After following professional bass fishing for over 40 years and covering it for 20, the one lesson I should’ve learned is never to be shocked by the standings.
Well, I’m shocked by the standings.
In particular, it will be odd to attend a Bassmaster Classic for which Brandon Palaniuk had an opportunity to qualify and failed to do so. He finished 48th in the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings, and unless a number of his fellow Elites decide to pass on their invites to the big dance, he will be working the Outdoors Expo.
Yes, I know Palaniuk missed the 2020 Classic when he left for another tour, but he made nine in a row before that and had fished four straight since returning. I’m not writing this to embarrass him, but rather to stress how much I think of him as an angler, as a person and as a competitor. To the extent that the rise of technology has pushed some veterans to the back burner – temporarily or permanently — BP is among the least likely to be harmed in that fashion because he’s a lifelong learner, always on the leading edge of bass fishing trends.
But by their very definition, streaks end. Kevin VanDam missed the 2015 Classic after fishing 24 straight — then he reeled off another four in a row before leaving the Elite Series. Rick Clunn one-upped him with 28 in a row before he too slipped and did not fish the 2002 Classic. He missed the next two as well, and then fished four more in his storied career. Gary Klein had a streak of 17. Roland Martin fished 25 total, but intermittently missed one here and there.
Right now we find ourselves in a situation where the longest streaks are relatively short. Eight anglers who have thus far qualified to compete in the 2025 Classic have fished the past five – so six is where we max out. Notably, all of them joined the Elite Series in 2019.
Three anglers in the field — Jacob Powroznik, Brandon Lester and Chris Zaldain — have fished eight apiece, but at Ray Roberts Powroznik will extend his streak to four, while the other two will start a new list. Greg Hackney, the most Classic-experienced angler to qualify for next year, has fished 18 total, and will extend his streak to four.
Jeff Gustafson, the 2023 Classic champ, is the only member of the octet with six-straight qualifications who already has a Classic trophy on his mantel. Of course Justin Hamner, a recent star, has one as well. The returning Jordan Lee, a veteran of five Classics, but none since 2019, has two of them. Mathematically, there’s a pretty good chance we’ll have a first-time winner and a more-than-decent chance it’ll be someone who fished their first Elite event in 2019 or later.
The split that took place five years ago was in some ways devastating to the sport, and in other ways pumped new opportunities into it — the long-term ramifications remain to be seen. But the best lesson it provided to all of us is we cannot be complacent, whether we’re writers, anglers or observers. Change is constant. I know that anglers including Gerald Swindle, John Crews, Bill Lowen, Steve Kennedy, Jason Christie, Keith Combs and others have lots of casts, and likely more than a few Classics, left in them. I hope they do what it takes to rise to that new challenge.
Meanwhile, I know the younger anglers who’ve made it look so easy on the water, including this year’s insanely talented rookie class, will hit speed bumps along the way. They’d do well not only to prepare for that mentally on their own, but also by watching the examples of people like Brandon Palaniuk. He could have started the long drive back to Idaho once he was eliminated at the St. Lawrence River. He could have refused to participate in interviews. Instead, he hung around with grace. He was there to loan a boat to his good friend Carl Jocumsen, who was fighting to make another Classic. He was there to congratulate the tournament winner and the AOY.
An angler’s career is measured by how many fish he catches, but his legacy is measured by what he does for the sport, and in that respect out of a personal competitive shortcoming we witnessed the creation of another notch in BP’s fast-growing legacy. I’m sure he’s not happy about the situation he finds himself in, but in a time when we tend to focus on numbers and negativity, his class was a fine final snapshot with which to enter the offseason.
