Today, Brandon Palaniuk let fans ask him anything in his first B.A.S.S. Twitter chat. From why he sleeps in his truck to what his most productive rod setup is, the 2012 Bassmaster Elite Series TroKar Quest winner answered fans about a wide range of subjects. Palaniuk responded to 35 questions in as many minutes while he was en route to his home in Idaho from this past weekend’s tournament in Tennessee — with only 1,800 miles left to go!
Below is a transcript of the chat. The tweets have been lightly edited to improve clarity and fix spelling errors.
Keep up with Twitter chats, tournament news and bass fishing advice by following B.A.S.S. on Twitter at @BASS_Nation. Follow Palaniuk on Twitter at @BrandonPalaniuk.
TheBassPunk How did you get started in the Federation Nation? As a boater or Co-angler? How old were you?
BrandonPalaniuk I started as a boater at age 16 in the adult @BASS_nation Federation.
TBendMike Brandon, what is your opinion on ” strolling ” in elite tournaments?
BrandonPalaniuk I was more for it at Douglas. I felt that was the only thing missing between making the Top 12 and getting a check.
TBrinks Are you going to get any tournaments in on CDA while you are back home?
BrandonPalaniuk I plan on fishing the Northwest Bass in May.
drmrboy21 What is the talk on the tour about the upcoming tournament in La Crosse? Your thoughts?
BrandonPalaniuk Everyone says it could be our best event of the year. The fishing is awesome, everyone should have a good time.
CurtRmiles What is some advice you can give other young anglers wanting to make a career fishing??
BrandonPalaniuk Join the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation, and take some public speaking classes.
AndrewMcGhie Was there a defining moment/decision that you feel helped you the most to make the Elite Series?
BrandonPalaniuk When I pulled up to my 1st spot at the Federation championship, I caught two 3-pounders before the last boat left. At that moment, I knew I was going to win.
AndrewMcGhie Thanks for your reply. If you have time for one more, did you begin your career fishing local club tournaments?
BrandonPalaniuk Yes, I started fishing local clubs at 8 years old. I fished club tournaments at home, and joined the Fed at 16.
anderson_m_pete Were you doing anything special with your retrieves on Bull Shoals besides hitting rocks? start/stop, extra-fast, etc?
BrandonPalaniuk I would start with a fast retrieve then change up the speed of the retrieve everyday once I got my bait down.
MK_Bassfishing How were you able to find those big ones, meanwhile everyone else was having trouble finding the big bite?
BrandonPalaniuk I think everyone expected it to be close to the bank, it was deeper than most guys planned on fishing. It was the decision to go deeper than everyone. The big females pulled off of the bank when the water dropped.
MK_Bassfishing What made you go deep?
BrandonPalaniuk Watching the falling water levels prior to the event.
HellaBass Where do you think #Bassmaster Mystery Tournament will be?
chrisjhyman Any idea what part of the country the mystery lake will prob be in?
candyland9 Brandon do you have a guess as to what the mystery lake is??
BrandonPalaniuk Honestly, I have no idea, but it will somewhere within 6 or 7 hours of La Crosse.
candyland9 I hope somewhere in my home state of Minnesota. Ever fished there?
BrandonPalaniuk Never have. But possible we might go there for the Mystery Lake.
CurtRmiles What’s your favorite lake to fish?
BrandonPalaniuk My favorite lake is Couer d’Alene in Idaho.
J_Bell85 How is life on the road treating you? Still sleeping in the back of your truck on a wooden cot?
BrandonPalaniuk Yes, I’m still sleeping in the back of my truck. Slept in it last night, but I love being on the road.
J_Bell85 I respect that dedication more than anything else. Big ups, keep giving em hell!
BrandonPalaniuk Thanks for the support!
JasonGramada Might be personal but how do you afford Elites, truck, boat and expense while not working…. Im struggling LOL… Great win dude!
BrandonPalaniuk Part of it is sponsor support and the other part is sleeping in the back of my truck.
jvogt004 What are your ideal rod specs for the different techniques you fish? Congrats on the win.
BrandonPalaniuk When I throw a crankbait, I use a 7-6 medium-heavy Abu Garcia Veritas with a Revo Winch Series. I’ve got about 35 different rods in my boat for different techniques.
Chandler_A_Ray What type of deep cranking setup do you use?
BrandonPalaniuk 7-6 medium-heavy Abu Garcia Veritas, Revo Winch Series reel, 10-pound-test @BerkleyFishing 100% Fluorocarbon
BradSully87 What was the first boat you owned, who was you very first sponsorship? And congrats on your recent win.
BrandonPalaniuk The first I owned was a Ranger 520ZX, but it wasn’t the first boat I fished out of. My first sponsorship wasAXfishing.com.
anderson_m_pete Now that you have a spot in the Classic, will you swing for the fences or play conservative to make sure you get a check?
BrandonPalaniuk I’m definitely swinging for the fences. The difference between 1st and 2nd is too big.
2dimples4me What is your preferred lure overall?
BrandonPalaniuk Rapala DT4
hunter44i8 What did the teller say when you brought the check to the bank??
BrandonPalaniuk I haven’t made it home yet. I’m waiting for that moment.
chrisjhyman If you had 1 setup (lure,rod & line) for every tournament what would it be?
BrandonPalaniuk 7 1/2 medium-heavy @TheReelAbu Veritas and a Revo Premier 7:1 with 15lb. @BerkleyFishing Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon
MK_Bassfishing Were you nervous heading into the last day of competition?
BrandonPalaniuk No, I knew with the lead I had, if I caught half of what I did the previous days, I would be ok.
jeffh711 How often do you throw the DT4 during tournament
BrandonPalaniuk I always have one tied up, just in case.
DucksTackleBox How do you have the back of your truck set up? Air mattress or bunk on top of storage?
BrandonPalaniuk I have a half of the truck bed bulit out of 2×4 and a two inch memory foam mattress.
KamiahKid Brandon what’s the best time to fish Couer d’Alene Lake?
BrandonPalaniuk Probably May to November. When there’s no ice on it.
jeffh711 I’m not good with directions. What is best way to learn electronics?
BrandonPalaniuk The best way to learn them is by watching informational videos on YouTube.
chrisjhyman How long did your hand take to heal from the er visit at bull shoals? Did it slow you down any this past week?
BrandonPalaniuk It’s still healing, but I had full use of it the next day. It didn’t hinder me.
BASS_nation Were you nervous making that long of a run in Bull Shoals?
BrandonPalaniuk No I was confident in my @YamahaOutboards and @SkeeterTeam boat, I knew I wouldn’t have any issues.
RigidDave What are Big Fish Lights?
BrandonPalaniuk My @RigidNation LEDs were considered my Big Fish Lights. I got them before the Bull Shoals event.
TheBassPunk They drop you on the mystery lake, after checking the map what’s the first thing you think of doing to put together a pattern?
BrandonPalaniuk Taking a lap around the lake in my @SkeeterTeam boat and @YamahaOutboards motor.
AdamBartusek What kind of structure were you fishing on Bull Shoals when you completely dominated the competition?
BrandonPalaniuk Isolated rockpiles, brush and a roadbed.
MK_Bassfishing Why was @mike_Iaconelli custom color DT16 so successful for you? And do pros normally ask other pros for baits?
BrandonPalaniuk It is something the fish haven’t seen. It looks realistic in the water. We always ask each other for stuff.
Join B.A.S.S. for a Twitter chat with Jeremy Starks, Thursday, May 10, and Randy Howell, Tuesday, May 15. Both chats are from 1 to 1:30 p.m. ET, and you can access them using hashtag #basschat or on TweetChat.