ROGERS, Ark. (April 13, 2005) - With a $1.25 million purse and $200,000 going to the winning pro, it's one of the biggest and most anticipated tournaments in bass fishing, and it's finally under way. The eighth annual Open bass fishing tournament began with cloudy skies and cool temperatures on Beaver Lake, but the action quickly heated up when legendary angler Guido Hibdon of Gravois Mills, Mo., placed five bass weighing 18 pounds, 4 ounces on the scale Wednesday afternoon.
All but six pros caught fish on opening day, and the majority of anglers, 77 to be exact, are hovering between 8 pounds and 10 pounds, 15 ounces. That puts more than a third of the pro field one 5-pounder away from making the all-important 10th-place cut, which stands at 13 pounds, 1 ounce. Several fish over 5 pounds have already crossed the stage.
Of the 400 anglers competing, 174 five-bass limits were weighed, including 135 in the Pro Division alone. Those anglers who landed atop the leader board like Hibdon and Jeremiah Kindy of Benton, Ark., who is currently second with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 2 ounces, are now well positioned to make the final-round cut Thursday as fishing conditions should continue to improve with the onset of warmer weather.
"I started the day catching a bunch of little spots that I knew wouldn't do me any good," said Hibdon, who has earned a Bassmaster Classic title and four FLW Tour top-10s in his storied career. "So I decided to go do what I knew I should be doing all along. I went largemouth fishing, and I moved around quite a bit."
Hibdon caught the majority of his bass using a melon/pepper Guido Bug finesse jig in 20 to 30 feet of water while Kindy caught four largemouths and one meanmouth on an original Wiggle Wart crankbait cast to secondary points.
"I only have 10 of the original Wiggle Warts left, and I'm going to keep riding them as long as I can," said Kindy, a Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Arkie Division standout who finished 10th at last month's FLW Tour stop on the Ouachita River in Monroe, La. "In the last three years I've won more than $30,000 on the bait. The new Wiggle Wart work fine, but I have confidence in the old originals."
Darrel Robertson of Jay, Okla., (five bass, 14 pounds, 15 ounces); Chris McCall of Jasper, Texas (five bass, 14 pounds, 11 ounces) and Cody Bird of Granbury, Texas (five bass, 14 pounds, 4 ounces) rounded out the top five pros.
Kindy earned the day's Big Bass award of $750 in the Pro Division with a 5-pound, 8-ounce largemouth.
In the Co-angler Division Mike Hawks of Galax, Va., leads the tournament thanks to a five-bass catch weighing 10 pounds, 12 ounces. He fished with pro Robert Karbas Jr. of Wake Forest, N.C., who caught five bass weighing 11 pounds, 7 ounces and is currently in a three-way tie for 28th place.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Mark Phillips of Fayetteville, Ark. (five bass, 9 pounds, 15 ounces); Jeff Baffa of Tinley Park, Ill. (five bass, 9 pounds, 10 ounces); Tee Watkins of East Point, Ky. (five bass, 8 pounds, 13 ounces); and Sondra Rankin of Paducah, Ky. (five bass, 8 pounds, 12 ounces).
Judy Israel of Clewiston, Fla., claimed the Big Bass award and $500 in the Co-angler Division with a 5-pound, 13-ounce largemouth that she caught on a finesse worm while fishing with pro Lee Skipper of Lancaster, S.C., who is currently in 185th place with one bass weighing 2 pounds, 11 ounces.
Israel gained national acclaim last year as the first and only woman to win an FLW Tour event. That accomplishment could be challenged this week, however, as three women are currently in the top 20. Rankin is fifth, Mary Parnell of Casselberry, Fla., is seventh and Kim Bain from Queensland, Australia, is 18th.
Beaver Lake yielded a catch of 1,343 bass weighing 2,260 pounds, 2 ounces Wednesday. Over 99 percent of the bass were released alive.
Anglers will take off from Prairie Creek Marina at 7 each morning. Thursday's weigh-in will also be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday's weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 2110 West Walnut in Rogers beginning at 5 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.