(Editor's note: This is the first installment of a two-part series focusing on 29-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier Gary Klein, who's the principal architect of the competition format that'll be used in Major League Fishing. Part 1 examines his sub-par showing on the 2011 Elite Series and what he plans to do differently in 2012. Part 2, to be published Monday, will be devoted to his vision for MLF and the thinking behind some of the concepts that've been revealed about it thus far.)
When was the last time Gary Klein had a season in which he finished in the lower half of the field in more than 75% of the events and failed to log a placement higher than 23rd? About never would be a pretty good guess.
The most recent Bassmaster Elite Series campaign was an unusual one for Klein, and not just because his slot on the final points list (59th) was far lower than he's accustomed to. His attention was divided between catching fish and laying out the ground rules for Major League Fishing – the new venture being undertaken by 24 top anglers, in partnership with the Outdoor Channel, as a quest to bring more TV viewers to the sport.
Due to his vast experience and impeccable reputation for honesty and fairness, he was entrusted by his fellow pros with designing the format that will launch MLF at this fall's inaugural event at Lake Amistad. Determined to make good on the faith that was placed in him, he devoted many hours to that endeavor over an 18-month span, with the most intensive work coming during the past calendar year.
Did all that time and energy spent on a new endeavor have a negative effect on his fishing this season? It's hard to fathom that it wouldn't, but the two-time B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year (AOY) refuses to point a finger in that direction.
Few Good Breaks
The 2012 Bassmaster Classic at the Red River in Louisiana will mark just the second time that Klein has sat out the sport's premier event over the past 28 years. His career-long pursuit of that crown has been well-chronicled, particularly recently as his number of appearances has exceeded the ages of some of the anglers he competes against. Fulfillment will have to wait until at least 2013.
His 2011 campaign got off to a decent start as he made the 50-cut at both Florida events (the Sunshine State has been tough on him at times over the years) and posted his season-best finish at the St. Johns River. But he made just one more paycheck the rest of the way, and that was for a 49th at the Arkansas River.
His other five placements ranged from 53rd to 70th.
"It is what it is and life goes on," he said. "I'm not going to make any excuses for my poor showing. Fishing was still fishing and I don't think I allowed anything to distract me. That's a non-issue there.
"I was totally involved with MLF – anytime you're representing the group of anglers that we have, there's a lot of commitment and I was representing them to the best of my abilities. A lot of time went into it, without a doubt, but I don't think I ever left a tournament blaming my involvement with MLF. I never felt that way during the course of the year."
With his missed cuts all falling into such a narrow range and no true bombs on his ledger, he said it was a year that would've turned out much better had a few minor breaks gone his way.
"A lot of times I was really close and it could've gone very well for me, but those little things happen. That's the nature of the sport and it's one of the reasons I thrive on it. Obviously I'm my own biggest critic and I'm constantly trying to analyze everything and think it all through. What it comes down to is I have to go through another learning curve."
Got to Lay Claim
Klein said that in a couple of the events in which he fared poorly, he'd actually been on the fish to compete. But due to better boat-draw numbers, other competitors were able to beat him to them on day 1. And because of the old-school code of ethics he was brought up under and has always abided by, he refused to horn his way in on anything that someone else had gotten to first.
Klein managed just one finish among the Top 25 on the Bassmaster Elite Series this year and will sit out the Classic for the first time since 2001.
There will be no encroachment rules in the MLF, but as a made-for-TV product, that's an entirely different concept to his way of thinking. For regular tournaments, the code sill applies, but he says he'll probably have to loosen his own interpretation of it at least slightly to get back to his customary place among the points leaders.
"The field of anglers we compete against today are way better than they were years ago," he said. "They have better equipment, but most importantly, they have better knowledge. One of the hardest things to get your arms around is the idea that you can never have enough fish and you can never find enough fish to get to the point where you can relax.
"Anymore, the guys who prevail are the ones who run-and-gun and cover a tremendous amount of water, much more than we ever used to. And with the knowledge of the lakes now, there aren't a lot of secrets left."
More movement means more competitors fishing the same stuff, and greater knowledge and equipment (particularly electronics) leads to fewer anglers spending their time in dead water. What it boils down to is that it's a lot harder to avoid fishing around other boats and still be fishing areas capable of surrendering quality bags.
The younger generation of pros seems to have grasped that concept much more readily than the so-called old guard.
"Guys like me and (Rick) Clunn were brought up in an era where if I knew Clunn was in contention, I wouldn't even go to that section of the lake. But in any sport the rules of ethics – the ones that aren't in the rulebook – are constantly being rewritten by the competitors themselves. There's a lot of stuff that goes on behind the scenes that most people are totally unaware of.
"I'm not saying that's a negative, but I am saying it's one of the issues I struggle with. I'm not the type yet to wiggle my way in on people, but it's almost getting to the point where I'll have to become that. You'd better be willing to get right in there and catch everything you can.
"Without a doubt, I've got to play the game at their level," he concluded, "and I can play it as good as they can, if not better. I'll still be me and I'll have my own ethics in fishing – that's part of my personality and I'm proud of that. There are certain lines I'll never cross, but you have to evolve to stay at this level and you've got to learn to dish it out as well as take it.
"Some of the old-school stuff just doesn't work anymore."
Notable
> For some background on MLF, click here.
– End of part 1 (of 2) –
