Jay Yelas - Inside Bass Fishing’s Superman
By Steve vonBrandt
Steve vonBrandt and Jay
Yelas
Jay Yelas has many titles; Bass Fishing's Superman, Angler Of The Year,
Bassmaster Classic Champ, but there is no “official” title for what he really
is, and that's a Super human being!
Thirty-seven years ago Texas produced Joel Andrew Yelas, and little did anyone
realize at the time, but the bass fishing world, and the world in general,
would never be the same again.
Jay had always envisioned being at the top of the bass fishing ladder, and
started pursuing his dream at an early age. Jay was always what you call a
consistent angler, placing in most of the tournaments he entered, but never
reaching into the upper echelon of bass anglers. For most of his 14 years on
the Bassmaster Tournament Trail, he did well enough to more than pay the
bills, and garnered plenty of notice from industry sponsors. All in all, it
was a good life. A life he had envisioned since graduating from college.
Jay Yelas, the businessman was satisfied with the success he had achieved, but
Jay Yelas the competitor was not!
Something suddenly happened to him in the year 2002, that turned Jay from a
great bass fisherman and competitor, into one of the sports heaviest hitters
and clutch performers. During this time, he started on a streak, unlike
anything ever seen in professional fishing. In the last year, Jay has
smothered the competition, winning the FLW Tour Angler-of-the-year award, the
Citgo Bassmaster Classic, and most recently, the Busch Angler-of-the-Year
title.
What is even more remarkable is the fact that after undergoing the changes in
lifestyle that winning these titles produced, Jay went on to become the second
Classic winner to ever follow up on a classic victory with the
Angler-of-the-Year crown.
Even though there were terrible demands for his time and attention in every
arena, Jay still hung tough, and managed to cling to a top 10 spot in the
standings throughout the season.
He entered the season finale on the Alabama River in second place, and soon
ended any suspense by securing a nine point lead over his friend Alton Jones,
after the first day of competition.
When asked about his success Jay said “The Angler-of-the-Year race has been a
great experience and a dream come true”. “I've been in the Angler-of-the-Year
race with my two best friends on the tour-Alton Jones and Mark Davis-all year.
We've been neck and neck, and its been a great race. We were praying for Gods
will to happen because all of us give God the glory for any success we have in
fishing. By Gods grace, He chose me to win, and it's a very humbling
experience, because I'm not a better fisherman than those other guys. I've
been on the Tour for 15 years and never won the Angler-of-the-Year title. But
in Gods perfect timing, its just my time.”
Throughout most of the 2002 season Jay was almost apathetic about the
tournaments, basically fishing just to please his sponsors. He was more
surprised than anyone when his laid-back attitude worked well enough to put
him in second place entering the final tournament of the year.
Despite being a long shot behind fishing machine Kevin Van Dam, Yelas pulled
off a shocker and won Angler-of-the-Year. Two months later, he ran away with
the sport’s most important title, Bassmaster Classic Champion!
When 2003 rolled around, Jay was juggling three tournaments a month, a 15-stop
book signing tour, and other public appearances.
Jay admitted that he didn’t even pre-fish some of the tournaments in 2003, and
had a real laid back approach. He just enjoyed himself fishing. When it came
down to the end, he gambled on a tactic, and went for broke.
Now if this isn’t all remarkable enough, it is only the surface of Jay Yelas.
Jay is married to his wife Jill, and they have two young daughters, Hannah and
Bethany. When the girls are out of school, they travel to all the tournaments
together as a family. Jay said “if I had one piece of advice to give to any
Classic Champ that follows me, it would be to keep their family relationship
their top priority.
With all the demands of the book signing tour, his sponsors, the tournaments,
and his family, you would think that there wouldn’t be any time left in the
day for anything else, but you didn’t count on Jay Yelas!
After winning the $100,000 dollar prize for the Classic, Jay decided to use
all the money he won to purchase 20,000 of the books so he could give them
away! He even passed up the Peacock bass fishing trip to Venezuela that went
to the top Classic finishers to work on the books and give them away. But
that’s not all Jay Yelas does! He has also been able to share time with a
special 13 year old boy who lives near Lake Okeechobee. “The boy lives with
his aunt and uncle because his father is in prison and his mother doesn’t want
him, said Jay in a very somber voice. “He absolutely loves to fish, but no one
will take him, and all he’s looking for is some direction in his life.”
“I took him fishing during a practice day for a tournament on Okeechobee, and
it gave me as much personal satisfaction as anything I have ever done in my
career. We had a wonderful time together, and I look forward to a chance to
fish with him again.”
Jay also corresponds through email with several other young anglers he takes
an interest in, such as James Alves, Jr., a member of our Proboards web site.
I met Jay this year while working with Delaware Valley Outdoors radio and
television at the Ft. Washington Expo in Pennsylvania, and spent some time
talking with him about working with young anglers and our own satisfaction
working with “Dreamcatchers”, a non profit organization that helps make
hunting and fishing dreams come true for the disabled and terminally ill. We
are looking forward to taking out someone this coming year to fish for bass
here in the Northeast.
After Jay finished his seminar at the show, he came down to do an interview
with us at our booth for the weekly radio show we do. Jay was a real
gentleman, and a pleasure to be around, and we hope to talk to him again this
coming year as our paths cross on the tournament trails. Jay may be Bass
Fishing’s Superman, but he is also the worlds Super Human Being!
I would like to thank Jay again personally for talking with me, and taking the
time to come over and do the interview for the radio show. I want to wish Jay
all our best this coming year on the tour, and in all aspects of his life for
all the years to come. Thanks Jay!
Steve vonBrandt/Delaware Valley Outdoors
