Chad Pipkens started the day in a 4th-place tie after weighing 21-1 yesterday. But he only had three keepers – none exceptional – in his livewell at 11 a.m. today. Photographer Steve Bowman has been on Pipkens and others in the Koger Island area this morning. Bowman saw a barge pushing up the Tennessee River and speculated Pipkens’ luck might be about to change. He has seen it happen repeatedly when fishing the Arkansas River near his Little Rock home. A barge goes by, changes the water flow momentarily and it seems to trigger a bite.
As the barge went by, Pipkens caught his fourth keeper, another 2 1/2-pounder, much like the other three in his livewell. But less than 10 minutes later, Pipkens’ day changed in a big way. He’s calling it a 5-pounder, but it appeared to be every ounce of 6 pounds on the “Bassmaster LIVE” camera. That gives him at least 15 pounds with plenty of room to cull up.
Interestingly, Pipkens screamed, “Thanks, Brandon,” after landing the big one. He credited Brandon Palaniuk’s arrival on the scene and some friendly chatter with changing his luck, noting it has happened in the past. When Palaniuk shows up, Pipkens has noticed his luck changing.
So what was it, the barge or Palaniuk that changed his morning? Whatever it was, it broke almost a 2 1/2-hour dry spell for Pipkens.