In today’s Friday Finale historical photo, we revisit a local story on the Atchafalaya Basin in Louisiana that was published back in early 1979. While much of the story dealt with the Waterways Committee of the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce’s visit, which was tackling the issue of waterfowl hunting, steel shot, and other related concerns facing the Basin, the opening section of the story highlighted the national attention brought to the Basin by the Bassmaster Champs event held there the previous year. An excerpt of just that portion of the story follows to go along with our historical photo of Larry Nixon, as taken by one of their reporters at that event.
“For many of the nation’s top 20 bass anglers competing in April’s B.A.S.S. Champs Tournament, the Pro Bowl of the professional bass angling circuit, the Atchafalaya Basin was a fishing hole often heard of but never fished.
“Although the bass anglers did not retrieve large numbers of fish, due to the annual high water in the Basin during the spring they were, however, quite taken by the scenic beauty and splendor of the Atchafalaya Basin.
“The winner of the Champs Tourney was Larry Nixon of Hemphill, Texas. Nixon beat out the 1977 Champs winner Rick Clunn for $5,000 and a bass boat for his four day’s angling.
“‘I believe that this great swamp called the Atchafalaya Basin is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever fished,’ explained Nixon following his crowning as the 1978 Champs victor. ‘Maybe we didn’t catch a lot of fish this week, but I plan on coming back in a couple of weeks when the water goes down some and try my luck again.’
“‘Some of the places I visited in the Basin while fishing this tourney were unbelievably beautiful, and I know when the water is at the right level someone is going to catch some really big bass back here.’ concluded Nixon.
In a related story published before the event in 1978 in the Rayne Acadian-Tribune, the early environmental message championed by Ray Scott was put on display. Quoting from that story;
“After folks see the results of the tournament, there’ll be lot of interest by bass fishermen in the future of Atchafalaya Basin,” predicted Scott, who is head of the country’s largest fishing organization, a 270,000 member society headquartered in Montgomery, Ala.
The “future” of the vast basin-swamp is the reason the country’s top BASS tournament stars will compete for the first time on the Atchafalaya, according to Scott.
“Will the Atchafalaya stay wet and wild, or will it be dredged and drained is a question that concerns environmentalists and sportsmen,” said Scott. “Many other conservation organizations have carried the fight to perpetuate the Basin’s historic functions of flood control, fish and wildlife and recreation. Hopefully, bass anglers can lend their support – at a critical time – in the struggle to get Congress to authorize the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to pursue a multi-purpose flood control and management plan for the Basin.” explained the BASS organization president.
