5 In The Box with my friend and Elite Pro, Brandon Palaniuk!

Are you done for the year?

I'm done fishin tournaments, (laughing).  I'm looking forward to being home for a while.  I was only home for about three weeks this year.

What is it about 2014 that you're the most excited about?

The Classic.

 

 

Is that because you've done well there before, or just because it's The Classic?  

Well I've only actually fished Guntersville once for a total of three days.  But I love The Classic.  And I'm really looking forward to having a fresh start in 2014.  This year was full of so many huge ups and downs for me.  The Classic is a new beginning, and a chance for me to start making a run at Angler Of The Year.  

You just missed winning the Classic, you had a tough break in Wisconsin where you were on pace to just absolutely destroy the competition, then you win big at The St. Lawrence River in NY; do you feel like you finished well and have good momentum going into next year?

Well the thing about Angler Of The Year is that you can't just finish strong.  You have to be at it from the very beginning and I think that if I learned anything from this year, it's that when I have tournaments where I don't have a great pattern of fish locked down, I need to scrape together something decent enough so that I still finish decent.  I can't always swing for the fences.

Did you know you had a shot to win in NY?

Hmmm.  I mean, I had good fish, I knew that.  And I'm glad I made the decision to start my first day of practice out on the lake (Lake Ontario) because if I had started in the river, I might not have made the decision to run to the Lake.  The thing is, you never know what other guys have or what they're catching.  So I thought I could bring in like 23 pounds a day on the lake.  But if I had started in the river and found 19 or 20 pounds a day there I might not have made the run to the lake.

Was it a tough decision to make the commitment to that long run?

Not really because I knew I had a potential winning bag waiting there for me, but I paid for it physically.

Yeah?  

Dude I was so beat up from that.  It's a real long ride.

When we fished together in Virginia you said your favorite way to fish was throwin a swimbait because it's so innocent (the bait itself), and the bite is so violent.          

Yeah absolutely.  But also I've just seen so many big fish just smash big swimbaits.

The ultimate GoPro Bass "Belly view"

Tell me about your contest with BASS.

That was something we started talking about a couple months ago.  They (BASS) came and asked if I'd like to be part of the "Win a Trip with______" contest and I said yes.  They had wanted 4 anglers and I'm the fourth.  I'm not sure yet where it'll be or when, but I'm looking forward to it and hopefully we'll get to go someplace where we can catch a lot of fish.

 

Click HERE to enter

Are you more comfortable in deep water, or was it just coincidence that your better finishes this year were smallmouth tournaments?

I actually grew up in Idaho and we fished shallow all the time and I was really one of the first people I knew at the time to break away from that and try to figure the smallmouth out a little bit.  So it's not that I'm more comfortable out deep, but I like it and I think it's something that I'm good at.

Is it good to be done for the year?

Yeah man, I figured it out and I was actually only home for about three weeks.  I'm ready to get off the road for a while.

Speaking of that...

1.  What do you do when you're not on the road?

Hunt.  Fish.  I actually don't get to hunt as much as I'd like to.  I miss it.

2.  Do you have any pre-tournament rituals or superstitions?

Nope!

A biggun!

3.  Where are you both the most and least excited to go in 2014?

I'm most excited about fishing The Classic because I know what that place can do, and I'd have to say I'm least excited about St. Johns.  

4.  Are you livin the dream, your dream, or was there something else that you have always wanted to do for a living?

I definitely am.  I knew long ago I wanted to make a career out of fishing.

5.  What's the one thing that nobody knows about you?

Hmmm...I don't know.  That's a really good question.  Maybe that I love snowboarding.  If I wasn't fishing professionally I probably would be trying to be snowboarding as a pro.     

   

Brandon and I in Virginia

5 In The Box with The 2013 Bassmaster Classic Champion Cliff Pace

How has your life changed since winning The Classic?

It really hasn't "changed", I mean it's busy, but I wouldn't say it's really changed at all.

Did you know it was going to be like this, that it would be as  busy as it is?

Yes absolutely.  If you win The Bassmaster Classic it's gonna be busy for you for a while.  But I enjoy it, people want to talk to you and it's been great it really has.

 

Did you think you had a shot to win it going in?  Did you have a great practice or great luck on that lake, or did it just kinda come together for you all at once?

I had a great practice so I thought I had a shot but you never know.  I thought what I was doing was the right thing to do but there's a lot that needs to go right, the fish have to be there when you need them so you can get the bites you need. 

 



How did you manage to get into fishing?  Was it something you did as a child with a family member or did you find it later via some other avenue?

Yeah I've always been into fishing.  I grew up doing it and always knew I wanted to make a career out of it.

Is it still relaxing if you're tournament fishing?

 

I love fishing no matter what.  Now I'm happier when I'm catching a lot of fish than I am when I'm catching just one but I still love fishing.

 

 



 

Is there anyone that you look to as a teacher or that you can turn to for advice, tips, help with new lakes or are you completely self-taught?

 

Nobody is 100% self-taught.  Everybody has people they meet along the way who give them tips or pointers or things of that nature but with the amount of information that is available today you can learn from just about anybody.  I never stop reading magazines or things on the internet.  Our sport is always changing and I think that's part of why I enjoy it so much.  You never know what's going to be the next Alabama Rig.

 

 

 

 What's your favorite technique?

 

I really don't have one.  But I prefer to fish for schools than for one or two bites up shallow in a bay.  It's harder to find schooling fish, but when you do find them you can usually find lots of them.

 

What's your favorite lake?

 

Louisiana Delta.

 

Least favorite?

 

Old Hickory.

Other than life as a Professional Angler, what is your "dream job"?

I don't know if I'd say it's my dream job but I'd be doing construction work, that's what I was doing before I began fishing full time as a pro.  I really enjoyed it and I still miss it.  I miss the interactions you get to have with the people.

 

 

 

Ok Cliff, time for five in the box!

 

 

 1.  What's it like on Sunday morning when you're not fishing?

Probably go to church, have some friends over, spend some time with my wife.  I'm always fishing, even in the off season.  We have such long off-limits on the Elite Series that anytime you have to prefish a place you need to take it.  I hunt a lot too so I might be doing a little hunting.  I love to bowhunt.

2.  Do you have any pretournament rituals or superstitions?

Nope.

3.  Where do you think your best finish will be in 2013 (other than winning The Bassmaster Classic)?

I have no idea.  It's really so hard to tell because so much has to go right or wrong.  I will say that I'm looking forward to getting to spend some time fishing some of the lakes up north.  St. Clair, Champlain, the St. Lawrence, they're all places that are tremendous fisheries.

4.  What's the one body of water you would fish in 2013 if you had your choice?

Probably Big Sam (Sam Rayburn) because it's got the potential for such big fish.

5.  What's one thing that nobody knows about you?

Absolutely nothing, lol.  There's nothing about me that people don't already know.

Thanks for your time and good luck out there!