There have been very few years since the mid-1970s in which Larry Nixon wasn't preparing to compete in a tour-level championship event when August rolled around. The Arkansas legend has qualified for 25 Bassmaster Classics and 13 Forrest Wood Cups, but he'll miss this year's Cup after a 68th-place finish in the FLW Tour Angler of the Year race.
It's just the second time he's sat out the event (2004 was the other) since 1998.
"I've been pretty lost for the last couple of weeks," he said. "I was out fooling around in my boat and I had to ask myself, 'What are you doing? You're not going to go pre-fish and you don't have a championship coming up. You're not going to fish until (the Detroit River FLW Tour Open) at the end of August."
He placed third behind Kevin Hawk and Cody Meyer the last time the Cup was at Georgia's Lake Lanier in 2010. He likes Meyer's chances this year.
"I really think Cody's going to be tough as nails. He caught them good there last time and he's a really, really impressive deep-water fisherman. I think Brent Ehrler will be right there, too, for the same reason. Whoever can do the best job out deep with their electronics stands a real good chance to win.
"Luke Clausen could also be tough, and Jason Christie is uncannily good in shallow water if the largemouths come into play. He can catch them deep or shallow, but he's about as good in shallow water as anybody I've ever seen. And I don't know what to say about David (Dudley) – he's been so hot that you certainly can't count him out, either."
Fans who attend the Cup will get a chance to meet Nixon at the FLW Expo, which runs Friday through Sunday (Aug. 10-12) at the Gwinnett Convention Center.
