By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor
One triple-digit finish is hard enough to overcome with a six-tournament schedule. Two such results is usually a death knell for any FLW Tour angler's hopes of making the Forrest Wood Cup. Just ask Jay Yelas.
Wait, that Jay Yelas?
For all he has accomplished in his long and storied career, Yelas says "Father Time" finally caught up to him this season as he saw his incredible streak of championship tournament qualifications come to an end with an 87th-place finish in FLW Tour Angler of the Year points, by far his lowest finish since switching over from B.A.S.S. in 2006.
Placements in the 140s at both Lake Okeechobee and Pickwick Lake brought an end to his 23-year run of qualifying for either the Bassmaster Classic (1991-2006) or Forrest Wood Cup (2006-13). It's worth noting that Kevin VanDam's run of 24 straight Classic berths, which came to an end this season, also began in '91.
"This was the worst season I've ever had in my career," Yelas said while traveling to Alabama to prepare for the Rayovac Series Championship at Wheeler Lake, which starts today. "In the big scheme of things, though, I'd made 23 straight championships and that's got to end some time. It's just the cycle of a career. I've had so many good years and I'm so thankful for those. It's hard to be too down about a down year.
"I'm not going to make any excuses. I didn't perform well and I'm looking forward to starting a new streak next year."
Big Picture Thinker
Aside from the two bombs, though, 2014 was a typically consistent year for Yelas. He cashed checks in the other four FLW Tour events, took 22nd at the U.S. Open and finished 5th in the Rayovac Series' Texas Division AOY standings. This week, he'll be gunning for one of 10 available berths in next year's Cup.
"It's just another tournament to me," he said, referencing the Rayovac Series title tilt. "After you fish all the Classics and Cups I have, you don't get too excited about a minor-league championship. It's a chance to qualify for the cup and that's the biggest thing for me. You can have one good tournament and qualify for the Cup. That's my goal."
Once this week's event is over, he'll gladly close the book on 2014 and start preparing for next year. He's trying to do so in the right frame of mind.
"I've been so blessed with such a long career," he said. "I've seen it all over the years. I've had good days and bad days on the water and good hours and bad hours on the water that make a big difference in how your tournament days go. You just have to keep going.
"When I look at the big picture, I was due (for this). Nobody in the history of the sport has made them all. Old Father Time catches up with you by the time you hit 50. Bass fishing is like other sports, you can still win and do well, but there comes a time when things start to slow down a little."
While acknowledging the law of averages was bound to catch up to him, Yelas was quick to add that he feels great physically and still has the drive and desire to compete and that, "I'm not concerned about my game at all."
"I'm still having a blast and enjoying the competition," he added. "It's the greatest sport going and I've had a great career, but I know my best days are probably behind me. I just hope to stay out here as long as guys like Jimmy Houston have been able to."
Two Stinkers
Yelas entered this season feeling as confident as he ever has for an opener in Florida. As frequently as the FLW Tour has fished at Lake Okeechobee in the past, he said he couldn't remember having as strong of a practice as he did this February.
"Things happen all the time in a tournament that are adverse and you have to adjust to them," he said. "I had my best practice ever down there. I'd found an area that was loaded, but on the off day, the state of Florida sprayed the area to kill the hyacinth. I'd never seen or had that happen before. I should've been able to adjust and go to back-up water, but I didn’t."
The rest of the season was just a struggle. He didn't weigh in a 14-pound stringer until the final event of the year at Kentucky Lake.
At the penultimate tournament at Pickwick, the start of practice fell on the same weekend as his daughter's high school graduation in Oregon. He got a late start on his on-the-water prep and it resulted in a 148th-place finish.
"It's hard to compete with that little practice, especially against guys who had full pre-practice periods and then 3 more days," he said. "I was on good fish there, but I couldn't figure out how to trigger the big ones. That one and Okeechobee were two real bombs. The key in the points is to avoid those true bombs and I've been able to do that mostly. A 90th versus a 148th is a dream come true as far as points go."
As he's always tried to do, though, Yelas is looking ahead with a positive outlook to next season's opener.
"Hope springs eternal," he said, "and I'll be ready to go at Toho."
