Last November when he scouted Folsom Lake, site of the Bass Fishing competition at the ESPN Great Outdoor Games presented by Dodge, Gary Klein never caught a bass any shallower than 48 feet. In fact, the defending and three-time silver medallist tested the water even deeper, catching fish from 60 feet of water using the finesse tactics that are productive in winter and summer on deep, clear western bass fisheries like Folsom.

Klein, a Texas transplant and native Californian who grew up fishing the 11,900-acre fishery, fished deep in tribute to his western bassing roots. A versatile angler and veteran BASS pro, Klein also recognizes that ultra-deep techniques are only part of the overall bass fishing equation that will factor into the July 10-12 competition.

"Folsom is a great 'pattern' lake with a good population of quality fish," he notes. "There should be deep and shallow patterns that will bring out the best fish in the lake. It has a great potential to produce the biggest catches we've seen in the past three years the event has been held."

His reasoning is based on the three species of bass with diverse seasonal habitat ranges inhabiting Folsom. In summertime, largemouth bass congregate on mainlake and river arm points adjoining shallow- and deep-water breaklines. Spotted bass, most plentiful in Folsom and the species caught last winter by Klein, suspend over offshore structure and form tight schools during summertime. Less plentiful is the smallmouth bass, although it's considered by bass anglers as the most prized of the trio for its sporting quality.

Klein believes the tournament will be won on largemouths, and rightfully so. The lake produces double-digit bucketmouths with a couple of heavyweights already caught this spring. Otherwise, filling a limit (seven fish in the qualifying round and five in the finals) of spots should be a snap, thereby freeing up the contestants to go on the hunt for the bigger largemouths.

The only hang-up could be the ski boats and personal watercraft, which take over the lake by mid-morning.

	“	[Folsom] has great potential to produce the biggest catches we've seen in the past three years the [Games have] been held. ”
		— Native Californian and Bass Fishing competitor Gary Klein.

"By 10 O'clock we'll all be ready to come in for the weigh-in," predicts Klein of the recreational fleet of pleasure boaters. "The shallow bite will be affected first because the boat traffic can muddy up the shorelines."

"What it will come down to is the team and angler who can pattern a quality bite," says Klein, who is paired in the qualifier with defending gold medallist Shaw Grigsby. The top five anglers advance to the finals to fish for the gold, silver and bronze medals.

The combined skills of Klein and Grigsby could be tough to beat and could send both into the finals to compete for the gold. Klein has been stuck with the silver all three years the event has been held and there's nothing more that he'd like than a gold medal.

"Shaw and I fish together recreationally and competitively so we know how to leverage each other's talents," says Klein. "But it's the same with the other guys. With the new team format, we'll be teaming up instead of all fishing against each other individually on the first day. That will raise the bar on the competitive aspect of the event, for sure."