20 pounds is his goal for tomorrow. If he hits that mark, he'll boost his objective to 25.

"It's changed so much every day that it's hard to tell what could happen. I could whack a bigger bag than I did the second day (24-04) if I hit the right places at the times when those big fish are eating. I've got some areas that still have big fish, so it's possible."

He anticipated no trouble sleeping with a big lead.

"I'm usually really good at sleeping when I'm catching them."

2nd: Myers still Hopeful

> Day 3: 5, 17-05 (15, 52-08)

Myers figures he could've had 22 pounds on each of the last 2 days if he'd boated all of his bites, and that gives him at least a glimmer of hope that he can catch Palaniuk.

"I've missed several key fish, and that's told me that there's at least the chance for a 25-pound bag," he said. "These opportunities don't happen that often and I'm going to go out and fish as hard as I can, concentrate all day and try to capitalize on every bite I get, and then bring as much as I can to the scales and see what happens.

"Some of the fish I've been catching are pre-spawn, so who knows? When this tournament started I was just praying for 13 or 14 pounds a day."

He caught about 30 keepers today (all of which bit a crankbait) and his bag was topped by a 5-pounder.

"I didn't change anything, but the bite wasn't as good today. I was fortunate to get a couple of good ones.

"It got tougher as the day went on because it was really slick and sunny, but there's wind in the forecast for tomorrow and hopefully that'll help."

3rd: Lighter Day for Lane

> Day 3: 5, 13-06 (15, 50-13)

Bobby Lane missed his three best bites and brought in a bag that was almost 4 1/2 pounds lighter than any he'd weighed previously.

"I had three decent bites and I never saw them, but they just came loose," he said. "They didn't jump or roll or anything. I heard eight or 10 other guys saying the same thing and I think that cold front played with the bite a little bit. If I could've kept one or two of those hooked up I'd be a little better off."

He boated only about 20 keepers today after catching 50 to 75 on each of the first 2 days. His best fish was a 3-pound smallmouth.

"I caught them all cranking and I don't plan to make too many changes. I'll keep running around and hope I can stumble into a 5- or 6-pound bite."

4th: Herren's Fish Moved

> Day 3: 5, 12-12 (15, 50-09)

Herren's fish relocated today and it took him most of the day to reconnect with them.

"I was fishing some that were in the spawn mode and they were up in some pretty shallow areas," he said. "A lot of them are in transition, going to the post-spawn, and they moved around a little.

"I found them again this afternoon and I hope to have a better day tomorrow, but this really hurt me as far as having an opportunity to win this tournament."

He had just three run-of-the-mill keeper largemouths and two small spotted bass at noon when he got back on the better fish. He was able to get rid of the spots in favor of a couple of 3-pound largemouths.

"I'll do the same thing tomorrow that I've done all week and just hope to have a good day, fish as clean as I can and let things happen. I can't predict pounds or ounces, but I'm going to catch everything I can in the time I've got."

6th: Menendez Settled In

> Day 3: 5, 18-04 (15, 49-05)

Menendez said staying put in his starting area was the key to his biggest sack of the event.

"I finally turned that Yamaha off," he said. "I'd been fishing two different parts of the lake and I went to my first area today and caught a limit. I started to get the itch to move, and then I caught a 4-pounder so I decided to stay a little longer. Then I got another 4 a little while after that.

"I got dialed on on specific places and just stayed and figured out the creek I'm in. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow."

He's primarily cranking and lost one fish that "would've helped my cause a bunch." He was sharing his water with another angler, but that guy missed today's cut.

"This is just a fantastic fishery – it's a hidden gem. It's got more fish than you can imagine and some beautiful scenery."

24th: Front Doomed Duckett

> Day 3: 5, 10-02 (15, 43-02)

Boyd Duckett's bag was less than half the size of the one he caught the day before, dropping him 15 places in the standings and far out of the day-3 cut.

"I didn't get the bites today," he said. "We had that big cold front come through and I think some areas it affected negatively, but other guys still caught them.

"I was cranking shallow pockets off the main river and getting two to three good bites a day, but today it didn't happen. I was concerned about the cold front, but I thought it would be real bad early and then things would turn on in the afternoon. I had to scramble with a couple hours left to catch three little dinks."

He caught nothing bigger than a 2 1/4-pounder today.

"I was really surprised by the way some people caught them – my fish shut off like cold-front fish do. I tried slowing down and throwing smaller baits and worms and jigs, but I couldn't get the bites."

Notable

> Day 3 stats – 50 anglers, 49 limits, 1 three.

> Rookie Brandon Card (18th) has made the money cut in all three events. This was his best finish to date.

> Kevin VanDam ended up 45th – his lowest showing since a 57th at Pickwick almost exactly 2 years ago.

Weather Forecast

> Sun., April 21 – Mostly Sunny - 67°/39°
- Wind: From the NW at 18 mph

Day 3 Standings

1. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 15, 65-07 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 21-09 -- Day 2: 5, 24-04 -- Day 3: 5, 19-10

2. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 15, 52-08 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 14-15 -- Day 2: 5, 20-04 -- Day 3: 5, 17-05

3. Bobby Lane -- Lakeland, FL -- 15, 50-13 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 17-11 -- Day 2: 5, 19-12 -- Day 3: 5, 13-06

4. Matt Herren -- Trussville, AL -- 15, 50-09 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 20-13 -- Day 2: 5, 17-00 -- Day 3: 5, 12-12

5. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 15, 49-10 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 14-02 -- Day 2: 5, 20-12 -- Day 3: 5, 14-12

6. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 15, 49-05 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 16-01 -- Day 2: 5, 15-00 -- Day 3: 5, 18-04

7. Keith Poche -- Pike Road, AL -- 15, 48-13 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 16-09 -- Day 2: 5, 14-02 -- Day 3: 5, 18-02

8. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 15, 48-08 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 15-06 -- Day 2: 5, 18-15 -- Day 3: 5, 14-03

9. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 15, 48-05 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 16-08 -- Day 2: 5, 16-06 -- Day 3: 5, 15-07

10. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 15, 48-02 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 19-10 -- Day 2: 5, 12-07 -- Day 3: 5, 16-01

11. Derek Remitz -- Grant, AL -- 15, 47-02 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 15-05 -- Day 2: 5, 14-03 -- Day 3: 5, 17-10

12. Jason Quinn -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 15, 47-01 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 17-05 -- Day 2: 5, 15-15 -- Day 3: 5, 13-13

The following anglers did not make the cut and will not fish on day 4.

13. Clark Reehm -- Shreveport, LA -- 15, 46-13 -- 87 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-05 -- Day 2: 5, 15-07 -- Day 3: 5, 14-01

14. Randy Howell -- Springville, AL -- 15, 45-13 -- 86 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 16-07 -- Day 2: 5, 13-13 -- Day 3: 5, 15-09

15. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 15, 45-12 -- 85 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-15 -- Day 2: 5, 16-06 -- Day 3: 5, 14-07

16. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, TX -- 15, 45-10 -- 84 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-00 -- Day 2: 5, 19-08 -- Day 3: 5, 13-02

17. David Walker -- Sevierville, TN -- 15, 45-06 -- 83 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-07 -- Day 2: 5, 18-06 -- Day 3: 5, 13-09

18. Brandon Card -- Caryville, TN -- 15, 45-06 -- 82 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-15 -- Day 2: 5, 14-13 -- Day 3: 5, 17-10

19. Michael Iaconelli -- Pittsgrove, NJ -- 15, 45-00 -- 81 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 16-07 -- Day 2: 5, 16-10 -- Day 3: 5, 11-15

20. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 15, 44-12 -- 80 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-02 -- Day 2: 5, 13-07 -- Day 3: 5, 13-03

21. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 15, 44-03 -- 79 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-06 -- Day 2: 5, 15-09 -- Day 3: 5, 11-04

22. Travis Manson -- De Pere, WI -- 15, 43-15 -- 78 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-01 -- Day 2: 5, 15-14 -- Day 3: 5, 11-00

23. Kyle A. Fox -- Lakeland, FL -- 15, 43-04 -- 77 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-08 -- Day 2: 5, 15-08 -- Day 3: 5, 14-04

24. Boyd Duckett -- Demopolis, AL -- 15, 43-02 -- 76 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-08 -- Day 2: 5, 20-08 -- Day 3: 5, 10-02

25. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 15, 42-12 -- 75 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-03 -- Day 2: 5, 13-05 -- Day 3: 5, 12-04

26. Terry Butcher -- Talala, OK -- 15, 42-11 -- 74 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-10 -- Day 2: 5, 16-15 -- Day 3: 5, 12-02

27. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 15, 42-09 -- 73 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-12 -- Day 2: 5, 11-15 -- Day 3: 5, 14-14

28. Alton Jones -- Woodway, TX -- 15, 42-07 -- 72 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-13 -- Day 2: 5, 13-02 -- Day 3: 5, 11-08

29. Kotaro Kiriyama -- Moody, AL -- 15, 42-06 -- 71 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-15 -- Day 2: 5, 14-14 -- Day 3: 5, 11-09

30. Chris Zaldain -- San Jose, CA -- 15, 42-03 -- 70 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-14 -- Day 2: 5, 16-10 -- Day 3: 5, 13-11

31. Dustin Wilks -- Rocky Mount, NC -- 15, 42-03 -- 69 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-02 -- Day 2: 5, 16-00 -- Day 3: 5, 13-01

32. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 15, 42-02 -- 68 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-02 -- Day 2: 5, 12-06 -- Day 3: 5, 11-10

33. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 15, 41-14 -- 67 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-05 -- Day 2: 5, 14-00 -- Day 3: 5, 14-09

34. Rick Morris -- Lake Gaston, VA -- 15, 41-13 -- 66 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-02 -- Day 2: 5, 13-08 -- Day 3: 5, 14-03

35. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 15, 41-06 -- 65 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-09 -- Day 2: 5, 13-01 -- Day 3: 5, 12-12

36. Ott DeFoe -- Knoxville, TN -- 15, 41-06 -- 64 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-10 -- Day 2: 5, 13-04 -- Day 3: 5, 13-08

37. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, TX -- 15, 41-03 -- 63 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-02 -- Day 2: 5, 15-01 -- Day 3: 5, 12-00

38. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 15, 41-00 -- 62 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-01 -- Day 2: 5, 13-06 -- Day 3: 5, 12-09

39. Jonathon VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 15, 41-00 -- 61 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-13 -- Day 2: 5, 14-07 -- Day 3: 5, 13-12

40. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 15, 40-15 -- 60 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 16-01 -- Day 2: 5, 13-07 -- Day 3: 5, 11-07

41. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, AL -- 15, 40-11 -- 59 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-05 -- Day 2: 5, 14-09 -- Day 3: 5, 11-13

42. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 15, 40-11 -- 58 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-00 -- Day 2: 5, 14-02 -- Day 3: 5, 13-09

43. J Todd Tucker -- Moultrie, GA -- 15, 40-10 -- 57 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-15 -- Day 2: 5, 13-05 -- Day 3: 5, 13-06

44. Casey D Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 15, 40-08 -- 56 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-07 -- Day 2: 5, 15-08 -- Day 3: 5, 11-09

45. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 15, 40-05 -- 55 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-04 -- Day 2: 5, 14-03 -- Day 3: 5, 12-14

46. Russell Parrish -- Riesel, TX -- 15, 40-03 -- 54 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-13 -- Day 2: 5, 13-14 -- Day 3: 5, 12-08

47. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 15, 39-15 -- 53 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-03 -- Day 2: 5, 16-04 -- Day 3: 5, 11-08

48. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 15, 39-14 -- 52 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-06 -- Day 2: 5, 15-01 -- Day 3: 5, 12-07

49. Jeremy Starks -- Scott Depot, WV -- 15, 38-14 -- 51 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-12 -- Day 2: 5, 15-07 -- Day 3: 5, 10-11

50. Scott Ashmore -- Broken Arrow, OK -- 13, 32-11 -- 50 -- $5,000
Day 1: 5, 17-06 -- Day 2: 5, 10-12 -- Day 3: 3, 04-09