B.A.S.S.ounced late Friday evening that Brandon Palaniuk, the leader for the first 2 days at the Mississippi River Bassmaster Elite Series, had his day-2 weight disqualified for culling a fish while in Minnesota waters.
Minnesota regulations prohibit culling from a limit of bass in state waters, or any culling in Wisconsin-Minnesota border waters.
In a press release distributed at 11:44 p.m. CT, B.A.S.S. stated that officials were presented with a written protest regarding the violation after the day's results had been published (to read BassFan's day-2 coverage, click here).
“We discussed the protest with Brandon Palaniuk, and we determined that he did in fact cull from a five-fish limit while he was in Minnesota,” said B.A.S.S. senior tournament manager Chris Bowes, who's filling in for tournament director Trip Weldon at the event in La Crosse, Wis. while Weldon recovers from a health issue.
“We recognize that he did not realize he was in Minnesota waters, and his error was completely inadvertent," Bowes continued. "In dealing with a river system like the Mississippi and its numerous channels, it’s easy to become confused about the state lines on the water."
“When his mistake was pointed out to Brandon, and he was referred to a map, he acknowledged that he must have culled in Minnesota, but was not aware of it at the time," Bowes said.
The ruling has huge ramifications for the 25-year-old Palaniuk. With a 6-pound lead heading into the weekend on a fishery at which 20-pound-plus sacks are almost unheard of at this time of year, he was a strong bet to claim his second Elite win in 2 seasons and the $100,000 top prize.
A victory also would've earned him a berth in the 2014 Classic, which he has no chance to qualify for via the Angler of the Year race (he came into the event at No. 89 on that list). The runner-up at this year's Classic could still make next year's edition of the sport's premier event by winning one of the two remaining Elite events or one of the two remaining Bassmaster Northern Opens.
With his tournament-best 19-03 sack from day 2 nullified, Palaniuk was relegated to a 77th-place finish on the basis of his 18-04 stringer from day 1. The B.A.S.S. release included the following statement from Palaniuk:
“I had no idea today that I ever broke a rule. I signed off on the rule sheet. One hundred percent in my mind, I believed that south of the I-90 bridge, the main river channel was the state boundary between Minnesota and Wisconsin, until we went south of the takeoff and went into the West Channel. I knew one of my areas was in Minnesota and I could not go back to that when I caught five.
“I made one cull today – just one – in Minnesota, in an area that I believed was in Wisconsin. It was only in Minnesota waters by less than 100 yards. I had 18 1/2 pounds before I made that one cull that just cost me, possibly, $100 grand and a Classic berth."
Palaniuk's departure makes Aaron Martens the new tournament leader with a 31-07 total for 2 days. Instead of one angler being 6 pounds clear of the field, the Top 13 are all now within 5 pounds of the No. 1 slot.
The ruling also brings Bill Lowen back into the tournament. Lowen had originally lost a tie-breaker for the 50th spot to Stephen Browning on the basis of heaviest single-day bag (Browning's 12-00 on day 2).
This is the first instance of a tournament leader being DQd during an event in the 8-year history of the Elite Series.
PS culling laws are STUPID!
Minnesota regulations prohibit culling from a limit of bass in state waters, or any culling in Wisconsin-Minnesota border waters.
In a press release distributed at 11:44 p.m. CT, B.A.S.S. stated that officials were presented with a written protest regarding the violation after the day's results had been published (to read BassFan's day-2 coverage, click here).
“We discussed the protest with Brandon Palaniuk, and we determined that he did in fact cull from a five-fish limit while he was in Minnesota,” said B.A.S.S. senior tournament manager Chris Bowes, who's filling in for tournament director Trip Weldon at the event in La Crosse, Wis. while Weldon recovers from a health issue.
“We recognize that he did not realize he was in Minnesota waters, and his error was completely inadvertent," Bowes continued. "In dealing with a river system like the Mississippi and its numerous channels, it’s easy to become confused about the state lines on the water."
“When his mistake was pointed out to Brandon, and he was referred to a map, he acknowledged that he must have culled in Minnesota, but was not aware of it at the time," Bowes said.
The ruling has huge ramifications for the 25-year-old Palaniuk. With a 6-pound lead heading into the weekend on a fishery at which 20-pound-plus sacks are almost unheard of at this time of year, he was a strong bet to claim his second Elite win in 2 seasons and the $100,000 top prize.
A victory also would've earned him a berth in the 2014 Classic, which he has no chance to qualify for via the Angler of the Year race (he came into the event at No. 89 on that list). The runner-up at this year's Classic could still make next year's edition of the sport's premier event by winning one of the two remaining Elite events or one of the two remaining Bassmaster Northern Opens.
With his tournament-best 19-03 sack from day 2 nullified, Palaniuk was relegated to a 77th-place finish on the basis of his 18-04 stringer from day 1. The B.A.S.S. release included the following statement from Palaniuk:
“I had no idea today that I ever broke a rule. I signed off on the rule sheet. One hundred percent in my mind, I believed that south of the I-90 bridge, the main river channel was the state boundary between Minnesota and Wisconsin, until we went south of the takeoff and went into the West Channel. I knew one of my areas was in Minnesota and I could not go back to that when I caught five.
“I made one cull today – just one – in Minnesota, in an area that I believed was in Wisconsin. It was only in Minnesota waters by less than 100 yards. I had 18 1/2 pounds before I made that one cull that just cost me, possibly, $100 grand and a Classic berth."
Palaniuk's departure makes Aaron Martens the new tournament leader with a 31-07 total for 2 days. Instead of one angler being 6 pounds clear of the field, the Top 13 are all now within 5 pounds of the No. 1 slot.
The ruling also brings Bill Lowen back into the tournament. Lowen had originally lost a tie-breaker for the 50th spot to Stephen Browning on the basis of heaviest single-day bag (Browning's 12-00 on day 2).
This is the first instance of a tournament leader being DQd during an event in the 8-year history of the Elite Series.
PS culling laws are STUPID!