VIDALIA, Louisiana – He corrects you when you slip and call him “Mr. Klein” – “It’s just Gary,” he says – but as he offloads a double armful of Duckett rods from his competition boat for the second Elimination Round of the 2018 Lucas Oil Challenge Cup in Vidalia, Louis./Natchez, Miss., it’s nearly impossible to resist the urge to call MLF founding father Gary Klein “Mister”.

Some of that might be the scholarly looking eyeglasses and sage demeanor that has earned him the nickname “The Professor” in recent years. More likely, though (and especially if you’re a student of tournament bass fishing) it’s the enormity of Klein’s career.

Here are some of Mr. Klein’s career numbers:

Bass-fishing iron man: This MLF event is Klein’s 461^st “tour-level” bass tournament in his 39-year career: he’s fished 13 MLF events, 403 B.A.S.S events, and 45 FLW events

Louisiana history: Klein’s first major bass tournament in the state of Louisiana was more than 37 years ago: Feb. 18-20, 1981, at the B.A.S.S. Louisiana Invitational/West on Toledo Bend Reservoir (he finished 11^th in that event)

Baby Montgomery… not yet: Klein’s Elimination Round competitor Andy Montgomery hadn’t been born when Klein fished that Toledo Bend tournament (Montgomery was born July 9, 1982)

New Hall of Fame member: Klein was recently named part of the inductee Class of 2018 of the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, joining fellow Challenge Cup competitors Kevin VanDam (also Class of 2018) and Denny Brauer (Class of 2002)