“So, what do you want to do for a living when you grow up?” For a few sons, there was an easy answer: “Go fishing…just like dad.”
Of course, when you have a dad like Guido Hibdon, Alton Jones, Randy Howell, or Stephen Browning, there’s plenty of incentive to become involved in the family business.
Like father, like son. Take a look.
The Hibdons’ Legacy
Growing up, Guido Hibdon never questioned what he would one day do for a living. His dad Guido Sr. was a legend on Lake of the Ozarks, one of the first to establish a guide business.
By the time Guido Jr. was 12, he was guiding, too, rowing customers to spots where they had a shot at catching that big bass. He went on to become a nationally known guide much like his father, attracting business all across the country.
A telling moment came in 1980, when Guido’s customers talked him into entering a national B.A.S.S. tournament at Lake of the Ozarks. He ended up winning the event on a plastic bait designed by his young son Dion for a grade-school project.
“We had to make something found in nature,” Dion once told me. “Some kids made drawings, others made things out of paper mache, but I thought it would be cool to make a fishing bait.
“I caught a crawdad in a creek, put it in plaster of paris, and made a mold. I painted it and showed it to dad, and he said, ‘I think I can catch fish on that.’ “
That bait, later known as the Guido Bug, played an important role in the formation of the Hibdon dynasty. Guido went on to become one of professional bass fishing’s all-time greats, winning the Bassmaster Classic in 1988, and taking Angler of the Year honors in four professional circuits one year.
Dion became a legend in his own right. He won the Bassmaster Classic in 1997, and took the championship in the other major circuit at the time, the FLW Championship, in 2008.
Guido passed away in 2018, and Dion died Jan. 12, 2026, but the Hibdon family business lives on. Dion’s two sons, Payden and Lawson, have followed their dad and grandpa’s lead and are making headlines themselves.
The family takes pride in a Major League Fishing tournament in 2023 at Lake of the Ozarks when Lawson took first, Dion was fourth and Payden took 10th. Payden won that same Phoenix Bass Fishing League event two years earlier.
“People still ask, ‘What was it like to fish with two world-famous fishermen like your grandpa and your dad?’ “ Payden told Wired2Fish. “It was an incredible experience. Lawson and I learned from the best.”
Keeping Up With The Joneses
When Alton Jones Jr. turned 11, his famous dad gave him a symbolic gift that went a long way in fueling his passion for bass fishing.
“When I was 12, my dad gave me a 15-foot Kingfisher with a 25-horse motor on it so that I could fish on my own on the private fishing lake where we had a membership,” said Alton Sr., one of the all-time greats in professional fishing. “When Junior turned 11, my wife and I had that boat refurbished and put a new motor on it, and gave it to him so he could do the same thing I did when I was a kid.”
Alton Jr. was in that boat constantly, learning how to fish on the 150-acre private lake in Texas where the Joneses had a membership. Dad remembers one landmark moment in particular.
“He ran up to the cabin and said, ‘Dad, I caught a 10-pounder,’” Alton Sr. told Wired2fish. “Of course, I thought he was exaggerating. But I followed him down to the boat house and weighed the fish. Ten pounds, one ounce.
“He was so excited. It was at that moment I knew he had a passion for bass fishing.”
That passion has carried Alton Jr. far. Today, he is one the top fishermen on Major League Fishing’s Bass Pro Tour, where his dad also competes. Yeah, they’re father and son on land, but they’re rivals on the water.
“We definitely cheer for each other,” said Alton Jr., 33, who lives in Waco, Texas. “But when it comes down to game time, there’s no one I would rather beat than Dad. We’re fighting for family bragging rights.”
Randy And Laker Howell
Laker Howell was brought up in a fishing lifestyle. His mom Robin homeschooled Laker and his brother so that they could live on the road, following his dad Randy’s pro bass career.
They stayed in a motorhome, and Laker remembers rubbing elbows with many famous pros.
“I was a little wheeler and dealer,” Howell told Wired2fish. “I had a bicycle and I started a little trash business. I would collect their trash and take it to the dump for $5 a time. I had enough customers that I would make up to $50 a weekend. I thought I was rolling in it.”
But it was the lifestyle that truly made him rich, he said.
“I grew up getting to see all the famous bass lakes,” said Laker, 24, who lives in Guntersville, Alabama. “As a family, we fished all the time. As soon as we were done with one tournament, we would go camp at another lake and just fish. It was an incredible lifestyle.”
Randy Howell knew his son was destined for a career in professional bass fishing when the youngster watched dad win the coveted Bassmaster Classic in 2014.
“When they drove us around the arena for our victory lap, Laker was the one in the back of the boat, waving the American flag with a big smile on his face,” Randy said. “I knew right then that he had this in his blood.”
Laker’s enthusiasm for tournament bass fishing is undeniable. He fished 22 major tournaments in 2025, and 20 the year before. He won a Bassmaster Open and a Bassmaster Elite Qualifier in 2025, both of them on topwater lures. That earned him a spot in the 2026 Bassmaster Classic.
Because Randy moved from the Major League Fishing’s Bass Pro Tour back to B.A.S.S., he again has to work his way up to qualify for the Classic. That leaves him in the unusual situation of reversing roles with his son at least for one year.
“It will be unbelievable to see him walk across that stage at the classic,” Randy told Wired2fish. “It’s just so awesome to see him have success and gain his own identity.”
The Brownings’ Time
When Beau Browning expressed an interest in following his father Stephen into professional bass fishing, he knew what he was getting into.
“I knew it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. There’s a lot more to it than what you see on television or in magazines,” said Beau, 24, who lives in Hot Springs, Arkansas. “It’s a tough way to make a living. You have to really love it.”
Beau watched his dad succeed, fueled by that passion. Stephen Browning has been one of the top pros in the game, qualifying for 10 Bassmaster Classics and becoming a member of the prestigious BASS Million Dollar Club, which recognizes career winnings.
He also did well on MLF’s Bass Pro Tour, qualifying for four Redcrest championship events and four Heavy Hitter All-Star tournaments.
But now Stephen is back at B.A.S.S. to both support his son’s budding career and end his own in style. Beau will compete in the B.A.S.S. Elite Series this year after qualifying through the Opens Elite Qualifiers. Meanwhile, his dad will have to start over and work his way up to qualify for the Elites again.
“Beau used to be my biggest cheerleader,” Stephen said. “Now I get to be his.”
Beau has a wealth of experience to draw on, starting with fishing tournaments back when he was just a little guy. He later participated in college fishing, first Drury University in Missouri and later at the University of Montevallo in Alabama.
Now he is excited about fishing B.A.S.S.’s top circuit and following in his father’s footsteps.
“I’m super proud of what dad has accomplished,” Beau said. “Now I get my shot. Our dream is to both fish on the Elite circuit and maybe even in the Classic some day.”
