BUFFALO, N.Y. – When Michigan pro Chad Pipkens joined the Bassmaster Elite Series in 2013, it was effectively a tenured position.
“They had never cut anyone,” he recalled. “If you had the money to keep going, you could keep coming back. That’s all changed. Now getting there is a battle and staying there is a bigger battle.”
He should know.
Pipkens finished 99th in the Angler of the Year race last season and was relegated off the circuit. This week’s Turtlebox Bassmaster Open at Lake Erie presented by Battery Tender will in part determine whether he makes it back.
This tournament is the final chance for anglers to move their way into the Nitro Boats Elite Qualifiers presented by Bass Pro Shops for the opportunity to claim one of 10 invites to the 2027 Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series. This season, 50 anglers took on both divisions, and 35 of them will advance to the Elite Qualifier round. Pipkens is currently 14th in the overall Opens standings.
He’ll compete in a field of 173 that includes local hammers, Opens wunderkinds, eight current Elites, and over a dozen past Elite Series pros. Some of the latter group were similarly ousted, others left for other tours, and still others “retired.” Some won multiple Bassmaster events, and one – Guy Eaker Sr. – is already in the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame. More than a handful of others not in those categories have already competed in Bassmaster Classics as recently as this year.
If it had to be anywhere, Pipkens likes his chances on the Great Lakes, the system where he earned his lone Bassmaster victory, a 2014 Northern Open, albeit a few hundred miles away.
“It’s bittersweet to be here,” he said. “Whether I make it or not, I feel good about what I’ve accomplished in the sport. I’m not satisfied by any means, but I’m happy with what I’m doing and how I’m fishing. I feel like I’m going to make it back. There are probably better ways to make a living, but this is what most of us want to be doing as long as we can take care of our families at the same time.”
Pennsylvania pro Jonathan Kelley’s Elite status was likely cut short at the end of the 2025 campaign. Like Pipkens, he strongly desires to make it back to the senior circuit, but knows that this week’s event is just one step in that process. He’s 24th in the Division 1 standings.
“This one won’t get me back by itself, but I hope it will gain me some momentum going into the EQs,” he said. “I want to set up the rest of the year to get on a roll and get my confidence up. That’s what it takes.”
He said he’s had a solid practice, but doesn’t know what to take. Although he’s a northeastern resident and has “fished the Sandusky side a bunch,” this is his first tournament out of Buffalo.
It’s also the first for Elite rookie Matt Messer, who has yet to fish any Opens this year. But with a week in between Elite tournaments at Champlain and the start of practice for the St. Lawrence, he figured he’d jump in an extra derby – with multiple ulterior motives.
“Honestly, the biggest reason is that I live 12 hours away,” he said. “I figured I’d come get used to scoping smallmouths before Ontario. This place has ‘em. It’s loaded with ‘em.”
But there’s also the Elite Series swagger at play, the belief that any time you can fish for cash is a chance to better your bottom line.
“I’d also like to win about fifty grand or whatever it pays out,” he said.
This one should be an absolute beatdown if the weather cooperates. It’s been a few months since this division of Opens has hosted a cast, but it’s not like this crew has forgotten how to fish. If anything, the reasons and motivations for pulling out all of the stops have only increased.
Friday’s takeoff is scheduled for 6:30 a.m. ET at Buffalo Harbor State Park. The weigh-in will be held at the marina at 2:30 p.m.
Follow along with all of the action from the Turtlebox Bassmaster Open at Lake Erie presented by Battery Tender on Bassmaster.com.
The Buffalo Sports Commission is hosting the event.
