The Pipkens Position
A Tough Reality in an Anglers’ Approach with Optimism and Thoughtfulness.
Sharing acceptance and positivity, Chad Pipkens is looking forward to the final events of the 2025 Bassmaster Elite season with much anticipation knowing he has to finish strong.
The 2025 Bassmaster Elite Series is wrapping up the season with their northern swing on Lake St Clair and the Mississippi River this month. Michigan native, Chad Pipkens, is an Elite Series veteran who has been competing on the biggest stage in all of bass fishing since 2013. If you have ever come across him, he is always cheerful with a positive demeanor. At this time, he finds himself in a unique position as the season begins to wind down. Like in other professional sports, the hard reality of being a touring professional bass angler is the cutline. He expresses a realistic sense of acceptance of the matter.
The fishing industry has changed an incredible amount over the years- that is no surprise. This can be seen in Products on the shelves, fishing media we consume, and even in career longevity/mobility with the rise in competition across the sport. Pipkens shares that after have two or three challenging seasons, anglers might find himself in a spot where they have to work to get back in and prove themselves. If you ask him, he does not beat around the bush about the matter. He expresses that he cannot be mad about it because it is a good thing with how the sport has grown since he began. Working hard and doing their best to keep their job, like other athletes and people trying to make a living with their passion and career goals.
“That is just how it is right now. It is great because fishing has grown so much. We have a huge high school and college tournament pipeline that produces a mass of competition. It is not like how it was when I started and nobody got cut.”
Chad is one of the friendliest anglers on the tour. He is thankful for his 13 years on the Elite Series. He shares that he believes that career longevity will shorten on average, providing an influx of anglers coming and going amongst tournament trails.
If you asked him how he was managing, he will say that he needs to fish better, and the mental exhaustion can sometimes be a grind to work through. He is passionate about all he does between his job and family, sharing thankfulness for making a job out of it. One side of professional fishing many people may fail to recognize is how challenging and stressful it can be when it comes to making money and providing for a family. Pipkens shares that he is incredibly thankful for not being a tough position where bills are overdue and the livelihood is impacting his family.
Skilled with smallmouth, Pipkens shows off two catches from the recent Bassmaster Open event on the St. Lawrence River, hoping to keep the momentum going strong.
“It’s just like a professional sport. You don’t see a lot of 15–30-year careers, and I think that is what fishing is transitioning into. We are going to see more 5–10-year careers with tour and career mobility, similar to AAA Minor League Baseball or how some athletes will play overseas.”
He is not alone and finds himself around good company. While Pipkens has not won an Elite Series event, he fished in six Bassmaster Classics, won the 2014 Northern Open on St Clair. There are multiple anglers that are at risk of cut who have won an event, some more than once. In years before, anglers were done when the money ran out, which is not the case anymore.
Citing that along with the growth of major tournament opportunities, the competition pool of anglers is larger than ever before. This is a good thing that is unique to this time in the sport.
Going into Lake St Clair, Pipkens shared that he is excited with a chance to win and acknowledges the variables at play. The Elite Series anglers will be competing August 7th-10, launching out of Brandenburg Park, In New Baltimore, Michigan. The journey to Lake Erie is long and comes with risk. Forward-facing sonar provides a stronger advantage on St Clair is great for chasing and finding fish that are suspended or on sandy bottom. Down on Lake Erie, it does not come into play as effectively with fish hiding in rocks. The double-edge sword with how technology has improved so much. With the mixed bag of species on Erie, smallmouth bass are not as easy to “hunt” using FFS.
“Forward facing sonar plays everywhere, but how it plays at LSC, it is the biggest advantage there is anywhere you will ever be.”
In 2014, Chad won a Bassmaster Open Northern Open on Lake St Clair with 67Lbs. Going into this up-and-coming event, he shares that the last two seasons were fishing better than the year he had won, but the stormy conditions with high winds said otherwise. Uncooperative fish, difficulties with adjusting to out there. Pipkens believes that the fish on Lake St Clair do the opposite in this circumstance by remaining active after storms. Like people and other animals, not all fish are going to respond the same. This time around, the weather is looking promising to be stable all week, giving him the chance to follow through with a run from St Clair, down the Detroit River, and to his spots on Erie with cooperative fish.
Feeling like his back is against the wall, Chad Pipkens chooses to be optimistic and carry a smile on his face.
August 21st-24th in Lacrosse, Wisconsin, the Elite Series finish out the 2025 season on the Mississippi River- an event many people, including Chad, are looking forward to. The last classic he made in 2023 was because of his performance the prior season. Smallmouth, thoughtful adjustment, and items he discovered in a Bassmaster Open event last season. Confident in his history to get around fish, swing for the fences, and finish strong.
Chad is not bitter about what could happen. He is accepting of the reality of where the sport is. It is competitive and where it needs to be.
Foresight Fishing media wishes nothing but the best for Pipkens in these up-and-coming events, along with whatever the future may hold. A word of appreciation is shared for his time to convey his thoughts and ideas regarding this position himself, and others may find themselves in.
To keep up with Chad, be sure to follow him on his social media handles and on his website, www.chadpipkens.com. Facebook, Instagram @Chad_Pipkens, Youtube, and TikTok.
All photos have been used with expressed permission from the property holder and no part of this article may not be used or duplicated without proper acknowledgment from Foresight Fishing Media, Bassmaster, or Chad Pipkens.