During a bass fishing tournament several years ago, Japanese pro Kotaro Kiriyama was drop shotting when he caught a 30-pound turtle and large catfish on back-to-back casts.
Nixon returns to his rightful Classic spot
Not long ago, it was commonplace for legendary angler Larry Nixon to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic.
In fact, he did it for 18 consecutive years - 1977 to 1994 - creating the third longest Classic streak in BASS history. But for the 54-year-old Bee Branch, Ark. angler who owns one of the most illustrious resumes in the sport, such certainty no longer exists.
In the last decade, Nixon has qualified for the Classic only five times, the last being in 2002. Now, after a two-year absence, Nixon is planning his return.
The two-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year tied with Rick Clunn for 9th place in the Bassmaster Elite 50s standings last weekend, securing him the final invitation to the 2005 Classic in Pittsburgh as well as an early ticket to the 2006 Classic on Florida's Lake Tohopekaliga.
"I worked awful hard to get back in there and I'm just totally excited," said Nixon.
The upcoming 2005 and 2006 Classic appearances bump to 25 Nixon's total showings in the Super Bowl of bass fishing. He is tied with Roland Martin for the second most number of appearances. (Clunn is first with 30.)
After finishing in 39th place on the Bassmaster Tour, Nixon entered the four-event Elite 50 all-star circuit knowing that it was his last chance to return to the Classic ranks. In the end, a pair of top 10 finishes on Lake Lewisville in Highland Village, Texas, and Smith Lake in Jasper, Ala., enabled him to place in the top 10 of the overall standings. Because of a quirk in Classic scheduling, the top 10 anglers in the Elite 50 were offered invitations to both the 2005 and 2006 Classic, scheduled for February 24-26.
"It really came down to the last day," said Nixon, who finished 31st last week at the season-finale in Lake Wissota. "That tournament was so tough on everybody that if I had fell out I really wouldn't have felt bad about it because it was just absolutely, incredibly tough."
Nixon, who has won every major title and earned $1.6 million in winnings, says qualifying for the Classic is increasingly harder each year because of his bustling circuit schedule and the physical toll fishing has taken on his body.
But soon, Nixon's thoughts will be centered on Pittsburgh and the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers where Classic XXXV will unfold. It was on a different stretch of the Ohio River that Nixon won the 1983 Classic in Cincinnati.
"Everything I've heard makes me believe it's going to be a tough tournament," he said. "But the Ohio River was good to me in '83. Maybe it will do it again."
GREATEST ANGLER DEBATE
Former Classic champion Guido Hibdon was one of the 35 semi-finalists in the ESPN Greatest Angler Debate. Who would Hibdon call the best of the best?
"I'd have to go with Ricky (Clunn)," the two-time BASS Angler of the Year said. "He has done just about everything there is to do in fishing. Plus, he's helped a lot of young anglers along the way."
The debate will conclude in Pittsburgh - at the 2005 Classic - when two champions are crowned. One will be given the Classic trophy and the other will be hailed as the greatest angler of all time.
DID YOU KNOW?
Everybody knows about the wire-to-wire winners in the Classic, but did you know there were four pros who lead the first two days of the Classic, but failed to win: Paul Chamblee (1975), Jim Bitter (1989), Tommy Biffle (1990) and Zell Rowland (1991).
PRO BIRTHDAYS
Ish Monroe will be 31 on June 20. Five days later, veteran pro Randall Romig turns 55 years old. Arkansas' Ron Shuffield celebrates his 49th birthday on June 27, while California stud Skeet Reese will blow out 36 candles on June 30.
IF I HADN'T BECOME A BASS PRO,
Wisconsin pro Mark Duerr would likely still be working as an analytical chemist, someone who obtains, processes and communicates information about the composition and structure of matter.
THEY SAID IT
"He was always called 'nature boy' because he preferred to be in the backyard catching spiders, snakes and lizards. He was always into nature anywhere we went. He went to a party and came up and said hello to everybody. When he did, about five moths flew out of his mouth. He used to love to put stuff in his mouth and go freak everybody out." Carol Martens, talking about her son Aaron, the reigning Bassmaster Angler of the Year.