Countless highway miles, equally numerous hours on the water — time in the saddle. Such commitment common to tenured bass pros not only makes them consistently competitive, it also makes them an invaluable resource for young anglers fortunate enough to gain the trust and respect of someone willing to share hard-earned insights.
Perfect example: Larry “The General” Nixon and 2023 Progressive Elite Series Rookie of the Year Joey Cifuentes III. History will show that they shared only one Elite season — Nixon returned to B.A.S.S. after several years on the FLW Tour, then opted to retire, due to health considerations — but their preceding relationship helped frame Cifuentes’ success.
As Nixon recalls, the seven-year friendship began when Cifuentes joined his dad at the Wednesday night cards games hosted by The General. An inquisitive college baseball player, Cifuentes would pepper Nixon with fishing questions until Bassmaster’s first “Million Dollar Man” made a life-changing offer.
“I said, ‘If you’re thinking about fishing for a living, you ought to fish these tournaments; you could practice with me as a co-angler,’” Nixon said. “That got it started, and about three weeks later, I said, ‘Joey, did you enter (the scheduled tournament?).’ He said, ‘Were you serious?’ and I said, ‘Yeah I was serious.’
“He said, ‘Well, I’ll enter if I can fish with you.’ We just hit it off. He was the perfect partner.”
Under Nixon’s tutelage, Cifuentes notched a couple of co-angler wins as he steadily soaked up wisdom and developed his skill set. Today, the budding Elite has founded a promising career on Nixon’s early lessons.
“It’s like he’s part of my family,” Cifuentes said. “He has a lot of wisdom. He’s a teacher and a mentor.”
Amazing start
With 14 B.A.S.S. wins, including the 1983 Bassmaster Classic, Nixon’s resume stands among the all-time greats. Still, watching his protege anchor an ROY title with two Elite wins (Lake Seminole and Lake St. Clair) fostered a heartfelt blend of joy and admiration.
“Joey has taken off immensely fast,” Nixon said. “He has all the tools we didn’t have in the old days — the internet, Google Earth — and he uses utilizes every single bit of it.”
While he was thrilled with Cifuentes’ meteoric debut, Nixon said he has strived to impart the wisdom of a measured, intentional approach.
“The thing that I taught Joey, more than anything else, was to slow down,” Nixon said. “You can’t catch fish going 90 miles an hour, unless that’s the right pattern.
“I finally got that out of his blood, because he had a tendency to get in too big of a hurry. You have to let things come to you when you’re fishing. Now, he has patience, he has the forward-facing sonar, and he has all the knowledge of where to go and what to do at certain times of the year. He’s really put it together.”
Lesson applied
Cifuentes affirms his mentor’s point and notes his appreciation for how Nixon has helped him become a patient and methodical angler. That particular lesson played a critical role in Cifuentes’ first Elite win.
“I’m sitting in the lead, going into the last day, and he called me the night before and told me to be patient,” Cifuentes recalls. “He said, ‘If your fish don’t start biting first thing, they’ll come around.’”
Cifuentes admits his earlier years often found him overthinking a lead and allowing the stress of a slower-than-expected start to usher him away from what was likely the winning fish. But when the morning of Day 4 found fate testing his resolve with dismal results and missed opportunities, Cifuentes channeled Nixon’s mindset and earned his first blue trophy.
“I said, ‘I’m going to put all my marbles in this area,’” Cifuentes said. “Doing that and being patient helped me win.
“I had a tough final day, losing fish, small fish, but in the afternoon, I caught a 6-ponder and that sealed the deal.”
Flattering outlook
Reflecting on the emotion of watching Cifuentes’ stellar rookie season, Nixon said: “To be honest, it was almost like winning myself. It was so good to see him win and do so well. He’s the future of this sport.”
The General’s expectation?
“I say he’ll win (an Elite event) every year or every other year. That was my goal — to win one every year or every other year.
“I really think Joey is the caliber of angler to do that. It won’t be long until he’s in rarified air.”
Cifuentes, no doubt, shares that vision and appreciates the confidence. Most importantly, he said, Nixon has helped him understand how to be a winner on and off the water.
“He’s given me a lot of advice and the biggest thing is doing the right thing in your relationships and the way you treat (other competitors),” Cifuentes said. “He’s taught me to try to not put yourself in (contentious) situations, respect everybody. Also, being loyal to sponsors will take you a long way in the fishing industry.”
Offering the ultimate nod of respect, Cifuentes described Nixon’s approach to professional bass fishing as fundamentally solid and downright exemplary.
“It’s just a good positive outlook for any young kid wanting to do this. It was more than him telling me that; he is that. He’s just a good human being.
“That’s the kind of example you want to follow.”
