People often say that the sign of a good friendship is the ability to go for a long time without speaking and then pick up where they left off, as though time and distance never existed. At Hobie Cat® Company’s Third Annual Hobie Bass Open, good friends reunited, new anglers entered the fold, and a fierce competition waged over two days for the honor of joining Team North America at the Hobie Fishing Worlds Championship later this year.
The company began hosting the Hobie Bass Open at Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park on Kentucky Lake in 2014 as a non-motorized, catch-photo-release tournament with just under 40 competitors. The tournament has grown steadily since its inception, with 108 anglers in the Adult Division and five anglers under 16 in the Youth Division.
First place winner Ron Champion gently nets his latest catch while fishing in the Hobie Bass Open.
The tournament took place June 4–5. Competitors battled harsh weather and motorboat traffic as well as each other.
Rain and wind on the first day gave way to searing heat and increased boat traffic on the second day. Competitors used the iAngler Tournament app to submit smartphone photos of largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass on a measuring board for real-time updates on the leaderboard. Tournament anglers logged over 462 bass across both days, and the location and length data will go towards research and population management on Kentucky Lake.
Each angler’s top three bass per day counted towards their total score, and sometimes a mere fraction of an inch decided rankings in the Top 10.
Second place winner Matthew Scotch proudly displays one of his tournament bass from his Hobie Mirage Pro Angler 12.
The battle was particularly fierce among the top three, but Georgia resident Ron Champion earned first place with 108.75 total inches. He began the tournament with a strong day one tally of 57.25 inches from his three largest bass. For the second day, he took a risky gamble by driving two hours south to fish in New Johnsonville, where the shad were spawning, but he made up for the lost fishing time with quieter, less crowded waters. On his final cast, he hooked a 16.75-inch bass that ended his day’s tally with 51.50 inches and a grand total of 108.75 inches, securing the win by a half inch.
As the tournament winner, Champion took home $3,500 and an all-expenses paid trip as a member of Team North America at the Hobie Fishing Worlds Championship in Louisiana.
Second place winner Matthew Scotch won a close battle against Jay Wallen for second place at the Hobie Bass Open.
Matthew Scotch from Texas earned a hard-fought second place with 108.25 total inches. He spent the second day fishing a prime ledge while competing with motorboat traffic, but his persistence paid off with a 19.75-inch bass that secured his second place finish, a $2,350 cash prize, and a spot on Team North America with Champion. Kentucky resident Jay Wallen took third place for the second consecutive year, a $1,500 cash prize, and the Big Bass award for a 22-inch largemouth bass, worth an additional $300. Each of the Youth Division anglers and the Top 10 Adult Division anglers also took home cash prizes.
Even though anglers were focused on competing for the two coveted spots on Team North America, the tournament also fostered a distinct sense of camaraderie, from the anglers who return each year to the close-knit Hobie team of tournament coordinators, product representatives, and outdoor writers who used the weekend to catch up on old friendships and create new ones. Tournament anglers enjoyed complimentary barbecue and pizza dinners, captain’s meetings that doubled as social hours, and raffles for prizes such as Lowrance™ Fish Finders, Hobie accessories, and fishing apparel and tackle donated by various tournament sponsors.
The Hobie Bass Open was the second of five qualifying tournaments to decide Team North America’s representatives. The 6th annual Hobie Fishing Worlds Championship, presented by Rhino-Rack™ and hosted by Hobie Cat® Company, will take place in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana on December 4-11. For information on the remaining qualifiers, please visit hobiefishingworlds.com.
Photo Credit: garynski.com.