by Mike Hinkle
I'm sure there are many of you who have came to this site and are wondering just who the heck are these guys that have started this All Seasons Buddy Bass Tournament. Hopefully this little article will give you a feel for who we are and what we are all about. Myself and Robert McBride are the tournament officials for this circuit. We are life long friends and I mean since we were knee high to a grass hopper. We were both born and raised in Osceola Misssouri along the Osage river and then Truman lake we now enjoy. As kids we were both exposed to fishing. Roberts dad spent a lot of time taking his boys out to the river and later to the lake. Hunting, fishing and eating what you have caught or killed has always been a mainstay in the McBride house. Roberts Mom, I think, may be the finest cook of wild game and fish there is. Ray, Roberts dad taught his boys at an early age to respect the outdoors and always take only what you need, and what you're not going to eat stays there. I lived right beside the river as a kid and my grandma and grandpa (Red) Hinkle owned Hinkle Tackle Co. When the lake came in the store went to the top of the hill and was one of the largest wholesale retail fishing tackle company's in the Midwest up until it was sold in 1976. My dad Randy back in the early 70s formed Mid-America Bass Fisherman's Association. This was a very large tournament circuit complete with it's own magazine. I can remember as a kid one time I was on a fishing trip up in South Dakota on a remote Indian reservation and there was a truck there that had the M.A.B.F.A. sticker in the back window. I realized then just how large this circuit was. Dad sold out in the middle 70s cause he had these 5 boys to raise. However in 1982 dad was missing the tournament business again and he formed a circuit called Team Bass Tournaments. This is where me and Robert came in. We were now old enough to help put these tournaments on. I can remember the day after I got my drivers license, driving down to Table Rock early in the morning, with Robert, and had a full load of tanks and equipment. We were in charge of boat inspection. This circuit only lasted for 2 years but it gave me and Robert a taste of something we knew we would want to do again. After high school the two of us went off and got married. Robert helped his father in-law run Cliffs Bass Pro tournaments on Lake of the Ozarks. Years went by and we had always said that we were going to get together and fish bass tournaments. The two of us were just too far apart to get together regular. About 4 years ago Robert and his family moved to Pleasant Hill Missouri, which is only about 40 minutes from my house in Cleveland Mo. Robert bought an old bass boat and the next thing you know, I had one too. We began to bass fish together again. We had been away from the tournament fishing for some time. We started fishing some of the circuits out there but frankly we were taken back by how much it cost. They were, good, tournaments ran by professionals, but the cost of membership and the late fee's were pretty tough for our pocket. That is where this idea for this circuit came from. We wished there was a circuit out there that was affordable and had plenty of dates to choose from with no membership and no late fee's. If there would have been one out there like this on Truman lake, you would not be reading this article right now. Me and Robert knew we had the know how, and that we loved the comradeship, that went along with putting on tournaments. So here we are today. We are not in this for the money. We are in this because we have a sense of our family history and we love to fish in a competitive enviroment. Currently we have spent more than we have taken and then some not to mention our time. We have plans to continue reinvesting into this circuit till it is among the best available. Once this circuit grows large it has the potential to make money. That will just be a bonus. We hope that when you fish one of our tournaments that you come away feeling that we really appreciate your attendance and you have a great tournament experience. That is all the payment we need.
Thank You!! Mike Hinkle
Robert McBride