HIBDON LEADS WAL-MART FLW SERIES ON LAKE OF THE OZARKS


Strader wins co-angler title, $20,000


OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (Oct. 13, 2006) - Chevy Pro Dion Hibdon of Stover, Mo., added 5 bass weighing 14 pounds, 4 ounces to his total catch Friday to retain his lead in the Wal-Mart FLW Series tournament on Lake of the Ozarks with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 51-15.
"It's great to be fishing against dad tomorrow," said Hibdon, whose father, Guido Hibdon, also made the top-10 cut. "I think two heads are better than one, we sit down every night and talk things over and maybe we will come up with a plan that one of us might win on. My pattern is a touch different than some of the other anglers, I have been covering lots of water and fishing slow. I am fishing new water everyday and not afraid to change things up, I just simply go fishing."
Hibdon caught his fish today using a jig around deep structure.
Steve Kennedy of Auburn, Ala., trails Hibdon in the No. 2 spot with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 49-9.
Rounding out the top five pros heading into the final day of competition are Chevy Pro Larry Nixon of Bee Branch, Ark. (15 bass, 48- 4); Kellogg's Pro Dave Lefebre of Union City, Pa. (15 bass, 47 pounds) and Ozark Trail Pro Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tenn. (15 bass, 47 pounds).
Kellogg's Pro Clark Wendlandt of Leander, Texas; Troy Eakins of Nixa, Mo.; Guido Hibdon of Gravois Mills, Mo.; Matt Herren of Trussville, Ala.; and Marty Sisk of Evansville, Ind., also cleared the top-10 cut weight of 44 pounds, 6 ounces.
Curt Lytle of Zuni, Va., earned an additional $1,500 for winning the Snickers Big Bass Award thanks to an 8-pound largemouth.
After a cold front rolled through the area Wednesday afternoon, overnight lows dropped into the 30s and overcast skies gave way to high winds and plenty of sunshine Thursday. Friday was more of the same, bluebird skies and blustery winds. The weather system has forced many anglers to adjust their patterns daily in order to remain in contention.
In the Co-angler Division, Bud Strader of Rockwood, Tenn., earned a $20,000 victory Friday with a three-day total of 12 bass weighing 30-10.
Strader caught two bass weighing 5-10 to finish in 37th place on opening day then added five bass weighing 12-2 Thursday to finish in 5th. On Friday he caught five bass weighing 12-14 while fishing with pro Scott Lunsford of Calhoun, Ga.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are David Lawson of Richmond, Ky. (13 bass, 29-9, $10,000); Gayle Jullian of Bakersfield, Mo. (eight bass, 26-1, $9,000); Bill Gift of Alix, Ark. (nine bass, 25-6, $8,000) and Jim Short of Ocean Pines, Md. (10 bass, 24 pounds, $7,000).
Roger Boenecke of Eldon, Mo., caught the biggest bass in the Co-angler Division to earn him the Snickers Big Bass Award of $500.
Overall, 794 bass weighing 1,844 pounds, 6 ounces were caught Friday, including 23 five-bass limits.
The new $6.5 million FLW Series features five $900,000 qualifying tournaments, each with a top award of $100,000, that advance anglers to the $2 million, 2007 Forrest Wood Cup in Hot Springs, Ark., where the winning pro will earn as much as $1 million cash.
Anglers fishing the FLW Series tournament on Lake of the Ozarks will take Saturday morning at 7 from PB II-Grand Glaize Beach. The final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 4252 Highway 54 in Osage Beach beginning at 4 p.m. Children will be treated to the Fujifilm trout pond and rides in the Kellogg's Ranger boat simulator beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday prior to the final weigh-in at Wal-Mart. All events are free and open to the public.
The entire field competes for the first three days of FLW Series events, but only the top 10 professionals continue competition on day four. The winning pro is determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all four days.
In FLW Series competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers.
Coverage of the Lake of the Ozarks FLW Series tournament will be broadcast to 80 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States as part of the "FLW Outdoors" television program airing Nov. 12. "FLW Outdoors" airs Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time. "FLW Outdoors" is also broadcast internationally to approximately 350 million households in such countries as Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the United Kingdom, making it the most widely viewed weekly outdoor-sports television show in the world. Additionally, FLW Outdoors is proud to provide tournament coverage to more than 800,000 servicemembers stationed around the world in 177 countries and aboard Navy ships through broadcasts on the American Forces Network.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail presented by Abu Garcia, Stratos Owners' Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $37.9 million through 249 events in 2006.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.
Wal-Mart and many of America's largest and most-respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997 and today is the world's leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.