It’s a family affair

Dion Hibdon’s road to the 2000 Wal-Mart FLW Championship was paved with hard work, nurturing environment

Fishing. Family. Familiarity.

Without a doubt, those three words have defined Dion Hibdon’s life more than any other in the Oxford English Dictionary. For Hibdon, those words are inexorably linked to one another. Without family, there would be no fishing. Without fishing, there would be no familiarity. And without familiarity, there would be no family bonds to grow and nurture.

“I can’t remember a time when I was not fishing,” said Hibdon. “It’s just been a way of life for my family for as long as I can remember.”

To say that fishing has been a big part of Dion Hibdon’s life is a bit like saying the 2000 Presidential Election has been somewhat controversial. In fact, it could be the understatement of the year.

“Dad definitely got me started in fishing at a very early age,” said Hibdon. “And between my dad’s brothers and friends, I always had a place to go fishing while growing up. I was pretty lucky in that respect.” In fairness, Hibdon has been both lucky and good.

With his father, legendary angler Guido Hibdon, serving as fishing guru and mentor, it is not at all surprising that the younger Hibdon is now regarded as one of the premier Wal-Mart FLW anglers on the circuit. With a first-place finish in the 2000 Wal-Mart FLW Championship and three top-10 finishes on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour over the last three years, Hibdon has clearly moved out from under his father’s shadow. But to understand how Dion Hibdon arrived as one of the top anglers on the tour today, one must retrace his steps all the way back to his hometown – Lake Ozark, Mo.

Fishing as a way of life

Born in 1967 in Columbia, Mo., Hibdon was exposed to the joys of fishing at the same time most other boys his age were learning how to tie their own shoes.

“When my father started competing on the professional circuit – he won the first three or four tournaments he entered – it got me excited about fishing at a very early age,” said Hibdon. “And by the time I was 8 or 9 years old, I knew that’s what I pretty much wanted to do with my life.”

By the time the younger Hibdon was 11 years old he was already fishing competitively. And not surprisingly, his family was right there beside him.

“The first tournament I fished in was at this little resort not too far from my home called, `Mickey Land,'” said Hibdon. “My dad was the (master of ceremony) at the tournament and I fished it with my uncles. It was a lot of fun and that got me hooked.”

As Hibdon grew older, he continued to fish competitively with the encouragement of his father and mother, Stella. And by the time he was teenager, Hibdon was already tackling some of the most prestigious tournament fishing fields in the nation.

“The first big tournament I entered was the U.S. Bass tournament on Stockton Lake, Missouri,” he said. “I think I was 16 years old at the time. A month later I fished the U.S. Open on Lake Mead, Nevada. I think I won a check for both of those tournaments. My dad finished second or fourth.”

Although Hibdon had longed to make fishing his career at a very early age, his competitive showing at both U.S. Open tournaments gave him the conviction to pursue his dreams in earnest.

“I was working at a local marina at the time and I realized very quickly that I didn’t like working for someone else,” he said. “I had always been fairly confident that I wanted to be a pro, but there was not much doubt in my mind after those tournaments.”

Hibdon remained true to his convictions, officially turning pro in 1985 at the tender age of 18.

“I think it was a little bit easier for me to turn pro because I kind of knew the ins and outs of the sport because my dad had been there before,” he said. “And who could ask for a better teacher?”

A family decision

Hibdon’s next lesson was to learn how to adapt to the rigors of life on the road – the essence of existence for a tournament bass angler. And as usual, his family was right there beside him.

“As a family, we sat down together and decided that we were going to dedicate ourselves full-time to fishing,” he said. “But as any angler knows, life on the road is not easy. I can remember many days leaving my home the day after Christmas and not returning home until late May. But having my family around me made the transition a lot easier. We just packed up the double-stack boat trailer and started traveling all over the United States. For the most part, it was a lot of fun.”

Even for mom?

“Mom is the biggest duck in the puddle,” Hibdon said. “She’s the one who kept us going a lot of the time. She made up the plans and took care of us. That’s for sure.”

Hibdon comes into his own

Although the early years on the road were grueling, the family’s hard work started to pay off in earnest in 1988.

“That was a big year for me and my dad,” said Hibdon. “It was the first year I qualified for the BASSMaster’s Classic – I had missed qualifying the year before by only 6 ounces. And my dad wound up winning the whole tournament. So it was great for both of us.”

Qualifying for the BASSMaster’s Classic provided Hibdon some invaluable experience as well.

“After missing the cut for the 1987 Classic the year before by a few ounces, I decided to dedicate the entire next year to making the Classic in ’88,” said Hibdon. “So it was very rewarding to achieve that goal. But even better getting a chance to fish with those guys who were my idols growing up. It was a real confidence booster.”

It was at this point that Hibdon’s career began to take off. In less than a year, at the age of 21, Hibdon secured his first major victory. And what a victory it was.

“I went down to Kentucky to fish in the Red Man Golden Blend tournament,” said Hibdon. “I came in first place, beating out (legendary angler) Rick Clunn by 11 ounces. It was an incredible win for me.”

Over the next decade, Hibdon continued to climb up through the rankings. With his father by his side providing a constant stream of advice and encouragement, Hibdon continued to improve, eventually winning the BASSMaster’s Classic in 1997.

“That was a pretty special tournament for me,” he said. “That was not an easy tournament to win to say the least.”

Overcoming adversity

With the BASSMaster’s Classic championship finally under his belt, Hibdon appeared to be on top of the world. However, all of that changed in November of 1999. In a stunning turn of events, Hibdon’s father was diagnosed with cancer.

“It was a shock to all of us,” said Hibdon. “It was really difficult. I had relied on him for so many years and then, suddenly, he wasn’t there to lean on anymore.”

As luck would have it, Guido Hibdon’s cancer was curable. However, that did not mean that there weren’t many trying times for the Hibdon family.

“I think throughout my entire life at that point I had only fished two tournaments without my father,” said Hibdon. “So it was very strange to look around and not see him there. It was probably one of the most difficult times in my life.”

Despite the trauma of the experience, Hibdon was able to find a silver lining. Not only was his father’s cancer imminently treatable, but Hibdon also realized that being alone on the water actually forced him to become a more complete angler.

“For the first time, I had to go out there and figure out everything on my own,” said Hibdon. “At the time, you think it’s the worst thing that’s ever happened in your life. But, in many respects, it turned out to be a positive in the end. I think my dad’s outlook on life is a lot more positive because of his experience with cancer and the entire incident forced me to become a better fisherman.”

As Guido Hibdon’s cancer subsided, things slowly got back to normal for the Hibdons. As his father recuperated, the younger Hibdon continued to put together a string of dominating performances on the professional circuit – culminating with a huge win in the 2000 FLW Championship this past September in Shreveport, La. The win not only netted Hibdon a $250,000 check, but also vaulted Hibdon into an elite group of anglers who have won both the BASSMaster’s Classic and Wal-Mart FLW Championship.

“I told my wife the day before the finals of the FLW Championship that I was going to go out and catch 10 to 12 pounds of fish,” he said. “I thought that would be enough to win the tournament. Luckily enough, it was. It was definitely one of my top two victories of all-time.”

To add the final exclamation point to the season, Hibdon also walked away with the 2000 Ranger Cup Points Championship.

“It’s been a great year to say the least,” he said.

However, while his fishing career has been a resounding success, Hibdon says that spending time with his family is what gives him the most joy. With his wife, Jill, and three children, Payden, 9, Lawson, 5, and Connar, 5, usually along for the ride during tournament season, Hibdon says he is living as close to a perfect life as can be imagined.

“My family is more important than anything in the world,” he said. “And to have them right there by my side when I’m winning a tournament … it doesn’t get any better than that.”