Klein A Classic Favorite In More Ways Than One

With 28 Bassmaster Classics on his resumé, Gary Klein is more qualified to talk about bass fishing's premier event than just about anybody other than 32-time participant and four-time champion Rick Clunn. He's seen it from every perspective except one – that of the winner.

Klein's near misses in the Classic over the past three decades – particularly his runner-up finish

to Mike Iaconelli in 2003 – have been well-chronicled, and will be brought into the spotlight again during the next week as the event returns to the Louisiana Delta. The native Californian and longtime Texan will be among the betting and sentimental favorites when the 50-angler field launches from Bayou Segnette State Park a week from today, and it's a role he's entirely comfortable with.

"If there was ever a venue that was set up for me to win the Classic on, this is the one," said the 53-year-old Klein, who competed in his first Classic at age 22 in 1979. "But this is the biggest event in the world and you'd better have your A-plus game when you come to play.

"There are 50 talented anglers here and they all qualified for the Classic for a reason, and that's because they can catch them. It'll be shallow fishing and I don't think catching these fish is going to be that big of a deal – finding the right concentration is going to be the challenge. A lot of variables will come into play and it has the potential to be won in multiple areas that are scattered out for a hundred miles, and there's no way that one angler can fish it all."

Seeks Final-Day Opportunity

All 50 Classic competitors will have the same goal when the tournament gets under way – to be the man who's bombarded by confetti while holding the trophy on a glorious victory lap around the interior of the New Orleans arena on Sunday afternoon. In that respect, Klein truly is no different than anyone else in the field.

But on a venue as vast and as tricky as the Delta, some would-be contenders will encounter situations that will greatly hinder their chances of winning. There are sure to be mechanical issues and navigational errors that take at least one or two anglers out of the title picture.

Instead of focusing on the ultimate prize that's eluded him for so long, the two-time B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year's first objective is to avoid those types of pratfalls.

"A lot of factors come into play on a system like this and you really need to have a flawless event," he said. "What that takes is flawless execution. What would disappoint me would be having some type of malfunction and not being able to weigh in on one day or something like that.

"But missed opportunities are part of the game and I'll have to play the hand that's deal to me next week. In 28 Classics, there have been three times when I had a legitimate shot at winning – when I all but had the Classic won – and each time a little hiccup cost me a victory. What I really want is another legitimate shot to win going into the 3rd day. If that happens, I'll feel like I've accomplished something."

There's No Quit in Him

Klein has failed to make it to day 3 in either of the past two Classics – he finished 32nd last year at Lay Lake and was 34th at the Red River in 2009. Those represent two of the eight times he's ended up 30th or lower in the final standings, but he isn't bothered much by those finishes because he wasn't on the fish to contend for the only position that really matters – 1st.

If he turns in a third straight also-ran showing in New Orleans, he'll be back to try again next year. And for many more years after that.

"I'm probably just as enthusiastic about this Classic – or maybe even more – as I was for my first one back in '79," he said. "The main thing is that I'm a competitor and I consider myself to be in the upper echelon of anglers and I look forward to the challenge of competition.

"I'm still a very stout competitor, but I also know I've still got a tremendous about of learning to do to get better. I enjoy competitive fishing and even if I had $100 million in the bank, I'd still be doing this. My life wouldn't change."

He admitted, though, that if somebody had told him 30 years ago that 2011 would come around and he'd still be seeking his first Classic win, he wouldn't have believed them.

"Whether it's this year or next year or whenever, we're going to stay in the game until we get it right. I can still see myself winning several Classics, but I just didn't think this first one was going to take such a long time."

Notable

> There was a gear limitation for Klein's initial Classic at Lake Texoma, so his rod arsenal consisted of seven flipping sticks. He logged a 4th-place finish, the first of his seven Top 10s in the event. "Hank Parker only brought one flip-stick and he broke it, so he borrowed one of mine," he said. "That was the rod he ended up winning the Classic with."

> Other than getting a few good breaks in some past Classics, there isn't much he'd change about his career. "The bottom line is I'm a happy camper. I've grown up in this sport and it's given me the freedom to be my own person and it's given me the financial stability to raise a family. Of course, all the time on the road is a trade-off for that. It's taught me a lot about the person I am and it's been a fun ride."