Bassmaster Elite Series pro Luke Palmer had what most would call a breakout season in 2023. The part-time manager of his families’ hardware store in Coalgate, Oklahoma notched his first Elite Series win at Santee Cooper and followed it up with a 2nd place at Lake St. Clair en route to qualifying for the Bassmaster Classic on Grand Lake in his home state.
Palmer is keeping his momentum rolling in 2024 after starting the season off with a 6th place finish at Toledo Bend. Palmer’s efforts were enough to earn him an extra $3,000 from Toyota Bonus Bucks for being the highest placing angler driving a 2020 or newer Toyota tow vehicle.
The fourth-year full-time pro bought a 2023 Tundra this off-season in hopes to cash in on the popular contingency program. After the first Elite Series tournament of the year, that aspiration is already coming to fruition.
“This is my first Toyota tow vehicle. I bought this truck because of Toyota’s reliability reputation, the longevity of the vehicle itself and its value, and then definitely because of Bonus Bucks,” Palmer said with a soft smile.
Palmer knew he left some money on the table in 2023, as his performance on the water would have resulted in a lot of bonus money had he been driving an eligible vehicle. His hunch proved correct, and his new Toyota purchase is already paying off.
“I have been driving diesel trucks the past few years, so I was admittedly a little worried switching to a gas truck, but this thing pulls outstanding,” Palmer said. “It tows my boat great, handles really well and I can park it anywhere which I really like.”
Palmer employed a 4-inch YUM FF Sonar Minnow on a ¼-ounce jig head and a spinning rod to catch most of the over 86-lbs of Toledo Bend largemouth he brought to the scales over the course of four days.
Like most of his fellow top ten finishers, Palmer used forward-facing sonar to find and pick off individual fish, including a bass over nine pounds on day one of the event, roaming in ten to twenty-five feet of water.
You don’t have to be a professional angler or catch 9-lbers like Palmer to win extra money through Toyota Bonus Bucks. Hundreds of bass tournaments, as well as walleye and kayak derbies are sanctioned for payouts through the program and it’s 100% free to register. For more information, a full list of events or to get signed up follow this link: https://www.toyotatrucksbonusbucks.com/.
