When Gary Klein made his way east from California at the tail end of the 1970s to enter BASS competition, he had a distinct advantage over the competition: He was one of the few practitioners of the flipping techniqueMost of his adversaries hadn’t even heard of it.
Fans of professional bass fishing may remember the rookie campaigns of Kevin VanDam and Timmy Horton as transcendent, but Klein’s inaugural season was every bit as stout. He won an event and finished second in the angler of the year race to Roland Martin.
It was Martin’s last AOY title, and Klein later claimed the crown, but that first season still weighs on him. He had led the race all season, only to see Martin claim first place on the last day.
“I ended up one pound, fourteen ounces away. Since 1979 I have logged everything I caught, and I’ve logged missed opportunities. If I get ten bites, I want to touch ten fish. That’s what separates the polished pro from the weekend fisherman.
“I looked at my missed opportunities and had to figure out why they happened. The rod was definitely a part of it.”
Since that time, he’s been noted for his perfectionist tendencies. He’s also maintained many of his sponsors, companies like Quantum, Mercury and Berkley (Trilene) for over two decades.