Chad Pipken's Pattern, Baits & Gear
Pipkens relied on his vast knowledge of Erie to post his second consecutive Top-5 finish. Erie's north shore is never at its best during the "dog days" of August and a massive algae bloom was another aggravating factor.
The big smallmouth weren't grouped up there like they are during early summer and in the fall, but Pipkens, who won the Bassmaster Northern Open there in 2014, had enough experience that he could bounce around between numerous waypoints and pick them off here and there.
On the final practice day he went farther down the lake to one of the places he'd exploited during last year's Open and used a crankbait to catch 18 pounds in less than half an hour.
"I figured I could come down and catch 14 to 16 pounds on the crankbait with my eyes closed, and then maybe go deep," he said. "I only caught one fish on a crankbait in the tournament, and that was at 9:30 on the first day. Everything else came on a dropshot."
He ran into a group of fish at noon on the second day that produced the bulk of his 22-pound stringer. It was a place he was unable to investigate during practice due to the powerful winds.
"My lake history was a huge factor," he said.
Dropshot gear: 7' medium-light Powell 702 rod, Abu Garcia Revo SX 30 spinning reel, 8-pound Sunline Super FC Sniper fluorocarbon line, 3/8-ounce unnamed round dropshot weight, size 1 Gamakatsu Split Shot/Drop Shot hook, Poor Boys Erie Darter (stone or smoke pepper). His crankbait fish, a 4 1/4-pounder, came on a Damiki DC 300 in real shad.
Main factor: "Being in areas I had confidence in."
Performance edge: "The Humminbird 360 played a big role. With that crankbait fish I caught, I just saw a shadow, and the same thing with one of my better culls. It's so easy when you're looking at the picture to (determine) the exact angle to drag the bait."
