By David A. Brown
Seven months ago, Alex Klein notched the most significant victory of his career by amassing a winning total of 66.23 pounds on the fishery hosting this week’s DiscountTackle.com Western Bass Shootout.
A win is a win, but Klein’s accomplishment was truly a moral victory. As the Oroville, Calif. pro explained, Delta success had long eluded him, so to finally piece together this tidal fishery’s dynamic puzzle delivered a massive shot of angling confidence.
Now, Klein’s hoping his Delta momentum serves him well in the inaugural Western Bass Shootout.
“When I won that Delta event in September, that was my first pro-am win and a huge accomplishment because I’ve always tried to conquer the Delta,” Klein said. “The Delta’s still a very fickle and stingy place; it never gives it up easy. It’s always a challenge every time we come here.”
That being said, Klein knows how notching a W can affect an angler’s mindset.
“It just gives you confidence that you are doing the right things and you do know how to fish,” he said. “There are many when you come to fish the Delta that, after a day of practice, you’ll leave thinking you don’t know how to fish.
“That’s how stingy the Delta can be, but if you line everything up right and hit it all perfectly, it’s magic and you feel like you’re the greatest fisherman on earth.”
As Klein said, the lingering encouragement of his Delta win motivates him to chase that fortuitous alignment. “You have to be in the right place at the right time to make that magic happen.”
Magic happened once for Klein, so you can bet he’ll be looking for a repeat performance.
