Pipkens, Cobb Set Pace At Fork With 31-Plus

By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor

Chad Pipkens was disappointed he didn’t get to visit Lake Fork earlier this spring before it went off limits prior to this week’s Toyota Texas Fest Elite Series tournament. A broken collarbone suffered in a rec league ice hockey game in March nuked his plans to scout the lake.

Today, he fished like a seasoned veteran at the famed reservoir about 90 miles east of Dallas.

The Michigan pro tallied 31-15, his first 30-pound limit on the Elite Series and the biggest stringer he’s ever caught, to lead a trio of anglers who eclipsed the 30-pound mark on day 1. Pipkens had 11 bass on his scorecard today, but he caught the five that mattered in less than a two-hour span during the middle of the day. His limit was anchored by a 7-pounder and he had three others that weighed 6-05 or bigger.

“It’s funny how it all works out,” said Pipkens, who’s had to adjust his mechanics this season as he regains mobility and strength in his left shoulder. “Obviously, today blew my expectations out of the water. I thought I could catch them and I had a really good practice, but I didn’t catch ‘em where I thought I would.”

Around the same time Pipkens was climbing the leaderboard, Brandon Cobb was in the midst of a memorable flurry of his own. Cobb, the winner of the Lake Hartwell Elite Series last month, cracked a personal-best 31-11 with a 4-1, a 7-02 and an 8-12 coming in the boat in the matter of 30 minutes just before noon. His kicker shared big-bass honors for the day with Luke Palmer as the race for a new Toyota Tundra got under way (the angler who catches the big bass of the tournament will win a new pickup truck).

“All through practice, I’d catch nothing, then hit a flurry and catch them,” Cobb said. “It was the same thing today. When they bite it’s almost every cast.”

Chris Zaldain was the first angler to reach 30 pounds this morning, aided by a pair of 7-pounders before 10 a.m. He added a pair of 5-12s and sits in third with 30-10.

There were 16 other anglers who caught at least 20 pounds, including rookie Garrett Paquette, who is fourth with 28-12. Four of his weigh-in fish, all weighing between 5-15 and 6-13, came in a 15-minute span toward the end of the day. Keith Combs, a former Toyota Texas Bass Classic winner at Lake Fork, caught 27-01 and is fifth.

The start of day 1 was delayed 25 minutes this morning as a band of strong thunderstorms finished moving through the area. The fallout of the storm seemed to dampen the early-morning shad-spawn bite and negated what was shaping up to be a solid shallow-water bite.

Still, Lake Fork produced a bevy of solid fish with 30 weighing 6 pounds or more as more storms are in the forecast for Friday, when the entire field will compete again under the catch-weigh-release format. The top 35 after Friday will compete on Sunday – Saturday will feature a fan fest and a country music concert – with the top 10 following day 3 advancing to the finals on Monday, when the winner will be determined by highest cumulative weight.

Pipkens says he’s caught a couple stringers of smallmouth in tournaments around home approaching 28 pounds, but today’s effort is far and away the biggest sack of largemouth he’s ever caught. He said it feels good to get off to a strong start after having the first part of his season upended by his injury.

“I’ve practiced pretty well this year and found the fish to make top 5s, but I just haven’t made good decisions,” he said. “Today, I adjusted. I didn’t catch big ones where I thought I would. I went all over chasing yesterday’s bite and figured out what was going on today.”

His morning was a bit scrambled in the wake of the overnight storms. He checked areas where he had bedding fish marked. Nothing.

“That thunder and lightning messed up the shallow bite big time,” he said.

He tried areas where bass had been chasing bait. Still nothing.

“It was like the dead sea. There was nothing happening,” he added.

Eventually, with a 3 1/2- and a 4-pounder on his scorecard, he moved into an area that had produced a couple bites in practice and caught another 4-pounder.

“I just stayed there and plowed them for an hour,” he said.

After a while, he left and came back and finished off his limit with a 6-14. He later caught a 5-02 that didn’t help.

“I left them biting,” he said. “What was big for me was I was looking for new stuff. I was fortunate to catch a few and hopefully found something to build on. I’m hoping the shallow bite picks up tomorrow because you can catch some big ones that way.”

Cobb said his day was highlighted by two flurries actually. He totaled about 17 pounds out of the first one, then culled three times during the second. As exciting as it was, he says it’s all predicated on timing. He was without a fish around 9:30 a.m. and considered switching up strategies in hopes of catching 12 to 18 pounds.

“It makes you so uneasy the way I’m fishing,” he said. “The place I caught three of my big ones, I’d already fished it and didn’t get a bite there. Timing is a big deal.”

He doesn’t expect to make many changes Friday.

“I won’t say I expected this, but I don’t know when or where I’m going to catch anything,” he said. “I didn’t expect 30 (pounds), but I knew if I hit the right place it’s doable. If I don’t hit a flurry tomorrow, I could see not weighing in a fish if I keep doing what I’m doing.”

Paquette’s afternoon flurry saw him more than double his weight and rocket himself into the top 5.

“I knew the potential was there for that,” he said. “I hit the same spot four times throughout the day. There’s another guy fishing it, too, but it finally fired for me.”

To his chagrin, he doesn’t think it’s an area capable of withstanding several more days of pressure.

“You can’t win the tournament there,” he said. “I’ll have to find more stuff.”

He wasn’t able to do that today as he was trying to not fall way off the pace. He’s hoping to get off to a better start Friday which would free him up to search for something similar.

“I found it at the end of practice, and I need time to find more places like it,” he added.

Now that he got a taste of what Fork is capable of producing, he’s anxious to apply what he learned today to Friday’s round.

“I learned you have to keep the fish honest,” he said. “Even though you can see them down there or even if you can’t, you have to keep rotating through areas. It’s not easy, but you can get right real fast. It’s easy to get down, but it only takes five casts to change your day. Persistence is key there.

“I want one of those century belts [given to anglers who reach 100 pounds in a tournament]. A trophy would be nice, too, but you don’t get many chances at a century belt.”

Weather Forecast

> Fri., May 3 – Thunderstorms - 77°/63°
- Wind: From the SE at 5 to 10 mph

> Sun., May 5 – Partly Cloudy - 82°/65°
- Wind: Light and variable

> Mon., May 6 – Partly Sunny - 84°/68°
- Wind: From the SSE at 5 to 10 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Chad Pipkens -- Lansing, MI -- 5, 31-15 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 31-15

2. Brandon Cobb -- Greenwood, SC -- 5, 31-11 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 31-11

3. Chris Zaldain -- Fort Worth, TX -- 5, 30-10 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 30-10

4. Garrett Paquette -- Canton, MI -- 5, 28-12 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 28-12

5. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 5, 27-01 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 27-01

6. Luke Palmer -- Coalgate, OK -- 5, 26-14 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 26-14

7. Drew Cook -- Midway, FL -- 5, 25-12 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 25-12

8. Brandon Card -- Knoxville, TN -- 5, 25-11 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 25-11

9. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 5, 22-13 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 22-13

10. Lee Livesay -- Gladewater, TX -- 5, 22-10 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 22-10

11. Jay Yelas -- Lincoln City, OR -- 5, 22-05 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 22-05

12. Drew Benton -- Panama City, FL -- 5, 21-08 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 21-08

13. Derek Hudnall -- Baton Rouge, LA -- 5, 21-02 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 21-02

14. Cory Johnston – Cavan, Ontario -- 5, 21-00 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 21-00

15. Shane LeHew -- Catawba, NC -- 5, 20-13 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 20-13

16. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 5, 20-10 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 20-10

17. Skylar Hamilton -- Dandridge, TN -- 5, 20-06 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 20-06

18. Brett Preuett -- Monroe, LA -- 5, 20-05 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 20-05

19. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 5, 20-01 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 20-01

20. Hank Cherry Jr -- Lincolnton, NC -- 5, 19-11 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 19-11

21. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 5, 19-08 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 19-08

22. Patrick Walters -- Summerville, SC -- 5, 19-02 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 19-02

23. Greg DiPalma -- Millville, NJ -- 5, 18-13 -- 78
Day 1: 5, 18-13

24. Jeff Gustafson – Keewatin, Ontario -- 4, 18-08 -- 77
Day 1: 4, 18-08

25. Jamie Hartman -- Newport, NY -- 5, 17-14 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 17-14

26. Jesse Tacoronte -- Kissimmee, FL -- 5, 17-13 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 17-13

27. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 5, 17-07 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 17-07

28. Seth Feider -- New Market, MN -- 5, 17-04 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 17-04

29. Stetson Blaylock -- Benton, AR -- 5, 17-00 -- 72
Day 1: 5, 17-00

30. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 5, 16-13 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 16-13

31. Kelley Jaye -- Dadeville, AL -- 5, 16-02 -- 70
Day 1: 5, 16-02

31. Robbie Latuso -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 16-02 -- 70
Day 1: 5, 16-02

33. Carl Jocumsen – Queensland, Australia -- 4, 16-02 -- 68
Day 1: 4, 16-02

34. Gary Clouse -- Winchester, TN -- 5, 16-00 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 16-00

35. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 5, 15-15 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 15-15

36. Harvey Horne -- Bella Vista, AR -- 5, 15-13 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 15-13

37. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 5, 15-09 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 15-09

38. Yusuke Miyazaki -- Forney, TX -- 5, 15-07 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 15-07

39. Rick Morris -- Lake Gaston, VA -- 4, 15-07 -- 62
Day 1: 4, 15-07

40. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 5, 15-05 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 15-05

41. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 5, 15-02 -- 60
Day 1: 5, 15-02

42. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 5, 14-14 -- 59
Day 1: 5, 14-14

43. Scott Canterbury -- Odenville, AL -- 5, 14-07 -- 58
Day 1: 5, 14-07

44. Caleb Sumrall -- New Iberia, LA -- 5, 14-06 -- 57
Day 1: 5, 14-06

45. Chris Johnston – Peterborough, Ontario -- 5, 14-03 -- 56
Day 1: 5, 14-03

46. Hunter Shryock -- Newcomerstown, OH -- 3, 14-03 -- 55
Day 1: 3, 14-03

47. Mike Huff -- Corbin, KY -- 3, 13-14 -- 54
Day 1: 3, 13-14

48. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 5, 13-13 -- 53
Day 1: 5, 13-13

49. Koby Kreiger -- Alva, FL -- 5, 13-10 -- 52
Day 1: 5, 13-10

50. Clark Wendlandt -- Leander, TX -- 5, 13-05 -- 51
Day 1: 5, 13-05

51. Matt Arey -- Shelby, NC -- 5, 13-04 -- 50
Day 1: 5, 13-04

51. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 5, 13-04 -- 50
Day 1: 5, 13-04

53. Randy Pierson -- Oakdale, CA -- 5, 12-15 -- 48
Day 1: 5, 12-15

54. Clent Davis -- Montevallo, AL -- 5, 12-14 -- 47
Day 1: 5, 12-14

55. Tyler Rivet -- Raceland, LA -- 5, 12-06 -- 46
Day 1: 5, 12-06

56. Kyle Monti -- Okeechobee, FL -- 5, 12-03 -- 45
Day 1: 5, 12-03

57. Chris Groh -- Spring Grove, IL -- 4, 12-03 -- 44
Day 1: 4, 12-03

58. Shane Lineberger -- Lincolnton, NC -- 4, 12-02 -- 43
Day 1: 4, 12-02

59. Frank Talley -- Temple, TX -- 5, 11-14 -- 42
Day 1: 5, 11-14

60. Ray Hanselman Jr -- Del Rio, TX -- 5, 11-06 -- 41
Day 1: 5, 11-06

61. Tyler Carriere -- Youngsville, LA -- 5, 11-05 -- 40
Day 1: 5, 11-05

62. Brad Whatley -- Bivins, TX -- 4, 11-03 -- 39
Day 1: 4, 11-03

63. Chad Morgenthaler -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 5, 11-01 -- 38
Day 1: 5, 11-01

63. Bill Weidler -- Helena, AL -- 5, 11-01 -- 38
Day 1: 5, 11-01

65. Brock Mosley -- Collinsville, MS -- 5, 10-13 -- 36
Day 1: 5, 10-13

66. Ed Loughran III -- Richmond, VA -- 5, 09-04 -- 35
Day 1: 5, 09-04

66. Randy Sullivan -- Breckenridge, TX -- 5, 09-04 -- 35
Day 1: 5, 09-04

68. Jake Whitaker -- Fairview, NC -- 5, 09-02 -- 33
Day 1: 5, 09-02

68. Jason Williamson -- Wagener, SC -- 5, 09-02 -- 33
Day 1: 5, 09-02

70. Todd Auten -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 5, 08-14 -- 31
Day 1: 5, 08-14

71. Rob Digh -- Denver, NC -- 3, 08-06 -- 30
Day 1: 3, 08-06

72. David Fritts -- Lexington, NC -- 4, 08-05 -- 29
Day 1: 4, 08-05

73. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 4, 06-07 -- 28
Day 1: 4, 06-07

74. Quentin Cappo -- Prairieville, LA -- 1, 05-10 -- 27
Day 1: 1, 05-10

75. Dale Hightower -- Mannford, OK -- 2, 05-08 -- 26
Day 1: 2, 05-08