Rathdrum angler takes home sixth Bassmaster Elite title

Brandon Palaniuk is bringing home another trophy.

The professional bass angler from Rathdrum won the Champion Power Equipment Bassmaster Elite at Lake Okeechobee, Florida, over the weekend.

He logged a four-day total weight of 95 pounds, 4 ounces, according to a news release from Bassmaster Elite. That total beat the next-closest competitor by 15 pounds, 13 ounces – the fourth-largest margin of victory in an Elite series event.

It also netted Palaniuk $102,000 in prize money.

The two-time Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year made clear in the release that he’s not done racking up tournament wins.

“I’m 15 years into it; I figure I have at least that many more,” Palaniuk said. “I feel like we’re just getting started.”

It was a bit of a come-from-behind win. At the end of Thursday, the tournament’s first day, Palaniuk was sitting in third place. On the second day he logged the biggest daily bag of the tournament – 34 pounds, 10 ounces – and pulled into first place.

Fishing was tougher on the final two days of the tournament, with fish getting wise to the pressure they were under from the bass pros. But Palaniuk kept catching fish and building his lead.

When the tournament closed Sunday, he was on top of the leaderboard by a margin of 15 pounds, 13 ounces.

It was the fourth-largest winning margin in Bassmaster Elite history and Palaniuk’s second double-digit win.

The event at Lake Okeechobee was the second Bassmaster Elite Series event of the season.