CHARLOTTE, N.C. – If we're really only as old as we feel, then William Pippen must be 21.
At 67, Pippen, is actually the oldest qualifier at the Bassmaster Classic. An Arkansas resident, Pippen qualified through the 2004 BASS Federation Championship, representing the Central Division.
"I've had a great retirement," Pippen said at Saturday's pre-launch breakfast, served at 4 o'clock in the morning in the Charlotte Hilton. "Personally, it puts the icing on the cake for me. I would have never dreamed that (qualifying for the Classic) could happen."
Pippen has been chronicled by USA Today and various other publications because of his age, but there is more to the man than just his age. He is a fantastic angler.
"I didn't do my best yesterday," he said of his sub-par performance on Day 1 at the Classic. "I had the bites, but I didn't capitalize on it. I had a long conversation with myself and I think I got myself straightened out. I think it was really just nerves.
"I look for some changes today. This thing could completely swap ends. I can tell you all the fish I found up here pre-fishing, I haven't found any of them, so I decided to just go fishing today, like I normally do."
The ageless angler did feel the pain of the late nights and early mornings that Classic week brings and was none to happy to get out of bed at 3 a.m.
"I don't know about you, but I wanted to throw that alarm clock through the wall this morning. Back home, I like to hear the rooster crow to wake me up, but I brought this little old rooster alarm clock and I didn't like to hear that today."
Pippen will likely have an easier time getting up if he has a better time on the water Saturday.
Launch for the Classic is daily from the Buster Boyd Access area off of highway 49 at 6:15 a.m. Weigh-ins are daily at the Charlotte Coliseum at 2:30 and more than 11 hours of television coverage begin with the telecast of Friday's weigh-in at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and continue with a live breakfast show Saturday morning at 7 a.m. ET.