With well over $1 million dollars in tournament winnings, a CITGO Bassmaster Classic crown, CITGO Bassmaster Angler of the Year title, FLW Angler of the Year award and an acclaimed autobiography to his credit, there’s little that Jay Yelas hasn’t accomplished in the world of professional bass fishing.
And he’s just 39 years old!
The Greatest Angler Debate presented by John Deere started with a list of 35 top anglers from the world of competitive bass fishing. That list was pared down to the sport’s 10 best in January. Fan voting began in January and ended in March. The process ranked the pros third through tenth. The top two candidates will face-off in a second round of voting that begins June 15.
Two weeks ago, the countdown began with angler number 10, Mark Davis. Last week profiled the ninth ranked angler, Gary Klein. This week it’s Jay Yelas’ turn at number eight. He’ll be profiled on Saturday, April 23, at 9:00 a.m. ET on ESPN2.
Jay Yelas hit the BASS Tournament Trail in 1989 as a 24-year-old living in Phoenix, Ariz. He finished an impressive 12th in that event on Lake Mead. The next year, his first full season as a touring pro, he enjoyed two top-10 finishes and qualified for his first Bassmaster Classic. He’s qualified every year since.
In 1990, Yelas moved to Texas to be closer to most of the stops on the tournament trail, but his western fishing style continued to serve him well.
“Looking back, I have to say the move to Texas was a must to accomplish what I have as a pro bass fisherman,” Yelas explained. “It was the right decision. All the big tournaments in the country are in the eastern half of the nation, and you just can't fish them properly living west of the Rockies.”
In 2002, Yelas put together one of the greatest years in professional bass fishing history, winning the Bassmaster Classic and the FLW Tour Angler of the Year award. He followed it up with another stellar year in 2003, claiming the Bassmaster Angler of the Year award.
Following his Classic victory, Yelas published his autobiography, Jay Yelas: A Champion’s Journey of Faith, Family, and Fishing. It revealed him as a person of great faith and determination.
Though he has a tremendous reputation as a spinnerbait and jig angler, it’s his great versatility that has kept Yelas on top of the fishing world. Whether he’s pitching and flipping heavy jigs in thick cover or finessing a four-inch worm in deep water, he’s comfortable – and successful – with the techniques.
In all, Yelas has fished 14 Bassmaster Classics and is already qualified for the 2005 Classic in Pittsburgh, July 29-31. His 15 straight appearances tie him with Michigan pro and fellow Greatest Angler Debate semifinalist Kevin VanDam for the longest current streak.
Yelas’ biggest bass was an 11 pound, 11 ounce lunker that came from Lake Tohopekaliga, Fla. His biggest one-day tournament catch came during the historic BASS Florida Top 150 on the same lake when Dean Rojas weighed in a five-bass limit that strained the scales to the 45-pound, two-ounce mark. A day later, Yelas’ five best bass weighed 36 pounds, nine pounces – still the third biggest stringer ever caught in BASS tournament history.
In addition to his tremendous accomplishments on the BASS and FLW tours, Yelas won the Red Man Tournament of Champions in 1988 and earned the WON (Western Outdoor News) Bass Angler of the Year title in 1989.
He was characteristically humble when informed that he made the cut to the top 10 in the Greatest Angler Debate.
"These guys were all my heroes in high school, and it is just a tremendous honor to be mentioned in the same breath,” Yelas said. “I’m not going to win this thing. It’s just a thrill to be in the top 10.”
Though Yelas didn’t win the Greatest Angler Debate – finishing eighth – he certainly has many years of peak productivity ahead of him. Who knows, if the same debate is held 20 years from now, he just might take the top spot.
On Saturday, April 23, at 9:00 a.m. ET on ESPN2, BASS Saturday will profile Jay Yelas. Fans will find stats and stories on the Greatest Angler Debate in the pages of Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times, Bassmaster.com and on the weekly ESPN Outdoors radio show. On June 15, the debate heats up again as the fans choose between the top two anglers during a second round of voting on Bassmaster.com.
The debate will conclude in Pittsburgh — at the 2005 Classic — when two champions are crowned. One will be given the Classic trophy and the other – or perhaps even the same angler! – will be hailed as the greatest angler of all time.
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