Home field advantage works for Hibdon

2005 CITGO Bassmaster Pro Tour ― Kimberling City, Mo.

Dion Hibdon's 23-5 put him almost 4 pounds ahead of Hack and the rest of the field. KIMBERLING CITY, Mo. ― It hasn't been the best year for local anglers. At the Harris Chain and Lake Norman CITGO Bassmaster Tour events, local favorites faltered in the final round and lost to pros from other states. Dion Hibdon of nearby Stover, Mo., might finally break the trend. He leads the first round of the $618,000 Tour stop at Table Rock Lake.

Hibdon weighed in a limit of 23 pounds, 5 ounces, giving him nearly a 4-pound lead over Gonzales, Louisiana's Greg Hackney (19-15). The only dark spot in Hibdon's day came during a brief power outage while he weighed-in.

"I haven't caught 'em all year long, but things can change in the blink of an eye," Hibdon said. "Still, nothing would surprise me out here in the next few days."

The 1997 CITGO Bassmaster Classic champion was closed-mouthed about his Day One heroics, promising to offer more details later in the event.

"I used to fish this pond when I first started fishing," Hibdon reminisced. "It's typical Ozark fishing, and I know I can do some different things out there and be successful."

Tonight, a cold front promises to drop temperatures into the low 30s, threatening patterns and the leader board.

Hibdon, who complained of serious shoulder pain on the water today, is one angler who figures to be affected by the weather.

"I'm crippled out there, but I did figure out what the fish are doing, and, hopefully, they'll keep biting," he said.

Currentyl in second, Greg Hackney is trying to keep his mind off the AOY race. Following Hackney in the standings is Madison, Mississippi's Pete Ponds, who weighed in with 18 pounds, 15 ounces. Kalamazoo, Michigan's Kevin VanDam, the 2001 Classic champion and three-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year, sits in fourth place with 18 pounds, 3 ounces. John Crews of Jetersville, Va., rounds out the top five with 17-6.

Just a year ago Hackney used a final Tour event charge to surge into second place in the Angler of the Year standings and take the Toyota Rookie of the Year award. He's primed for another run at bass fishing's top regular-season honor this year.

"I'm not thinking about last year," said Hackney, whose three biggest bass were all smallmouths and earned him Busch Heavyweight honors for the first day since Hibdon is not participating in the program. "I'm just trying to do well and finish high in the Angler of the Year standings and earn a spot in the next two Classics."

The "Hack Attack" was optimistic about his chances for the upcoming rounds.

"I'm mixing it up out there, but I have a nice, large area, and I plan to fish every inch of it."

Mississippi's Pete Ponds weighed 18-15 and the Purolator Big Bass of the Day. For the first time this Tour season, smallmouth and spotted bass are playing a big part at the scales. Third place angler Pete Ponds not only caught a bronzeback that weighed 5-15, but also had the Purolator Big Bass of Day One with a largemouth that tipped the scales at 6-12. The lunker earned Ponds $1,000.

"I was going to do something totally different when I took off today, but I caught that big smallmouth five minutes in and I got on a whole new pattern." Ponds explained.

On the non-boater side, Kansas' Dan Rodlund is in first place with a shared weight of 24-2. He's followed by Ohio's Kenneth Davis with 23-14 and Vermont's Ron Taylor with 23-5.

The Purolator Big Bass award on the non-boater side went to Camdenton, Missouri's own Gregory Webster with a five pound lunker. The big fish was worth $500 to the local angler.

At the end of Friday's round, the field will be narrowed to the top 12 pros for Saturday's semifinal. The top six will move on to fish the final round on Sunday. At stake is a $100,000 top prize and valuable points toward the CITGO Bassmaster Classic this summer in Pittsburgh.

The CITGO Bassmaster Tour event on Table Rock Lake will be telecast on The CITGO Bassmasters on Saturday, April 9 at 10:00 a.m. ET on ESPN2.

Sponsors of the CITGO Bassmaster Tour include CITGO Petroleum Corp., Toyota, Busch Beer, Purolator, Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Berkley, Lowrance Electronics, MotorGuide, Bass Pro Shops and Cialis (tadalafil).

Local Sponsors include Kimberling City Lodging Association.

BASS Communications -Mar. 31, 2005

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Posted by DODGE at March 31, 2005 12:28 PM in Tournament (BASS)