UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. - Former Lakeland High wrestling standout Brandon Palaniuk led the 106-angler Elite field after Thursday's first day of the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Cayuga Lake, bringing in 20 pounds, 10 ounces, enough to stay 3 ounces ahead of the pack in the first of four rounds.

The first prize is $100,000 and an automatic qualification for the 2015 Bassmaster Classic.

"It was a magical day," Palaniuk said. "I caught fish pretty early. I think I had a limit within the first 45 minutes, and slowly culled up from there. Every move I made, I seemed to catch a good one."

The 26-year-old does not have one challenger behind him in second place, but two. In a tournament peppered with ties throughout the leaderboard, Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Ark., and Mike Kernan of Wylie, Texas, were neck-and-neck at 20-7 for second place.

The standings weren't the only things that were tight in the tournament. Many of the pros were bunched up Thursday on the most productive areas of Cayuga Lake, sometimes fishing within casting distance from one another.

Palaniuk said he has something going on his own. And he wasn't in the least forthcoming about how he was catching bass.

"I'm keeping that locked down for now, "said Palaniuk, who said he had never before fished Cayuga Lake. Palaniuk said he learned from his Monday-Wednesday practice sessions.

"I had a couple patterns going (in practice) and those all came together for me to make for a really good day," he said.