With time running out, we’ve got a clear leader in the Bassmaster Angler of the Year competition. Brandon Palaniuk holds a 41-point edge with two events to fish. It’s all but over, right?

The guy is certainly worthy. While the 2017 AOY has occasionally taken heat over being a "favored child", his record backs up his notoriety. A six-time winner at B.A.S.S., Palaniuk is a perennial check-casher, heading to the bank after 72 percent of his tournaments.

Noted as a versatile angler, Palaniuk’s won at every type of fishery imaginable, from the Great Lakes to tidal rivers, Bull Shoals to Santee.

This year has been a prime example of Palaniuk’s consistency. He’s the only angler on the Elite Series without a finish of 40th or worse, the statistic clearly responsible for holding him in the top spot. Everywhere he could have stumbled, Palaniuk’s made contact with the ball. He’s unstoppable.

As a whole, however, professional bass fishing is far from predictable. The list of Palaniuk’s closest pursuers includes veteran competitors. There’s certainly no “who’s that guy?” anglers sitting atop the AOY race.

Mullins, Cox, Lester. Johnston and Johnston. Hackney.

Don’t stumble, Brandon.

Two to go. The first will be the wild card. The Elite Series has visited Lake Oahe just once before, when Mark Daniels Jr. took the trophy by catching nomadic smallmouth on finesse plastics. In that event, 3-pound-average stringers were enough to threaten the top.

Oahe, though, produces big bags on occasion. Ohio’s Danny Devera, a lifetime smallmouth veteran and Erie stalwart, cracked 20 pounds there during a B.A.S.S. Nation event, about the only other large event Oahe has held. Just what will the massive reservoir have in store this year? Could it effect the AOY?

The short answer is a lot; and yes. Big time. This will be the first time the nomadic, wandering, relating-to-nothing smallmouths of this region are subject to world-class anglers skilled in the use of forward-facing sonar.

In 2018, when Daniels won, he credited Panoptix, to some degree. This time, however, technology will be the X-factor.

Given decent weather and normal winds, I look for stringers to far exceed what most anglers consider normal for Oahe. With that may come a major adjustment in the AOY standings. Like other smallmouth venues (I’m thinking of Oneida as an example), we might see a tournament where a single pound jumps a competitor 20 places. Such could spell disastrous for AOY hopefuls who fail to keep pace.

The Mississippi River at LaCrosse will close out the Elite Series season. A better venue couldn’t be found, as LaCrosse is a real fish factory with a ton of options. Brown and green, shallow and deep. Power and finesse.

Here, an AOY leader has a better chance of staying safe. It’s entirely possible to catch limits of fish at Lacrosse without running anywhere, and weather or flooding won’t play much of role this time of year. Swinging for the fences won’t move a guy up too many places in the season’s standings.

However, not to jinx our leader, but Palaniuk has had some lackluster showings on the Mississippi (although he did finish 9th there in the inaugural Bass Pro Tour REDCREST Championship in 2019). It’s one of the few venues where he’s often struggled to cash a paycheck – at least on the B.A.S.S. side.

I’m intrigued by that fact, especially considering Palaniuk’s most recent win on the James River. I mean, you need to understand a bit about rivers before you can take down a title there. The James is loaded, but subtle in its clues.

The Mississippi, by contrast, is a much easier fishery overall. Perhaps Palaniuk has overthought at times in the past. Will he be able to close the deal this time, with everything on the line?

More than any other tour, the Elite Series is loaded at the top. Nearly every competitor chasing Palaniuk has won this season, and most average paychecks in three-quarters of their events. Will one make a late charge and pull it out? Can Palaniuk afford to play safe?

It ain’t over yet, folks.

(Joe Balog is the often-outspoken owner of Millennium Promotions, Inc., an agency operating in the fishing and hunting industries. A former Bassmaster Open and EverStart Championship winner, he's best known for his big-water innovations and hardcore fishing style. He's a popular seminar speaker, product designer and author, and is considered one of the most influential smallmouth fishermen of modern times.)