Brandon Palaniuk: One Fish Decides 2022 Bassmaster Angler of the Year Honors

The 2022 Bassmaster season ended in what would be one of the most closely contested Angler of the Year battles in recent history. Brandon Palaniuk claimed the coveted 2022 Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year title in a stunning finish to a year full of trials and tribulations.

Palaniuk, known as “The Prodigy” in bass fishing circles, managed to outcompete some of the best bass fishermen in the world over the course of the season. His twenty-fifth place finish at the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River sealed the deal for the 2022 Elite series season.

“It is amazing. It hasn’t sunk in all the way yet,” commented Palaniuk. “The feeling of winning and that accomplishment, that moment and feeling when (Dave) Mercer announces it on stage, that is what makes all the hard work, the early mornings, the late nights, and the hard times OK. It makes it worth it.

“For me, it is another piece of the puzzle of this crazy life we live. I’m glad the pieces fell the way I wanted them to.”

Palaniuk joins a small but elite group of anglers who have claimed the title of Angler of the Year multiple times. He claimed his first AOY title in 2017 and is now a two-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year. According to Palaniuk, winning the title is a culmination of years of experience and time on the water.

“The more time you spend on the water and see those sets of variables, the faster the light bulb goes off. That’s how I fished my entire season. (I was) living on the edge of disaster and made it work.”

Palaniuk made bold moves throughout the year and managed to adapt and change his game plan on the fly when necessary. His experience and willingness to take risks paid off in a big way.

“I feel like every year I know myself better, and I feel like I fish better,” he said. “I feel like (I’m) hitting my stride.”

Flat performances in Florida have plagued the Idaho pro throughout his career. However, the start of his 2022 season was different. Palaniuk opened the season with two of his better finishes in Florida.

“Florida has been my nemesis,” noted Palaniuk. “When I came out of there with a 20th and a 26th, I knew I had gotten that monkey off my back, and there was potential. The last time I won AOY, I finished 105th at Okeechobee and had to fight my way back. To me, I felt like I was starting way ahead of the game compared to where I normally do.”

The operative word for Palaniuk’s season was “consistency.” He made every cut except one throughout the year. That includes three top ten finishes at Santee Cooper, Lake Fork, and Pickwick, as well as six top thirty finishes at the rest of the events besides Oahe.

He missed the cut at Oahe, the second to the last event of the season, setting up the epic finish to a hard-fought year. Oahe would prove to be Palaniuk’s only blemish in an otherwise stellar season.

When asked about his Oahe performance and its mental effect on him, Palaniuk said, “Oahe, I felt, sucked the soul out of my body.”

Brandon Palaniuk and the Battle of the Brandons

As the final tournament on the mighty Mississippi approached, it was clear that a battle of the Brandons was brewing. As a result of a lackluster performance at the second to the last tournament of the season on Lake Oahe by Palaniuk, he and Brandon Lester were separated by a mere thirty-seven points going into the final tournament of the season.

The final event of the 2022 season shaped up to be a Palaniuk vs. Lester showdown, with both anglers having their eyes set on the AOY title.

“The weight the last two weeks, I have felt like Brandon Lester was the size of a Sasquatch on my shoulders. And that is kudos to him for how good of an angler he is,” Palaniuk said. “He put the pressure on me. I hated it the last two weeks, and I loved it at the same time. It made me feel alive.”

Day two of the final tournament was the day that would set the stage for the rest of the event. With only four fish in his livewell and just 30 minutes left in his day, Brandon Palaniuk found himself in a difficult position. He desperately needed another keeper to salvage his day and give himself a shot at making the cut for day three. With time running out, he landed his final keeper. It was a small bass weighing just over a pound, which kept him in the running and catapulted him on to day three of the tournament.

“What blows my mind is that AOY was literally decided by one bass,” Palaniuk remarked.

“One bass yesterday I caught at 3:30 gave me a limit, and without that, I don’t win AOY. That is why you fish until the very end. I always say I have won more tournaments on my last cast than the first cast.”

The final day proved to be a “nail in the coffin” type of day for Palaniuk. He started the day off with a bang, securing a solid limit in the first 15 minutes of his day. He ended the tournament with thirty-nine pounds, eleven ounces. It was enough to finish twenty-fifth in the tournament, but most important, enough to raise the AOY trophy.

As the tournament came to a close and the results came in, Palaniuk celebrated on stage with his wife, Tiffanie, and daughter Kora. He was quick to express his gratitude and appreciation for his family and their support for him in his professional pursuits.

“It doesn’t get any better than that. Because of them, I can do what I do. It is just as much theirs as it is mine,” he remarked.

Palaniuk now has his sights set on the Bassmaster Classic, which he has yet to win. He’ll be looking to add that trophy to his already impressive resume in 2023.