Monster Lake Fork bass interrupted Chad Pipkens’ sleep last night.
“I see like giant bass leaping across my brain, and my heart starts racing,” the pro from Lansing, Mich., said early Saturday while answering texts.
Awakened but not all that shaken, Pipkens said he got up, did something productive then went back to bed before visions of lunkers again roused him. It’s understandable after his best two days of catching ever — the smallmouth expert has weighed his largest two bags of largemouth.
Pipkens’ 10 fish total 62 pounds, 14 ounces and lead the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
With a “new personal best” 8-11, Pipkens added 30-15 Friday after leading with 31-15 on Day 1, when his best five weighed 6-5, 7-0, 6-8, 5-4 and 6-14.
On Friday, with a Bassmaster LIVE camera, Pipkens put on quite the show with bass weighing 5-15, 8-11, 5-6, 4-7 and 6-8. He’s 37-2 from a B.A.S.S. Century Belt, which hasn’t been awarded in six years. Averaging 18-9 over Sunday and Monday will get him to 100 pounds, but that’s not critical to his mission.
“First and foremost, if I get with 90 or 110, I really don’t care. I just want to win,” he said. “I’d love to have that other accolade, but it’d be gravy. That would be way gravy.”
Only second-place Drew Cook, with 51-10, is also on pace to reach 100 pounds. Keith Combs is the last to earn a belt, totaling 111-5 on Falcon Lake in 2013.
Pipkens realizes it’s not over as Lake Fork is land of the giants. It has produced 30 of the top 50 bass entered in Texas’ famed Share Lunker program, including the record 18.18-pounder. On Lake Fork in the 2014 Toyota Texas Bass Classic, the predecessor of Texas Fest, Combs set the three-day tournament record. He had a 10-14 big bass in a 42-pound bag that gave him 110 pounds, which averages to 7-5 a fish.
Pipkens’ fish are averaging 6-5, and he’s on pace for a whopping four-day mark of 125-12, which would be the sixth highest ever in B.A.S.S. competition. In the 2008 Elite on Lake Falcon, all 12 anglers fishing four days earned Century Belts, led by Paul Elias’ record 132-8.
Again, Pipkens isn’t concerned with any records, just winning.
“It goes so easy when it goes good, so it seems like it could be really easy, but every fish I weighed came off two places,” he said. “Every fish I caught yesterday came off one place.”
Pipkens’ second spot is rather popular, with Garrett Paquette, Brandon Card and Jeff Gustafson also fishing it to Top 10 success. His main spot, which he discovered in practice while idling down a bank following contour lines, is subtle, so much so that he described it as “stupid.”
“There’s just something that’s right there,” he said. “It looked right — it’s just this little nub. It’s not even worthy of a point.”
With another angler practicing in the area, he juked by going to the bank before casting to the wad of fish he saw on his scanner. At first it seemed a lost cause when a worm wasn’t bit. A clear crankbait left over from Lake Lanier produced a big bite that pulled off. Hmm, maybe they’re white bass, he thought. Another big bite pulled off. He saw what he thought was a striper flash, then he caught a striper.
“Yeah, they’re probably all stripers,” he said. “Then I hooked a 4.”
Game on.
Sleep wasn’t being lost that others would fish his juice, certainly not Elites who saw him there, and not really the bevy of recreational anglers expected on the lake Saturday.
“I don’t think you can find it — you might be throwing at something close,” he said. “If they do, it is was it is.”
Perhaps part of his sleepus interruptus has to do with his school, which he reported are both pre- and post-spawn, won’t be there Sunday. Bass are still on the move and haven’t really set up on too many areas, he said. So he is contemplating backup areas.
“There are two or three other places where I’ve caught them, but I think they’re still down there,” he said. “It’s fishing. Every day, whatever happens happens. I’ve been very blessed to have the two days I had. I’m going to make good decisions and do the best I can. It just happens sometimes. I go out and think I’m going to crush them, and they’ve moved.”
While one night with the lead can be stressful, Pipkens has 40 hours between the end of Day 2 and the start of semifinal Sunday to think about things. His mostly positive outlook was evident as he thought the time would help heal his aching forearms.
“It’s planned. I’m ready to roll,” he said. “More important, my arm hurts from walking those fish around. They just pull so hard and you’re walking them out. My forearm’s on fire.”
Concern for his left broken collarbone, which required surgery seven weeks ago, is almost gone. His mobility is back and he put some pressure on it during his big fish catch. Maybe the fans greeting him at Saturday’s Expo will shake out some of his forearm soreness, because he’s sure to be popular.
“Man, zero to hero,” he said.
What? Where’s the zero, Chad?
Eh, maybe because he was mired in the Toyota Angler of the Year standings at 54th. His first-place standing at Texas Fest has him 33rd and inside the Classic cut.
“It’s fun. I’m excited. Just get out there and hope to get after it. It’d be fun to start the day like I did Friday,” he said. “You can give it all back with some poor decisions. It’s all good through. Headed in the right direction.”
Well, why don’t you just win the event and the automatic Classic berth?
“That sounds kinda fun, too. I like it,” he said.
And get some sleep. Have you tried counting bass? Oh wait, that’s no good.
“I’ve been sleeping, here and there,” he said.
Boom or bust, those visions of Lake Fork lunkers will be dancing in his head for some time.