PHOTO BY CHARLES WALDORF
LARRY NIXON
QUITMAN , ARKANSAS
With more than 760 tour-level events , 158 top 10s , two Classic trophies , one Forrest Wood Cup and $ 5.3 million in career winnings between them in their storied careers , Larry Nixon and Dion Hibdon are the polar opposites of the terms “ rookie ” and “ freshman ” as the 2021 Pro Circuit schedule kicks off at Lake Okeechobee and Smith Lake in February and March .
But Nixon being one year removed from surgeries that cost him the 2020 season and Hibdon prepping for his first tour-level season since 2015 , you can accurately say that there ’ s some “ new ” in these grey-bearded faces .
Nixon enters the 2021 schedule ( his 43rd year as a pro ) at a self-assessed “ 70 or 80 percent ” following procedures in 2020 on his casting shoulder and elbow , and has simple goals for the year ahead : “ I want to make the TITLE . I ’ d like to make the championship and have a decent year .”
Don ’ t be surprised if Nixon ’ s “ decent year ” is more than decent , by most standards .
“ Don ’ t count Larry Nixon out just because he had surgery ,” says BIG5 Senior Director of Operations Bill Taylor , who has known Nixon since the late 1970s . “ When you ’ re talking about what it means to fish as a professional , Larry just epitomizes what it ’ s about . He brings so much to the table , with the integrity to how he goes about his business . I ’ m glad to have him back .”
Hibdon ’ s return to the circuit was a longer time coming , a fact that the 2000 Forrest Wood Cup champion candidly attributes to the malaise that struck him after the illness and death of his dad , the legendary Guido Hibdon , in March of 2018 .
“ We needed to take a couple years after we lost my dad to ‘ get right ’ again ,” Hibdon says . “ The year after he died , I don ’ t think I could ’ ve fished . I just had no desire to go . Most people are close to their dads , but I can say without a doubt that my dad was my best friend . I needed that time away , and I don ’ t regret taking it at all . Now , was it good for me ( as an angler )? I don ’ t know . I guess we ’ ll see . If anything , I think I ’ m a little more footloose and versatile than I used to be . But I can tell you this : I ’ m excited about the whole shooting match .”
DION HIBDON
VERSAILLES , MISSOURI
FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 51