Don Doty finished second in the first U.S. Open and qualified for the Bassmaster Classic from the back seat. U.S. Open winner Gary Klein used techniques he learned in California to qualify for 29 Bassmaster Classic events and two Angler of the Year titles.
Harvey Naslund referred to him) also logged three appearances in the Bassmasters Classic. There was another key player in those early days, Gary Klein, who hailed from the rough and tumble town of Oroville. Start- ing at 16 years of age, he challenged the western circuits from Shasta to Havasu throughout the 1970s. Later admitting his father was not pleased with the choice of a fishing career, Gary, a competitive soul, re- vealed he didn’t care for team sports. Thus, true to his individual nature, he learned from the legendary Thomas and by the time he hit the B.A.S.S. trail in 1979, he nearly earned Angler of the Year honors, finishing second in his very first season away from home. “In the beginning,” said Gary, “the greatest asset I carried with me in 1979 was the flippin’ taught to me by Dee Thomas. Without that technique, I wouldn’t have had the confidence to make it on the cir- cuit.” Assimilated in the West, the technique was critical in breaking into the national spotlight, and as Klein stated, “It was a huge ace in the hole.” Of course, he continued to expand his craft, twice earning B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year honors, and making an incredible 29 Bassmasters Classic appearances. While these three NorCal pros were getting the attention of the nation, the 1970s were not devoid of other talented and successful fishermen. In addition to the great fisheries upstate, the clear Colorado River lakes as well as fertile Roosevelt Lake in central Arizona hosted the best regional talent month after month. Mike Folkestad was one of those early giants in the game who continues to com- pete at age 70. Although originally from the Los Angeles area, as a youth traveling with his father, he fished throughout Southern California, ending up at San Vicente Lake in San Diego in the mid 1950s. Later, he related, “When I got my own car I went myself,” and learning of the exploits of cer- tain big bass fishermen, he said, “I wanted to be like (Lunker) Bill Murphy. When I caught an 8-pounder at El Capitan, it changed my whole confidence level.” After joining the famed Pisces Bass Club in San Diego, whose members at one time included Dave Nollar, Jack VanGrouw, Bobby Sandberg, Okie Vaughn and Jim Kast, as well as Murphy and his regular partner Jim Patten,
Folkestad faced serious competition. And it paid off. He said it was during this period he “learned how to fish structure.” His career includes a B.A.S.S. national win in Florida, a pair of Bassmasters Clas- sic appearances, and three U.S. Open titles. And yet did it ever seem that a bass fishing career was imminent? Folkestad’s response: “Back then I didn’t know where it would all go. I just grew as the sport grew, going to the next level. I’ve been pretty lucky.” What the current generation doesn’t see is just how tough it was to win during that era. While local waters always have their local stars, the organizational landscape was un- cluttered. The WBFA (Western Bass Fish- ing Association) dominated for years, so the top anglers traveled. Anglers such as Marlin Coulombe, Nish Yamamoto and Tony Costanzo were all formidable and going head to head with the likes of those afore- mentioned from Southern California, plus the likes of five-time winner Larry Hopper or iconic lure designer Bobby Garland, about whom volumes could be written. In 1978, a year after competing in his first tournament, Rich Tauber of Woodland Hills earned his first Angler of the Year title, but it almost didn’t happen, except for the prodding of the iconic Don Iovino—the “Doodle King.” As the story goes, these two members of the San Fernando Bass- masters had decided to fish the 1977 WBFA event on Lake Havasu, but Tauber got cold feet and tried to stay in his room when Iovino drove up to the house. Ac- cording to Tauber, Iovino told him, “Get your stuff together, we’re going.” Then, added Tauber, “I finished 24th.” A few years later, of course, Tauber cap- tured the second ever U.S. Open on Lake Mead and ultimately landed a pair of Bass- master Classic berths. As he reflected on the era and examined his own career at the time, he said plainly, “I had no idea it would ever get to this point, but, I was going to make a living from fishing.” When Phoenix boat dealer and pro an- gler Fred Ward came on the scene, he not only started winning (five times on the Western Bass front) he helped found the competing SWAB in Arizona. Suddenly the competitive ranks were swelled by a cadre from the Cactus State, many of which “grad- uated” from the Arizona Bass Club that Ward founded in 1972.
8 SILVER EAGLES _ July 2011