Sixteen years after his last Bassmaster Classic appearance, and more than two decades after he was inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, 72-year-old Larry Nixon will make his Bassmaster Elite Series debut in February. That first Elite boat launch will come nearly 40 years after he claimed the 1983 Classic crown, and 17 years since he left for FLW, but absence has made the heart grow fonder.
“I’ve been a lifetime member of B.A.S.S. since the late 70s or the very early 80s,” he said. “It’s where my heart is. It has been a long road getting back.”
He had to apply for “reinstatement” through the Legends process, and Tournament Director Chris Bowes noted, “Larry’s name was mentioned frequently as the whole concept was implemented years ago.”
Nixon fished his first B.A.S.S. event in 1977, before the lion’s share of the 2023 Elite Series field was born. Indeed, only about half of them were alive when he hoisted the Classic crown. But he is undeterred, believing that he can still compete. Many of them may not be aware of his Classic win, two Bassmaster Angler of the Year titles, four Megabucks victories and status as the first to reach $1,000,000 in career winnings, but Nixon is ready to earn their respect based on his current abilities, not his past achievements.
He’s proud that when he entered the recent Bassmaster Central Open on Sam Rayburn, a prerequisite for utilizing his Legends exemption back into the field, he was competitive, rather than backing through the door back to the tour. He ended up 21st in a stacked field of over 200 competitors.
“I’m still a very simple fisherman,” he said. “A jig, a worm, a shaky head, maybe a drop shot, that’s still my game. My body parts don’t love moving baits anymore. But at Rayburn, I slung moving baits until I was absolutely sick of it. First, it was a ChatterBait with a Yamamoto Zako, which is a lot of work. Then, when it got really tough, I threw an underspin with a 4-inch fluke on the back. Chunk and wind, chunk and wind.”
He said that he’s “probably in better health” than at any time in recent years, although there’s still a bit of pain and occasional fatigue. “I have an issue carrying a 15- to 20-pound bag of fish, so you may see my Marshal carrying them up to the scales at times. I may also practice some short days, as I’ve always done. I’ve never been a guy who goes for a 14- or 15-hour practice day. I may even take a day off here and there.”
While he’s endeavored to keep his presentations comparatively simple, Nixon does not reject technology or advancements. He has Lowrance’s ActiveTarget forward-facing sonar on his boat, and in one tournament last year saw every fish that he weighed in on the screen before he made the cast. Nevertheless, he “won’t live and die with it.”
Seventy-six-year-old Rick Clunn, the only Elite angler with more miles on his fishing odometer than Nixon, is his lone remaining contemporary, but Nixon will likely continue to travel with fellow pro Joey Cifuentes, who qualified for the Elites through the Central Opens. Cifuentes, at 34, is less than half of “The General’s” age but credits him for his rapid advancement as an angler.
“Everything that I’ve learned, I’ve learned from him,” Cifuentes said. “I’ve developed all of my skills and the way I like to fish, after three years in the back of the boat and then traveling with him the last five or six years, I picked up a lot. Most of all, I learned how to be a respectable pro. Still, even though we’ve both competed against a lot of these guys – they know us and I think they respect us – we’ll definitely have to get in there and prove ourselves again.”
After a long period away, Nixon said, “My heart has always been with B.A.S.S. Sometimes sponsorships lead you away. That absolutely broke my heart, but I did what I had to do.” He never lost his interest, though, and claimed to tune into the FS1 Elite Series shows whenever possible, describing himself as an unabashed fan of Tommy Sanders, Mark Zona and the rest of the LIVE team. He’d rather be on the water than watching on the phone or computer though.
Accordingly, he’s laser-focused on getting back to the Classic. If – or when – that happens, it will be his 26th appearance. “I want to be in that stadium full of Lifetime B.A.S.S. Members. I want to hear that roar of the crowd.”
“All I can say is, ‘Welcome home, Larry,’” Bowes added. No doubt, hundreds of thousands of Bassmaster fans across the globe are saying the same thing today as well.
Nixon hasn’t set a timeline as to how long he’ll keep competing but knows that he still has gas in the tank and a strong desire to show that while he may not be the same angler he was in 1983, in plenty of respects he’s better. Legend or not, he still plans to leave it all out on the water.
“When you get to be this age, and you’re still doing what you love, you quit for one of two reasons,” he concluded. “Either because of your health or because it becomes a headache. I’m not at either point yet. I’m not done. My retirement will come when I start embarrassing myself. I need the competition. I need the on-the-water time.”
