BP on BP: The Quest Begins

[Editor’s note: BP on BP is a new series at bassblaster.bassgold.com featuring Bassmaster Elite Series rookie Brandon Palaniuk. Brandon will be taking us along for the ride as he fishes his inaugural season in the B.A.S.S. big leagues. Look for tour journals, pictures and videos from Brandon throughout the season.]

Life has been absolutely crazy since the Bassmaster Classic. I had to change my cell phone plan because I was over on my minutes, my texts, everything. My Facebook is going crazy, too. It’s almost like a full-time job trying to keep up with it all.

I’m adding about 100 new friends a day on Facebook, and I try to write everybody back who messages me. I know how it is to look up to a pro angler, so I really like being able to connect with people on Facebook on a more personal level.

I’m in a hotel right now getting ready for the first day of the first tournament of the season at the Harris Chain in Florida. This is my first night in a hotel, though. I’ve been sleeping in my truck at an RV park throughout practice.

Funny story about that. I came back to the campsite after being on the water all day and there was a 4-foot tall geyser shooting out of the ground. A pipe had busted and water was everywhere. I tried to find a shutoff valve below the ground to stop the water, but only succeeded in getting completely soaked in the process. I went to the office to look for a manager and ended up busting in on a bunch of old folks playing bingo. They just stared at me, like, “Why are you soaking wet? And why are you interrupting bingo night?” I should’ve taken a video of the whole thing. Next time something crazy like that happens I’ll be sure to get a picture or video.

My plan is to sleep in my truck during practice days and try to get a hotel on competition days. If I can’t get a hotel, I’ve got no problem sleeping in the truck. It’s actually pretty cozy.

I’m getting a ton of support from people throughout the country, and especially B.A.S.S. Federation Nation members. I’ve had people offer to let me stay in their homes near some of the lakes we’re fishing this year. A website called CalBassin.com started a hotel room fund for me—guys throwing in ten or twenty bucks to help me out. A Federation club out of Illinois took a collection and a bunch of guys are donating money out of their own pockets. The Federation is like one big family. I really appreciate what everyone is trying to do for me.

So far the Harris Chain has been tough. I’ve always said I’m going to fish every tournament to win, and this one is no different, but right now I can’t say that I really think I’m on the fish to win the whole thing. It’s a grind out there.

In terms of what I’ve found and what I’m hearing this is basically going to be a junk-fishing deal. I’ve got 11 rods in my hotel room and I’ll have every one of those on my deck in the morning. I don’t mind junk-fishing tournaments, but Florida is probably one of the toughest places to try to just go out and catch fish if you don’t have a solid pattern. I think 15 pounds a day could contend for the win and 10 to 11 a day will be good enough to get a check. I could be way off, but if it’s better than that I’ll be surprised.

The reason it’s so tough is because the fish seem to be stuck in transition. If they were definitely pre-spawn or post-spawn they’d be easier to catch, but they’re just all mixed up in all phases of the spawn. I think most of the fish are in that post-spawn lockjaw mode—they’re not biting anything.

There have been plenty of sightings of big fish on beds—7- and 8-pounders. But EVERYBODY knows where those fish are and they’re going to get absolutely pounded on the first day. I don’t think this tournament can be won with all bed fish. We’ve got some nasty storms rolling through right now. So who knows if those fish will even be there in the morning? I’m boat number 15 on the first day and I’m going to see if I can find a few bedders in the morning. But I won’t spend all day trying to catch them.

Everything is fishing really small right now. I’m sure there are a few guys that have found their own deal, but it’s going to be a grind for most of us. It’ll be like the Classic with a lot of people fishing in crowds. I expect it to be a mentally draining tournament. When you’re fishing around other boats it’s always a mind game.

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Brandon Palaniuk is sponsored by Skeeter, Yamaha, Parker Toyota, Topwater Clothing, Abu Garcia, Berkley, Wave Away, Baitsmith, AXTackle.com, Power-Pole, Lowrance, Eco Pro Tungsten and the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation.

Brandon posted this video on his Facebook page today along with this message: “Check out this video from a couple years ago hahah Kinda cool to take a look back at where I was, where I wanted to be, and to now be there.” Cool, indeed!