How cool is this? After breaking off a nice male largemouth coaxed off a spawning bed, Chad Pipkens lamented the loss to a fellow Bassmaster Elite Series pro. He was Derek Hudnall, who this week is performing the duties of a camera boat driver for photographer Steve Bowman and blogger Jim Sexton. Hudnall, who was disqualified prior to the tournament, felt the pain of his peer, offering him encouragement from just yards away.
Pipkens retied and moments later caught the largemouth, including the broken off bait that was stuck in the mouth of the catch. Hudnall and Pipkens shared the good fortune. Of course, Hudnall would have rather been there with rod in hand, but his true act of unbiased good sportsmanship epitomizes this new season of the Elite Series.
By the way, here are some details on Pipkens’ lures. He is using a 3-inch Damiki Air Craw on a 3/16-ounce jighead. Another choice is a weightless wacky rig with a 2/0 Eagle Claw Trokar TK137 Finesse Hook and 5-inch Lunker Hunt Lunker Stick.