Virginian Cody Pike is dead set on qualifying for the Bassmaster Elite Series. He claims he will still be working toward that goal 20 years from now if need be. At age 23 Pike certainly has time on his side.
However, it appears that Pike is running far ahead of schedule. He currently sits stands atop the 2016 Bassmaster Northern Open AOY standings with one more event to go in September at Lake Champlain. That’s quite an accomplishment for someone who has fishedonly four Bassmaster Opens.
Pike competed in his first Bassmaster Open in 2013. It was on the James River, and he landed in 75th place. His second Bassmaster Open also took place on the James River, this time in 2015 where he improved to 53rdplace.
Pike must have learned a great deal about the James River during those tournaments because he leapfrogged to second place at the 2016 Northern Open on the James, the second Northern Open of the season.It pays to be quick study when your dream is to become a bass pro.
At the first 2016 Northern Open on Oneida Lake, Pike claimed 20th place. Not bad for someone who had never been there. In fact, his only tournament in northern smallmouth waters prior to the Oneida Open was an event on Lake Ontario. During the Ontario tournament, Pike learned how to catch the brown ones on a drop shot and a jerkbait.
“That’s exactly what I did at Oneida,” Pike says. “I thought my weight would come off largemouth, but the first five bass I caught were smallies that weighed 15 pounds. The second day I fished for smallmouths all day.”
Although Pike has never fished Lake Champlain, the site of the final Northern Open for 2016, he knows it has plenty of grass that holds quality largemouth bass.
“I fish the Potomac a lot, and I’m super comfortable around grass,” Pike says.
Unlike many of today’s young tournament anglers who compete in the Bassmaster Opens, Pike’s elders did not introduce him to bass fishing. His fishing experiences began when he was 3 or 4 years old at a pond behind the home of his grandfather, David George.
“That’s all there was to do there,” Pike says.
Pike’s dream of becoming a professional bass fisherman hatched when he started watching the Bassmaster pros in action on television. He pestered his grandfather to buy a 17-foot aluminum boat powered by a 9.9 hp outboard so they could venture to other bass waters. About once a week they would launch at Sandy River Reservoir or Briery Creek, small lakes that have horsepower restrictions.
When Pike was 13 years old, a newspaper advertisement launched his dream into another dimension. A local bass club, the Powhatan Procasters, wanted young anglers to form a youth bass club. Pike’s father, Randy Pike, had no recourse other than to sign Pike up for the club.
Granddad bought a used BassCat Cougar that Pike could use during the tournaments. It was to become Pike’s boat when he turned 16. The young anglers in the club would draw a captain for each tournament. The captains were older club members who drove the boats and taught the youngsters bass fishing techniques.
Pike fished with the club until he was 17. That was the year he began fishing BFL tournaments. He now has 26 BFL events under his belt. In September of 2015 Pike won a two-day BFL super tournament on the Potomac River. He invested the $4,668 in winnings to pay for his 2016 Bassmaster Northern Open entry fees. It has proved to be a wise investment.
When he isn’t fishing, Pike runs an assisted living home for the elderly that was started by his grandfather who is now 75. With 19 clients and seven employees, the occupation has considerable responsibilities. Pike’s grandfather is still healthy enough to run the home while Pike is away at a tournament.
“If I need to go fishing for a week, he makes sure everything is good at the home,” Pike says. “If not for him, I wouldn’t be able to do this. He supports me any way he can.”
Pike’s sponsors include Green Top Sporting Goods in Richmond Va., Phoenix Boats, Mercury, Motorguide, Cashion Fishing Rods, Gamma Lines, Mare Inc. (a boat dealership) and Eco Pro Tungsten.
