Hoot and holler

Hoot Gibson of Bryant, Ark., comes up big with five fish weighing 5 pounds, 15 ounces and wins the Co-Angler Division. Photo by Jeff Schroeder. Angler: W D Gibson.

April 27, 2001 • Gary Mortenson • Archives

W.D. “Hoot” Gibson nets $40,000 with Co-Angler Division win at Beaver Lake

ROGERS, Ark. – By his own admission, co-angler W.D. “Hoot” Gibson didn’t think he had enough big fish to win the Wal-Mart Open. In fact, he wasn’t even sure his 5-pound, 15-ounce stringer would be good enough to make it into the top five. However, when David Hudson – the 2000 FLW Co-Angler of the Year and last man standing between Gibson and a $40,000 check – walked up onto the stage and tipped the scales at 1 pound, 12 ounces, the 63-year-old from Bryant, Ark., knew he had done it.

In a rare show of emotion for the normally stoic angler, Gibson thrust both arms into the air in victory. Finally, it was his moment to shine.

“I’m telling you, I owe it all to my partner, Gary Klein,” said Gibson, in typically modest fashion. “Gary Klein is one of the greatest fishermen in the world. I guess I had a lucky draw.”

When pressed to compliment his own achievement, Gibson failed once again to take the bait.

“I didn’t dream of winning this thing with a 5-pound, 15-ounce stringer,” said Gibson, who caught the majority of his fish using a zoom finesse worm on a 1/16-ounce jig head. “These guys are really tough fishermen and I know every one of them. I just tried my best and accepted the final outcome.”

While Gibson admitted that the prize money would come in handy, he said the total experience was what counted the most.

“This is the Wal-Mart Open. The money is great and the fishing is just fantastic,” said Gibson, who had his five-fish limit by 11:30 a.m. “I really enjoyed it. Beaver Lake has a ton of fish and I really love coming here.”

Gibson admitted that he wanted to make amends for his 17th place finish on Beaver Lake the previous year.

“After that tournament, I second-guessed myself the whole way home,” he said. “I just wanted to come back here and do a good job.”

And what does W.D. “Hoot” Gibson plan on doing with the prize money?

“I’m going to take care of my kids,” said Gibson.

After a long pause, “Okay, I might think about buying a new truck as well. We’ll have to see.”

Almost king of the hill

Although he gave it his best effort, Fred Hill of Roxboro, N.C., could only manage a second-place finish after landing a total catch of 5 pounds, 1 ounce.

“I really wanted that last fish,” said Hill, who couldn’t land the fifth and final fish he needed to win the tournament. “But Hoot is a great fishermen. I’m telling you, that guy could catch fish in a bathtub.”

In addition to winning a $20,000 check, Hill told the crowd that he had some more good news to report.

“Coming into this tournament, my wife told me it was okay to quit my job and just go fishing,” said Hill, grinning from ear to ear. “She told me my job was killing me. I have a lot of respect for her. I like her a lot.”

Wendell Bennett of Searcy, Ark., finished in third place after netting a total catch of 4 pounds, 4 ounces. For his efforts, Bennett received a check for $10,000.

Todd Lee of Jasper, Ala., took home fourth place and a check for $8,000 after landing a total catch of 3 pounds, 6 ounces. Troy Pickett of Roberta, Ga., finished the day in fifth place after recording a catch of 2 pounds, 11 ounces. Pickett took home $7,000.

Rounding out the top 10 finalists were: Pat Grimm (sixth) of West, Texas, with a catch of 2 pounds, 8 ounces; David Gee (seventh) of Plymouth, Ind., with a catch of 2 pounds, 6 ounces; David Hudson (eighth) of Jasper, Ala., with a catch of 1 pound, 12 ounces; Al Little (ninth) of Greensboro, N.C., with a catch of 1 pound; and Shannon Caple (tenth) of Farmington, Ark., with a catch of 14 ounces.

Although the Co-Angler Division race has been decided, bass fishing enthusiasts can watch the final day of pro competition beginning 6:30 a.m. tomorrow at Prairie Creek Park in Rogers, Ark.