They're five men who have 84 Bassmaster Classic appearances between them. They've combined for four Classic wins and nearly $6 million in BASS tournament earnings. Each has fished nearly 200 BASS events.
Even casual BassFans know their names – Larry Nixon, George Cochran, Jay Yelas, Stacey King and Ron Shuffield. They're among the legends of the sport and they've played key roles in its growth over the past quarter-century. They're among the guys who the "young guns" idolized as kids, who proved that a talented, hard-working angler could make a career out of catching little green fish.
All have many fond memories of the Classic, and the final chapters in those volumes might be written this week at Florida's Lake Toho. None of the five will fish the Bassmaster Elite Series this year, so the only way they'll qualify for next year's Classic is to win this one.
Each will try like heck to accomplish that feat. But if it doesn't happen, they're prepared to get on with their lives and careers. They're all comfortable with their decisions to leave an organization that they say has moved in a direction that's no longer compatible with their lifestyles or career goals.
BassFan talked to each of the five late last week to get their thoughts on what could be their final Classic. Here's what they had to say.
Larry Nixon
Age: 55
Classic appearances: 24
Classic wins: 1 (1983)
BASS tournaments: 259
BASS earnings: $1,614,859
Nixon made it clear that there will be no sobfest onstage when he weighs in his final bag – provided it's not the winning bag, of course.
"Oh yeah, I'm approaching it that way," the Arkansan said when asked if he thought this might be his last Classic. "If I win, I fish again. If I don't, then I won't fish BASS anymore. That's not to say I won't ever because a guy never knows, but it'll be the last one this year, for sure.
"Yes, I'm going to miss it, but it's not a life-or-death thing. It's kind of sad, but I'm not going to worry about it."
He said thoughts about this possibly being his farewell to the sport's premier event won't creep into his mind when he's on the water this week. He's more inclined to look ahead than behind.
"It's the Classic, so naturally it's a big tournament, but I've been fishing them for so long that it's just another competition for me," he said. "The past is gone and it's a new future, and I just want to go out and do the best I can."
His best Classic memory is of the final weigh-in in 1983 at the Ohio River, where he edged Ricky Green for the title by about half a pound. "That stands out bigger than anything in my career because at that time it was bigger than winning the Angler of the Year (AOY) or anything," he said.
"I remember waiting and waiting and waiting and then winning by just a few ounces. That was just a very exciting moment."
His biggest issue with the Elite Series is that anglers must register for the entire slate of tournaments. If he were allowed to pick and choose, he said he would have fished eight or nine events.
"I just can't fish that many tournaments," he said. "You're talking about 11 regular events and three Majors, plus six FLWs and maybe a couple of championships. I can't do 22 tournaments in that period of time.
"Golfers get to pick the tournaments they want to play in, so why can't we? To have won what I've won and then to tell me that I can't fish the Majors unless I fish all the rest, that's horse manure."
George Cochran says he probably would have spent his entire working life as a railroad employee if not for his 1987 Classic victory, the first of two he's achieved.
George Cochran
Age: 55
Classic appearances: 20
Classic wins: 2 (1987, 1996)
BASS tournaments: 242
BASS earnings: $1,084,110
Cochran, also an Arkansas resident, credited his 1987 Classic win with changing the course of his life. Without it, he said he likely would have spent his professional career as a railroad employee.
"That'll always be a special time for me because I got to do what I really wanted to do – it made it possible," he said. "Otherwise, I probably never would have been a pro fisherman.
"At that time in the '80s, there were only a few guys making a good living off of fishing, and those were guys who had TV shows or bait companies or boat companies. The only other way to get there was to win the Classic."
He said he won't think much about this being his possible Classic farewell simply because it's so much different than previous versions. It's at a different time of year and comes on the heels of the first two FLW Tour events of the season.
"Before, we always had about 3 months to prepare and I always really got up for it because it was THE tournament," he said. "I always tried to make sure I brought my 'A' game. This year I haven't had any time to prepare because I'm coming off one tournament and right afterward I leave for another one.
"For me, it doesn't have the pizzazz it used to. I'm not as well-prepared and I'm not as much up for it. I'm sure the tension will start to build a couple of days before it starts, but it's a big change having it at this time of year."
If he never fishes another Classic, he won't have any regrets. "I've had 25 great years and a wonderful life fishing BASS," he said. "But now I'm going in another direction. The (FLW) circuit is more of a family organization type of deal and I'm real positive about its future. And I think there'll be some big changes made in BASS, and I hope they'll be positive too."
Jay Yelas caught the biggest fish of the tournament during his 2002 Classic win on a cast that he thought had no chance of inducing a bite.
Jay Yelas
Age: 40
Classic appearances: 15
Classic wins: 1 (2002)
BASS tournaments: 200
BASS earnings: $1,351,707
Unlike his older colleagues, Yelas said he's thought long and hard about the possibility of this being his final Classic.
"I've been contemplating the situation quite a bit, and to be honest, I can't wait until this one's over with," he said. "A chapter of my life is coming to an end and I'm looking forward to the next chapter with great anticipation. It's time to move on."
He said he thought about the Classic constantly when he was a kid. "But my opinion has changed so much that it no longer holds the meaning that it used to. It's really kind of a unique situation. You spend your whole career yearning so much to qualify, and then to have the whole situation flip-flopped is pretty strange."
His greatest Classic memory is from his 2002 win, when he caught the biggest fish of the tournament right after a pontoon boat had cut him off. "I turned to the camera guy and said it would take an act of God to catch a fish after that," he said. "Then I caught a 6-14 on the next cast."
He still has one major feat left to accomplish during his career – win the Forrest L. Wood Championship. "That's about the only thing I haven't done, and that's where my focus is now. That's one I'd really like to have."
He's still relatively young, so he won't rule out a possible return to the Classic at some point in the future. "At this time I'm not really thinking that way, but things are changing so fast in this business that there's no telling where we'll be 2 or 3 years from now. The industry is so fluid that anything is possible."
No particular Classic memory stands out for Stacey King, but he says he's enjoyed them all.
Stacey King
Age: Turns 57 tomorrow
Classic appearances: 11
Classic wins: 0 (best finish is 8th, 2004)
BASS tournaments: 201
BASS earnings: $695,209
Missouri's King fished his first Classic in 1989 at the James River in Virginia. He finished 28th.
"What a thrill that first one was for a guy who'd been an Ozark hillbilly guide for so many years," he said. "Some of the 'new' has worn off over the years, but it makes me feel good that I've been able to fish the Classic that many times, because I've had to go against the highest caliber of fishermen in the world to do it."
He said that sentimentality won't get the better of him on the water this week. He's always been able to control his emotions and said he'll have no problem staying focused on the fish.
He doesn't even have a favorite memory of Classics past. "It's all been good," he said. "There was never a real high or real low time through the whole thing. I pride myself on never getting too high or too low and always staying on an even keel, but the whole thing has just been a series of exciting Classics."
He said the odds are good that this will be his last Classic, but he hasn't drawn any lines in the sand. "You never know what might happen in the future," he said. "I told (BASS tournament director) Trip Weldon that I didn't want to burn any bridges and if they came up with a format that suited the way I wanted to fish, I'd come back over and fish again.
"Right now, I'm very comfortable with the decision I've made, and I'm just looking forward to fishing hard in this Classic and enjoying it as much as all the others."
Ron Shuffield
Age: 49
Classic appearances: 14
Classic wins: 0 (best finish is 4th, 1994 and 1997)
BASS tournaments: 196
BASS earnings: $1,080,821
Arkansas' Shuffield will say good-bye to BASS this week after 14 Classics and over $1 million in BASS winnings. He's not sad. On the contrary, he's excited for the next chapter in his career – the FLW Series.
"I'm so excited to have the opportunity to go onboard with FLW after I walk off the weigh-in stage here," he said. "I'm just real excited about it. And I'm just tickled to death that (FLW Outdoors chairman) Irwin Jacobs gave us who chose not to support BASS and ESPN a place to compete.
"I'll close the door of my career with BASS and begin a new career with FLW," he added. "The same support I've given BASS for the past 20 years, I'll give to FLW for whatever time I have left to fish competitively."
And his new chapter will start where the old one began. "The thing that's ironic is that I started my career in December 1995 at (Georgia's) Lake Lanier. I'm going to start my new career with FLW 20 years and 3 months later on the same exact lake with FLW."
Notable
> Nixon, Cochran, Yelas, King Shuffield have combined for 35 BASS victories and 245 Top 10s.
> Nixon won BASS AOY in 1980 and 1982. Yelas won it in 2003.
> Another veteran who could be making his final appearance in the event is David Walker (5 Classics fished).
> Shuffield is still wearing Triton/Mercury clothing at the Classic. He's expected to change sponsors after the Classic to better align with FLW Outdoors sponsors, but declined to comment on the current status of his sponsorships.
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