(Editor's note: The following is the latest installment in a series of fishing tips presented by The Bass University. Check back each Friday for a new tip.)
Gary Klein was the first “straight out of high school” bass pro, and indeed he’s never made a living any other way than casting for cash. After nearly 40 years going at it full-time, he’s seen many other careers come and go, and he believes that too many talented anglers miss the opportunity to become great.
On paper, it shouldn’t be that hard. There are three main species of bass, four main types of water (manmade impoundments, natural lakes, rivers with current and tidal rivers) and the fish have basic biological needs. Yet he believes that “we can make fishing way too hard.” After fishing in not only the U.S., but also Brazil, Argentina and Japan, he’s concluded that “they’re still the same fish.”
The biggest hurdle for most aspiring pros – and even some established ones – is mental. The sport sets up that way, because even the most talented and experienced anglers will never figure it all out. The key is to avoid the obvious traps, like what he refers to as “secret lure syndrome” in which you’re convinced that it’s a particular color/size/model of lure that makes all of the difference rather than the angler and the pattern. In truth, when you catch a fish, there are often multiple other options that would have caught that same fish.
Klein’s career has been exceptional – and it’s still ongoing – but he cautioned other anglers not to fall into the trap of mimicking his or any other successful pro’s blueprint. The key is to develop your own style that works for you, keep an open mind, and build confidence. He offered up Kevin VanDam as an example of a top competitor whose style would not work for him because he’s “100 miles per hour on the trolling motor. I can’t cast that fast.”
He believes that building up the requisite confidence to become a great angler often involves discarding conventional wisdom. For example, he knows that a Carolina rig is an incredibly effective technique for many anglers, and is often a way to win events, but it’s one of his weaknesses, so he tends to avoid it. He’ll use it on occasion, but it’s not one of his go-to techniques, and there are usually other ways to catch those same fish. He’s made peace with that reality, and while he continues to work daily to develop and refine his skill set, he’s comfortable that knowing his weaknesses is a part of relying on his strengths.
Another way in which he’s unconventional is that he doesn’t always cast to a shallow hump or ledge and drag the lure back out to deeper water. In fact, he guesstimated that 80 percent of the time, he goes in the other direction. “I love to fish uphill,” he said, and he believes that love stems from his days as a kid fishing off of the bank. Indeed, every moment on the water is catalogued and used as a means of attaining greatness.
If you want to learn some of Klein’s additional recommendations on how to become a great bass angler, along with some anecdotes from his storied career, check out his full video, available only by subscribing to The Bass University TV.
