A Cowboy and a General Walk Into a Bar

Joey Cifuentes has won two Elite Series tournaments during his rookie year on the tour. That in and of itself is remarkable. Think of how many top-flight pros, past AOYs, and even future Hall of Famers have not won two (or even one) tour-level event over the course of their careers. Even if Cifuentes never wins again, no one can take those away from him.

Somehow I have a feeling he’ll win again.

One important part of this story is his relationship with Hall of Famer Larry Nixon. The septuagenarian and definitively non-rookie Nixon has not had quite as good of a first Elite Series season. That’s understandable given his age and the fact that he doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone – and while the accolades Cifuentes is piling up are purely his own, clearly Nixon can take some credit for the success of his friend, confidante and traveling partner. The truly selfless mentor can only dream that the mentee will someday surpass him.

To me that speaks to the importance not only of finding the right mentor, but also the right mentor for you. In fishing, it’s increasingly possible to learn just about everything you need to know technically from YouTube and other resources but the little lessons that glue all of that together generally come from watching and then doing. Think of all of the successful tour-level anglers who are the spawn of other pros – for example, Alton Jones Jr. While I do believe that there is a genetics component to being an excellent angler, I also believe that as a general rule nurture trumps nature, at least in fishing.

I frequently think back to a tour-level event in the mid-2000s when I had breakfast with a group of anglers, all Classic qualifiers, three of the four tour-level winners. They were uniformly unhappy with the circuit, with the other anglers, and with the venue. That kind of toxic negativity is the worst thing to have in a mentor – look at Nixon, who even when things are tough, seems almost preternaturally cheerful and welcoming. Surely that’s why he’s been able to help Cifuentes move his career forward. There is, however, also a toxic form of positivity – someone who unfailingly tells you you’re great, that nothing is bad, and that “if you believe it you can achieve it” is not providing the type of targeted, meaningful encouragement that will move you forward.

When I think back on the occasional successes I’ve had in various aspects of my life, usually there has been someone who gave the initial and possibly the final push toward that mark. While I tend to be a solitary worker, I recognize the fact that I’ve had various great influences along the way, people who have given their advice freely and openly – whether it came to fishing, to writing, or to something else. Bass fishing is a sport that we generally consider a solitary endeavor, but look around the tours and you’ll see that most of the top guys have a long thank you list, and surround themselves with support teams who don’t settle.