First family of fishing

No need for a recount here. When it comes to the first family of competitive bass fishing, the vote clearly belongs to the Hibdons.

Everybody has an opinion as to who is the top bass fisherman in the country. But if you were to poll pro anglers and industry leaders and ask them to cast their ballots for the most tightly woven family in the business, the Hibdon clan would be a shoo-in to nab a considerable portion of the popular vote.

No need for a recount on this one. Bass fishing’s first hamily has healthy roots, and they’re planted as securely as the claws of an ol’ bluff coon scaling a hardwood den tree along the shores of Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks.

Leave the casting and catching to Guido and Dion. First ladies Stella and Jill will handle the rough stuff, even if it means traipsing 2,000 miles across the country with their hubbies’ boats in tow, doing juggling acts to promote some harmony between seminar and tournament schedules, or keeping tabs on the sprawling paper trail that goes hand-in-hand with the family lure-development business.

Then there is the next generation of Hibdons with which to contend. Jill and Dion’s three sons – Payden, 9, and twins Lawson and Conner, 5 – travel with their parents and grandparents to every tournament. Jill home-schools the children when the family is on the road. So once dad and granddad are safely on the water each morning, it’s back to the hotel or condo for their latest lessons in spelling, reading and math.

Tedious?

It can be. But truth be known, neither Guido, Dion, Stella nor Jill would have it any other way.

If you’re looking for the premier example of teamwork, look no farther than the Hibdon family. From daylight to dark, on the water and off, they work together as one to keep the pendulum of good fortune swinging in the right direction.

Take a quick glance from past to present and it seems apparent their formula for success is a good one, too.

Guido, a 54-year-old professional bass fishing icon often referred to as the “father of sight fishing,” has racked up more than a million bucks in tournament earnings since 1980.

That’s the year he won the B.A.S.S. Central Division Invitational on Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks and subsequently launched a lucrative angling career that would eventually lead to a BASSMasters Classic crown in 1988, back-to-back B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year titles in 1990-91, a Golden Blend Angler of the Year award and a World Bass Angler of the Year title.

Miraculously, Hibdon garnered three of those Angler of the Year titles – Golden Blend, World Bass and B.A.S.S. – all in the same year, 1990. While he’s yet to hit the proverbial grand slam by winning his first Wal-Mart FLW Tour crown, Hibdon has knocked a home run or two – once with a second-place finish on Beaver Lake, a third at Kentucky Lake and a ninth on Lake Eufaula.

Guido’s FLW earnings total roughly $120,000. And while that’s a sizeable chunk of change, indeed, it’s a relatively meager sum compared to the monies 33-year-old Dion has collected in five seasons on the popular tour.

The younger Hibdon has banked $349,650 in 34 FLW events. He’s finished in the top 10 three times, the biggest payday coming last fall when he won the Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship on the Red River in Shreveport, La. That victory alone was worth a cool $250,000.

Add to those figures earnings pocketed from an impressive string of B.A.S.S. wins and top-10 finishes dating back to 1985, plus a valuable BASSMasters Classic crown in 1997, and it’s safe to say that Dion, too, is fast approaching entry to bass fishing’s $1 million club.

Life before fishing

It’s always interesting to learn what America’s top-ranked pros did for a living prior to casting for cash on the competitive level. Not surprising, many of them were fishing and hunting guides who somehow managed to turn lifelong passions into lucrative careers.

Guido’s love for the outdoors goes back several generations. His grandfather, father and three brothers all guided for pay on Lake of the Ozarks, so it only seemed natural for him to follow suit.

But his income wasn’t limited to daily guide fees and tips alone. Hibdon has spent many a winter trapping raccoon, fox, beaver, mink, coyote and other varmints amid the scenic bluffs and woodlands surrounding the scenic southern reservoir. “If everybody knew how I used to make a living, they wouldn’t believe it,” joked Hibdon. “They’ve been calling us hillbillies for years.”

According to Hibdon, he and his family pretty much lived off the land all the way through the 1970s – trapping, hunting and fishing. While they ate much of what they caught or killed, a high percentage of their income was gleaned by selling pelts to local fur buyers.

“There’s probably not many people in the world who have trapped 1,200 `coons in a year’s time, but I did,” said Hibdon. “I’ve sold many a coon pelt for $60 apiece. Of course, those weren’t your average coons, either. Those ol’ bluff coons were tough to get to. But if you saw their size, you’d understand why I worked so hard to get to them. They were huge.”

Guido continued guiding and trapping into the early 1980s before a demanding schedule on the B.A.S.S. tournament trail began to take shape. That’s also about the time 18-year old Dion called it quits at the only “other” job he’s ever had.

“Best I can remember, it lasted about 1 1/2 months,” recalled Dion. “When I got out of high school I went to work for a marina doing gopher work – delivering new boats, picking up boats at the factory and picking up boats for service. I was making more money than I could make guiding. But it wasn’t worth it. I’d been there about three weeks when I told dad it just wasn’t going to work out. I had to fish.”

And fish he did. Dion spent the remainder of the summer guiding bass, crappie and catfish trips on Lake of the Ozarks, many of them for return clients he’d been doing business with since he was a sixth grader.

“I’ve never done anything my whole life except fish and hunt,” says Dion. “I started guiding out of an 18-foot johnboat back when I was 12 years old. Needless to say, I didn’t play much football when I was in school. It would have interfered with my fishing way too much.”

When boy meets girl

Anyone who follows professional fishing knows Guido is a self-taught veteran with a reputation for altering original game plans in midstream and going for broke on risky, gut-instinct decisions. Hibdon will be the first to admit he’s made some poor choices in the past. But in the same breath, he’ll tell you he’s also made some good ones. “I’ve won a lot of money by changing plans right in the middle of tournaments, but I’ve also fallen on my face,” Hibdon said. “If you don’t have the nerve to take chances in this business, you’re very seldom going to win tournaments.”

Much the same could be said for life in general. When you see a promising opportunity, you’d better take it.

That’s precisely what Guido did when he took Stella Conner for his bride in 1965. And now, some 35 years later, he still reflects on the decision as one of the smartest of his life.

“Stella plays a huge role in the whole deal,” says Hibdon. “If it hadn’t been for her, I never would have been able to do what I’ve done. She goes with me everywhere, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Dion shared many of the same sentiments in regard to the close relationship he shares with his wife of 10 years, Jill.

“My wife and kids mean more to me than bass fishing ever did,” he said. “Sure, I bass-fish for a living. But if I had to do it without them, I’d have to slow down. I see a lot of guys who are down in the dumps at these bass tournaments, even though they may have just come in with a 15 to 18 pound bag.

“Sure, they may have had a great day on the water. But being away from your family for two to three weeks at a time can really make it tough. To us, this fishing business wouldn’t be near as much fun if our family wasn’t so involved.” Probably not near as organized, either.

While Guido and Dion are out casting for cash, Stella and Jill ride shotgun over the successful family business, Hibdon’s Outdoors. In addition to paying bills and arranging speaking engagements, Stella maintains critical contact with the myriad of sponsors and lures companies that produce products that wear the Hibdon brand.

Jill, meanwhile, stays busy updating resumes, making hotel reservations, mothering the three upcoming Hibdon warriors and doing whatever else it takes to keep things running on an even keel.

“We’ve all got our jobs to do,” Stella said. “There are times when things get pretty hectic. But we can’t quit. You’ve just got to go on, do what you’ve got to do and try the best you can to make the best of it.”

Shift to fall 1999. It’s 4 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon and the results from the final weigh-in at the B.A.S.S. Top 150 on Vermont’s Lake Champlain are just minutes old.

Rather than eating a leisurely dinner and retiring to their condo for a good night’s sleep before their long journey home, the Hibdon clan kicks into overdrive. Both Guido and Dion are qualifiers in the upcoming $250,000 Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship, and the first of two critical practice days begins in less than 14 hours – more than 2,000 miles away on Oklahoma’s Ft. Gibson Lake.

What to do? The girls covered the boats, dumped Guido and Dion at the Vermont airport and started driving south.

“Jill and I drove (in separate vehicles with Ranger boats in tow) until 11 p.m. that night,” recalled Stella. “We got up at 5 a.m. on Sunday, drove until 9 p.m., then did it all over again on Monday. We finally rolled into Wagoner, Okla. at 8:30 p.m. the night before the tournament was supposed to begin.

“Guido and Dion had practiced for two days out of a borrowed boat, but we had to have their own boats there for the championship. It took some doing, but we finally made it. I’ll be the first to say that road between Vermont and Oklahoma is a long one.”

Guido’s setback

As grueling as the trek was between the distant states, Stella would have driven it a hundred times over if it could have somehow deterred the horrifying phone call her husband received one chilly December night the following year.

The couple’s daughter was to be married on December 19 in Alabama, so Stella had left home a week ahead of time to help her prepare for the big day. Guido, Dion, Jill and the children, meanwhile, were scheduled to fly in later.

“I’ll never forget that night,” she recalled. “It was December 17, and Guido was home all alone when his doctor called and told him he had throat cancer. It was a devastating blow to us all, because it was the last thing we were expecting to hear.”

The bad news came just days after Hibdon had paid a visit to a Jefferson City doctor because he was having problems hearing out of his left ear. While conducting the ear examination, the doctor noticed the raspy tone in Hibdon’s voice and decided to take a closer look.

“When the doctor did the biopsy, he thought everything looked fine,” recalled Stella. “Otherwise, I never would have left Guido alone like I did. We were totally shocked when he called and told him the tests showed it was malignant. I’ve always heard that there are only two words in the English language that can scare a person – cancer and IRS. I’d certainly have to agree.”

As spooky as it was, the Hibdons wasted no time in dealing with the dangerous disease. The couple traveled 105 miles to the Capitol Region Cancer Center in Jefferson City, Mo., on the Monday after Christmas and took the first step down a long and rocky road, one that would lead them through eight straight weeks of emotional hardship, sickness and psychological strain.

According to Hibdon, it was pure hell.

“I wouldn’t wish that on anyone – it’s a terrible thing to have to go through,” he said. “It was a tough three months. If it hadn’t been for the support I got from my family and close friends like Charlie Hoover, Gale Stearns and Peter Thliveros, I don’t know how I would have gotten through it.”

Taking up the slack

As the daily radiation treatments attacked the cancer, Hibdon’s voice gradually began to fade. He communicated with Stella mostly by writing notes, so he could save what little voice he had for his son.

“When Guido started the treatments, Dion went on the road and did as many of his dad’s show and seminar bookings as he could,” Stella said. “We put in him on a plane on January 4 and he didn’t come home until March 27. But he called home every night.

“Guido wouldn’t say a word all day long during that period. He’d write me notes and save his voice, just so he could talk to Dion for a few short minutes each night.”

Bouncing back and looking ahead

Bi-monthly check-ups conducted since the completion of the radiation therapy in March 2000 indicate the treatments placed the dangerous cancer cells into remission. Hibdon, meanwhile, has his sights set on a progressive season on the 2001 Wal-Mart FLW Tour.

“I don’t have near as much beard as I use to have, but I’ve got most of my strength back now,” said Hibdon.

The Hibdon way

Everyone has a theory as to what it takes to survive the trials and tribulations of life in the fast lane and ultimately become a successful bass pro.

Some will tell you it takes perseverance. Others say it takes skill, money and a heart the size of Texas.

While Guido and Dion Hibdon are firm believers in all those analogies, both are convinced that the primary keys to their success have been family and the load of teamwork they continuously divide among themselves.

“We’re all in this together,” Guido said. “Sure, I won B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year twice, but I didn’t do it by myself. Dion, Stella and Jill were right there helping me every step of the way.”

“We work hard to make it happen, and we do it together,” Dion added. “But in the same perspective, if we were put in a position where we had to change professions tomorrow, we’d do that together, too.”

That’s what family is all about.