Brandon Palaniuk Leads Bassmaster Elite at Okeechobee with Rock Solid Performance

After a historic 34-10 bag on Day 2, Palaniuk holds a commanding lead. Can anyone catch him?

Brandon Palaniuk put together another 20-plus pound limit giving him an 18 pound cushion over 2nd heading into Championship Sunday. | B.A.S.S. | Dalton Tumblin

Brandon Palaniuk’s Record-Breaking Performance at Okeechobee

It sounds funny, but in the shadow of Brandon Palaniuk’s record-setting Day 2, Saturday’s 23 pounds seems kind of slow. However, with a three-day total of 81 pounds, 1 ounce, he remains firmly in control at the Bassmaster Elite event on Okeechobee.

A five-time Elite Series winner and two-time Angler of the Year, Palaniuk kicked things off with 23-7 on Day 1. Then came the jaw-dropping 34-10 bag, the biggest in Bassmaster Elite history on Okeechobee, that gave him the lead. Saturday, he followed up with 23 pounds even, widening his cushion to 18-3 over Greg DiPalma.

Brandon Palaniuk grabbed the lead on day two and he is holding on tight heading into the final round. | B.A.S.S. | Dalton Tumblin

“What an unreal week it’s been,” Palaniuk said. “The very first Elite Series event I won (Bull Shoals Lake, 2012), they were dropping the water. It had dropped 7 feet in like two weeks, and I caught them on a deep crankbait. The water has been dropping here for almost seven weeks and I’m catching a lot of them on a crankbait. The irony in that is incredible.”

How Palaniuk Adapted to Changing Conditions

As Palaniuk promised, he spent today in the same canal spillway where he started, but he had to adjust. On Friday he was able to catch the big bass on aggressive moving baits, while today saw him including a much more finesse-y approach with a Neko-rigged Zoom Magnum Finesse Worm.

You'd never know from this close range fishing, friendly exchange that these are the two anglers in first and second, competing for $100,00. | B.A.S.S. | Dalton Tumblin

Palaniuk’s Day Nearly Derailed

“Three of us (himself, DiPalma and Tim Dube) beat on it pretty hard,” Palaniuk said. “I had some other opportunities; I just didn’t execute. I had one little window where I got them biting, but I just had too many missed opportunities.”

What might seem like a great day on paper, was actually far from perfect. “It was a little bit of a train wreck today,” Palaniuk said.

A botched fish landing left Palaniuk with one hook of his lure’s treble in his own lip and another in his face. “I had to take my face gaiter off and cut holes in it to get the treble hooks out. “The hook in my lip wasn’t past the barb, so it popped right out.”

“When the fish came up, she was one thrash from throwing the hook. I couldn’t stand that, so I’ll take a punch in the face.”

Palaniuk Continues to Refine His Approach

Palaniuk plans to finish out the event in the same area where he started, but he plans to use the information he’s been gathering over the past three days to make any necessary adjustments.

“Every day the wind has changed, so I’ve tried to adjust my angle,” Palaniuk said. “The biggest thing I’ve found is not blowing up on top of them. They’re not that deep, so they feel the boat presence,” he explained. “You’ll see them moving around, but they won’t bite if you’re blowing up on top of them.”

Key Decisions Have Kept DiPalma in the Hunt

While DiPalma has a significant hill to climb to catch the leader, he is in second place heading into the finals. | B.A.S.S. | Dalton Tumblin

Greg DiPalma, the Day 1 leader, is now second with 62-14, started in the same canal but added a southern spot to his rotation. “I spent more time running than I did fishing today. As soon as I got back to the canal, I had maybe 20-30 minutes and I ended up catching a 6- or 7-pounder, which pretty much anchored my entire bag.” he said.

Another Solid Day for Gaston

David Gaston heads into Championship Sunday in third place. With a nearly 21 pound deficit, is the victory within his reach. | B.A.S.S. | Logan Crumley

David Gaston sits third at 60-3, targeting prespawn bass in Indian Prairie Canal. Grinding a 1/2-ounce ChatterBait along the riprap has been the key. Gaston also holds the Phoenix Boats Big Bass lead with his historic 11-8 monster which is Okeechobee’s biggest in Elite history.

Fujita’s Comeback Performance

Kyoya Fujita started the day in 20th place, but nearly 26 pounds today has him heading into Championship Sunday in 5th place. | B.A.S.S. | Chase Sansom

Another story worth mentioning is that of Japan’s Kyoya Fujita. Fujita started the day in 20th place, but today’s limit of Florida bass weighing 25 pounds, 13 ounces moved him all the way up to 5th place heading into the final day of competition.

Can Anyone Catch Palaniuk?

The Top 10 Elite anglers headed into Championship Sunday. | B.A.S.S. | Andy Crawford

With one day left, Palaniuk’s lead looks daunting to the rest of the field. But as we have seen, just during this week's competition, anything can happen on Okeechobee.