Something Old, Something New
Posted by Pete Robbins on May 26th 2021
One day of practice.
One cast.
Probably about one hour of sleep, too.
I’m still stuck on Palaniuk’s win at the James River. I know that he’s competed at Guntersville since then, and since that 22nd place finish has already likely started thinking about the Classic, but the depth and significance of his Open win still rivets me. Not only does it put him in a position where he’s qualified for the 2022 Classic before the 2021 iteration occurs, freeing him up to take some risks, but it adds to his already hefty portfolio.
What stands out for me are the baits he used. As I wrote last week, after winning a presumed power fishing derby at Santee last fall with a dose of finesse, he moved to the James and as others downsized he ratcheted up the weaponry. In particular, he used his signature Storm Arashi glidebait and an 8-inch Megabass Magdraft.
Photographer Andy Crawford and I showed up at 5am on Championship Saturday to photograph and caption the top lures of the top 10 finishers and what stood out to me about BP’s arsenal was just how beat up the Magdraft was. I mean, the dude is presumably solvent enough that he can afford a new one when big money’s on the line, but the one he was throwing was missing an eye and had multitudes of battle scars. Was it just one that ran correctly out of the package? The last one he had in that color? Or just a seasoned “warrior” that had earned his trust? I’ve seen that last term used with treasured topwaters and balsas cranks, but never with a soft bait like the Magdraft. I wish I had asked him about it, but at 5am I was just concerned with doing my job and getting back to the Hampton Inn for the free breakfast.
On the final morning of the 2019 Classic in Knoxville, Craig Lamb and I went to the boatyard equally early to ferret out some stories. That was the first time I heard eventual winner Ott DeFoe talk about the bait that would eventually become the (currently sold out everywhere) Rapala OG Slim 6 (Ike had some, too). I also recall talking to Chris Zaldain, who had a big bag of new Magdrafts ready to chase glory, but if I recall correctly the one he had tied on was well-chewed. Maybe they get better with age.
