Bassmaster Elite Series pro cashes in with popular contingency program.

What a weekend it was in The Sunshine State.

With a multitude of environmental factors at play, Yamaha pro Brandon Palaniuk managed to catch 95 pounds, 4 ounces in the 2025 Champion Power Equipment Bassmaster Elite at Lake Okeechobee enroute to winning his sixth coveted Elites Series trophy.

Once regarded as a young gun, the now-veteran fisherman has worked tirelessly to establish himself as a highly regarded professional angler and as skill would have it, the man just simply has “it.” When he pulls up to a tournament, his competition gets a bit more nervous. He is one of the best in the world, on and off the water.

He’s a force with whom to be reckoned and one of the several factors instrumental to his success has been the outboard motor at his back, a decision he made over 15 years ago.

Throughout Palaniuk’s career, he’s trusted a Yamaha outboard. You can accredit it to several different reason but when it all comes out in the wash, the reliability has been a major factor.

While long runs are often part of the game when it comes to high-level tournaments, that wasn’t the case on Lake Okeechobee for Palaniuk. Reliability reigned and he was able to fish until the very last minute because of the confidence he had in his Yamaha 250-horsepower V MAX SHO.

“I wasn’t traveling long distances, but I was running up a river,” Palaniuk said. “I was purposefully cautious throughout my morning runs because the crappie anglers were everywhere. They have every right to be there just like me, so I had to make sure I wasn’t messing them up because I know they want to have a fun day of fishing. I had to be very careful and respectful. But after that very short run, I was pretty much putting the trolling motor down and fishing all day long. After I had loaded my Skeeter livewells, I’d come straight back to the launch at the end of the day and weigh my fish.”

This strategy worked flawlessly and was made plain by the confidence in his outboard motor. Palaniuk knew that he could fish to the very last second of each competition day because when he turned the key, he knew his SHO would fire and provide the performance he has come to expect.

“When you sit in that seat and you’re looking for a last-minute cull it’s essential you have the confidence in your outboard to make those moves,” Palaniuk said. “I’m a man of conviction and I have run a Yamaha for the entirety of my professional bass-fishing career. When you sit down into that driver’s seat to check out another nearby area or run back to the boat ramp, you have to know that your outboard is going to do what you need it to do.”

On top of his win, Palaniuk earned an additional $4,000 check from the Yamaha Power Pay program for being the highest finishing angler running an eligible Yamaha motor. He has long been sold on the performance, dependability and fuel mileage of these outboards… the Power Pay bonus is the icing on the cake.

Thankfully you don’t have to be a full-time pro like Palaniuk to benefit from your Yamaha. There are hundreds of collegiate, amateur and semi-pro tournament trails sanctioned by Power Pay. But you do have to make sure you are registered to be eligible. It’s free to register and anglers don’t have to place first in their tournament to cash in on the Power Pay money. To learn more, please visit https://yamahapowerpay.com/.