Versailles Man Wins Big At Annual Phoenix Bass Tournament At Lake Of The Ozarks
A Versailles man is taking home the grand prize for the annual two-day Phoenix Bass Fishing League Super-Tournament at the Lake of the Ozarks.
Payden Hibdon earned just over $8,400 for his victory at the event, which is hosted by the Tri-County Lodging Association.
The top 4 winners were all from the Lake Area, including Corey Cook of Lebanon, Casey Scanlon of Eldon and Lawson Hibdon of Versailles.
5th place went to Lance Williams of Billings, MO.
The 2021 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division.
You can read more about the event below:
OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (Sept. 27, 2021) – Boater Payden Hibdon of Versailles, Missouri wins the two-day Phoenix Bass Fishing League Super-Tournament Presented by T-H Marine at Lake of the Ozarks Presented by Fenwick in Osage Beach, Missouri on Sunday. Payden earned $8,438 for his victory at the event, hosted by the Central Missouri’s Tri-County Lodging Association.
The 2021 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championships. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while Strike King co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The top six finishers in each regional will then qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
About MLF BIG5
MLF BIG5 is part of MLF, the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization. It provides anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money across five tournament circuits featuring a five-biggest-fish format. Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with offices in Benton, Kentucky, MLF and its partners conduct more than 290 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Zimbabwe.
MLF tournaments are broadcast on Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, World Fishing Network, MyOutdoorTV, Discovery and CBS Sports while MLF Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros to the world’s most avid bass anglers.
TOP 10 RESULTS
| RANK | BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Payden Hibdon of Versailles, Mo. | 10 | 32-14 | $8,438 |
| 2nd | Corey Cook of Lebanon, Mo. | 10 | 32-4 | $4,219 |
| 3rd | Casey Scanlon of Eldon, Mo. | 10 | 31-11 | $2,812 |
| 4th | Lawson Hibdon of Versaillies, Mo. | 10 | 31-11 | $1,969 |
| 5th | Lance Williams of Billings, Mo. | 10 | 31-9 | $1,688 |
| 6th | Rick Fishback of Springfield, Mo. | 10 | 29-14 | $1,547 |
| 7th | Brock Reinkemeyer of Warsaw, Mo. | 10 | 28-10 | $1,406 |
| 8th | Roger Fitzpatrick of Eldon, Mo. | 10 | 27-11 | $1,266 |
| 9th | Early Garrison, IV of Bull Shoals, Ark. | 10 | 27-9 | $1,125 |
| 10th | Joe Grafeman of Camdenton, Mo. | 10 | 27-5 | $984 |
| RANK | STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Anthony Johnson of Excelsior Springs, Mo. | 8 | 20-7 | $4,219 |
| 2nd | Troy Karafa of Racine, Wis. | 8 | 18-14 | $2,110 |
| 3rd | Cody Carl of Lake Latawana, Mo. | 7 | 17-2 | $1,406 |
| 4th | Bryan Barnard of Harrison, Ark. | 9 | 15-12 | $984 |
| 5th | Shane McGinnis of Springfield, Mo. | 7 | 15-11 | $844 |
| 6th | Joshua Allison of Carl Junction, Mo. | 6 | 15-0 | $774 |
| 7th | Kelby Humble of Rogersville, Mo. | 7 | 14-11 | $703 |
| 8th | Chris Bunk of Sullivan, Mo. | 6 | 14-10 | $633 |
| 9th | Mark Glover of Raytown, Mo. | 5 | 13-0 | $563 |
| 10th | Christian Singer of Bunceton, Mo. | 6 | 12-5 | $492 |
CONTINGENCY AWARDS
| AWARD | NAME | CONTINGENCY | PAYOUT |
| Boater Big Bass | Adam Caldwell of Springfield, Mo. | 5-pound, 11-ounce bass | $1,365 |
| Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass | Brock Krohne of Belton, Mo. | 5-pound, 4-ounce bass | $682 |
| Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus | Brad Jelinek of Lincoln, Mo. | Eligible Phoenix Boat* | $500 |
* Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $7,000 per event in each Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.
WINNING BAITS
| ANGLER | BAIT | COLOR |
| Boater | Guido Jig | N/A |
| Strike King Co-Angler | Unspecified Cut Tail Worm | N/A |
2021 QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES
| EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | HOST |
| Ozark Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship | Oct. 7-9 | Norfork Lake, Mountain Home, Ark. | Mountain Home Area Chamber of Commerce |
| 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American | June 2-4 | Lake Hamilton, Hot Springs, Ark. | Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism & Visit Hot Springs |
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