So, what do bass fishing and golf have in common?
Not a lot if you’re Dion Hibdon, a nationally known pro bass fisherman. Except for a few days each fall at Lake of the Ozarks.
That’s when pro bass fishermen team with golfers to compete in the Missouri Invitational Fish and Golf Pro-Am at Lake of the Ozarks in central Missouri.
Now in its second year, the event will be held Nov. 16-18 at the Old Kinderhook Golf Course and Resort in Camdenton, Mo.
For Hibdon, it will also mark the second time he has ever golfed.
“When I teed off, that’s the first time I ever had a golf club in my hands,” said Hbdon, who will compete in this year’s event with his sons, Payden and Lawson, and possibly his famous dad, Guido. “We’re fishermen, not golfers.
“But we agreed to do this as a fun thing. I’m glad we did.
“I surprised myself. I made some good shots. Our team (in a scramble-type format) even played my ball a few times.”
The Hibdon boys will be back this fall for the unique tournament that attracted national attention in its inaugural year in 2015.
Other nationally known fishermen such as Casey Scanlon, Stacey King, Kevin Short, Mike McClelland, Jeremy Lawyer and James Watson will be paired with amateurs to chase bass and birdies.
Here’s how the tournament, which will be based at Old Kinderhook, will work:
- The event will get under way with a banquet and auction Nov. 15 at Old Kinderhook. The amateurs, who paid a $1,000 entry fee, will bid for the pro fishermen they want to team with.
- The fishing will begin Nov. 16 with a full day on Lake of the Ozarks.
- On Nov. 17, fishermen and their partners will be joined by local golf pros and they will play 18 holes of scramble-type golf. The team will receive the equivalent of 2 pounds of bass for an eagle, 1 pound for a birdie and one-half pound for a par.
- The tournament will conclude Nov. 18 with a full day of fishing. Weigh-ins will start at 3 p.m., with the awards ceremony to follow.
Tournament organizers Bob Renken, executive director of Old Kinderhook, and Bob Bueltmann, who runs the BassingBob.com website, hope to turn this event into a spectator sport.
Though the amateur field is full, the public can attend the banquet and meet and greet the pro fishermen. Cost per ticket is $40. To purchase, go to the BassingBob.com website and go to the “Store” category.
The public also can follow their favorite pros on water and land. The fishermen will launch at 8 a.m. Nov. 16 and 18 at the Old Kinderhook ramp and will weigh in at 3 p.m. each day at the Old Kinderhook outdoors stage. Golf will start at 11 a.m. Nov. 17 and Renken encourages galleries to follow their favorite teams on the course. There will be no charge to spectators.
For more information on the Missouri Invitational, go to www.OldKinderhook.com or BassingBob.com. For information on Lake of the Ozarks, visit the Convention and Visitosr Bureau’s website www.FunLake.com.