Chad Pipkens picked the right day to have the best day of his life fishing Lake Erie.
The 31-year-old Holt, Mich., angler, who has fished lakes St. Clair and Erie since his college days, bagged 23-06 to win the third and final Bassmaster Northern Open of 2014. His three-day total of 67-04 eclipsed fellow Elite Series pro Fletcher Shryock of Ohio, who was 2nd with 63-10, and Chris Johnston of Canada, who was third with 63-06.
Joe Balog, who led after each of the first 2 days, lost valuable fishing time due to mechanical problems, caught only three fish, and fell to 7th.
Pipkens won a $40,000 boat package and $7,083 cash. More importantly, he earned a berth in the 2015 Bassmaster Classic to be held on Lake Hartwell out of Greenville, S.C., next February.
“Winning this wasn’t about the money – it was all about getting that Classic berth,” Pipkens said. “And to lock it up on a day when the fishing was nothing short of fabulous makes it even more special.”
That’s why he gambled to make the long runs to Erie from Metropark on Lake St. Clair each day, a brutal ride across St. Clair, down the Detroit River and out into Erie.
He targeted rock and gravel-strewn corners on reefs scattered along the Canadian shoreline in 8 to 12 feet of water. He caught all of his fish on a Damiki DC300 crankbait. Full details of his winning pattern will be published soon.
Here are the final totals for the Top 12:
1. Chad Pipkens: 67-04
2. Fletcher Shryock: 63-10
3. Chris Johnston: 63-06
4. Koby Kreiger: 62-06
5. Cory Johnston: 59-01
6. Stetson Blaylock: 57-04
7. Joe Balog: 55-13
8. Ben Nielsen: 55-10
9. Wayne Macklin: 54-03
10. Thomas Beale: 53-10
11. Todd Schmitz: 53-09
12. Keith Monson: 47-03
