Classic XVIII

Guido Hibdon tells what he used to win the 18th. Bassmaster Classic.

JAMES RIVER, Va. — After three-days of dogged determination, Guido Hibdon of Gravois Mills, Mo., runner-up in the year's BASS. Angler-of-the-Year race, won with a three-day catch weighing 28 pounds, 8 ounces to obtain the crown for the 18th Classic.

He won the title by edging out Woo Daves by a mere 6 ounces.

Hibdon found success with a spinnerbait, and his primary lure was a Guido Bug, a plastic crawfish trailer his son had created by making a plaster mold of a real crawfish.

He fished it as a trailer on a 3/16-ounce Stanley Jig, pitching the lure over logs and brush, then working it slowly and methodically around the cover.

Of note

•  Despite Rick Clunn's domination of the Classic over the years, the angler with the best average finish with 10 or more Classic appearances is Guido Hibdon, who averages an eighth-place finish.

•  1980 Classic champ Bo Dowden almost didn't get to fish in the first round. His driver got lost on the way to the launch and had to stop at a local convenience store for directions. They arrived in time to see Dowden's flight heading out.

Top 6 finishers

1. Guido Hibdon Gravois Mills, Mo. 28-08

2. Woo Daves Chester, Va. 28-02

3. Ken Cook Meers, Okla. 27-04

4. Paul Elias Laurel, Miss. 26-01

5. Tommy Martin Hemphill, Texas 25-07

6. George Cochran N. Little Rock, Ark. 23-03