LARRY NIXON ON BASSING

How To Be A Professional Bass Fisherman And Get Sponsors

EDITOR'S NOTE: Fifty-one-year-old Larry Nixon of Bee Branch, Arkansas has fish professionally since 1976, won 14 B.A.S.S. tournaments and two Angler-of-the-Year titles. He was also the first professional angler to earn more than $1 million in B.A.S.S. winnings.

QUESTION: Larry, what must an angler do to be a professional bass fisherman? If you could give a course on professional bass fishing, what would you tell an angler he needed to do?
ANSWER: The first thing I would tell any angler who wanted to be a professional fisherman would be to go to a lake somewhere in the southern United States where he could fish 300 days a year. Be a guide. Also learn every single thing you can about a bass, its habits, likes and dislikes. Learn what good water, dirty water and ugly water look like. You've got to learn everything about a bass's environment to become a very good touring bass pro. Although plenty of anglers fish bass tournaments, to be good, you must excel in fishing all different kinds of water. To do that, you must know everything there is to know about bass.

QUESTION: After you've passed that step, Larry, the No. 1 question that most tournament fishermen ask is how do you get sponsors?
ANSWER: Getting sponsors is hard yet easy. You've got to win. You also have to present yourself properly. Don't be somebody that people dislike. Smile; be a likeable person; dress nice; look good; and be courteous. Don't ever have any kind of bad rumors about you floating around. Don't be a hole jumper or a bad boat driver. You just don't want to have any negatives in your personality. If you can do those things plus win occasionally and be consistent in the money, then sponsorships will come easy. Otherwise the going will be tough. You'll have to work for your sponsorship, which means you need to become affiliated with a dealer or a company and do outside jobs and odds and ends to get the sponsorship. These companies are paying for your notoriety. Just like any other superstar -- once you get the name, then finding sponsorship is easy.

To learn more about fishing below the dam at Pickwick, contact the Hardin County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau at info@tourhardincounty.org, call 731-925-8181 or 800-552-3866, or visit www.tourhardincounty.org. Pickwick Landing State Park offers fishing, boating, hiking, camping, swimming and golf. Lodging includes the lakeside inn with over 100 rooms, cabins that sleep eight and a campground that contains 48 sites with grill and electric/water hookup at each site. A restaurant at the park offers delicious southern cuisine. Call 731-689-3135 or 800-250-8615 to learn more.

TOMORROW: NEW LURES LARRY NIXON USES AND HOW HE FISHES THEM