By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor
He had to wait a year and a half to make it official, but Jay Yelas is now a member of the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame.
"It's just a tremendous honor because it's something that takes decades to earn," said the 56-year-old whose résumé includes three tour-level Angler of the Year titles and a Bassmaster Classic victory, all earned within the first decade of this millennium. "It's great to be recognized by the entire industry for a body of work spanning more than 30 years.
"It's definitely something I can hang my hat on and I'd probably say that it's the highlight of my career. A lot of guys win titles and don't ever get into the Hall of Fame. People you meet who aren't into bass fishing don't know the importance of winning a Classic or an AOY, but when they find out you've made the Hall of Fame, that kind of transcends the sport. I've had people tell me that I'm the first person they've ever known who was in the Hall of Fame in any sport."
Yelas was inducted Thursday night in a ceremony at Johnny Morris' Wonders of Wildlife Museum & Aquarium in Springfield, Mo. He was part of the 2020 class that also included media stalwart Steve Bowman and three posthumous inductees – legendary angling icon Ron Lindner, lure designer James Heddon and Bryan Kerchal (the only B.A.S.S. Nation qualifier to win the Bassmaster Classic). Last year's ceremony had to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 2021 class, also inducted Thursday night, consists of longtime B.A.S.S. tournament director Trip Weldon, B.A.S.S. conservation director Gene Gilliland and the late writer Jason Lucas.
A Native of the Islands
Here's a tidbit that even diehard BassFans likely don't know: Yelas is the second BFHOF member who was born in Hawaii, joining Gary Yamamoto. He lived in Honolulu until age 12 before his family relocated to Santa Barbara, where his passion for bass fishing had its genesis. He then went on to earn a degree from Oregon State University before launching his pro fishing career in the late 1980s.
Yelas (center) poses with some of the other inductees from the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame classes of 2020 and 2021.
He was a resident of Tyler, Texas when he achieved his top tournament-fishing accolades. He moved back to Corvallis, Ore. about a decade ago.
He now splits his efforts between competing on the Bassmaster Elite Series and running the non-profit C.A.S.T. for Kids Foundation, which hosts fishing events around the country for special-needs children.
He finished 74th on this year's Elite Series points list. His campaign got off to a dismal start with no better than a 76th-place finish in any of the first four events. He was much better in the season's second half, placing among the top half of the field four times in the last five outings.
He has no plans to retire from competition anytime soon.
"I plan to keep going," he said. "I still enjoy fishing tournaments even though I obviously haven't been as competitive lately as I used to be, but that goes with the territory after having been in it for so long. I don't mind that.
"It's not all about winning tournaments – there are a lot of other things in play. I enjoy the mentoring role and being kind of a keeper of the culture of bass fishing, and me being out there helps the Foundation. I still have some good tournaments from time to time and I'm only 56, so I've got a few years left in me."
Family Gathering
Yelas was anticipating a fun time on Thursday night with wife Jill, daughters Hanna and Bethany, his mother and step-father and quite a few friends in attendance for his big event. He wasn't informed in advance how much time his acceptance speech was expected to consume.
"I haven't been told how much time I have and I'll have to wing it if it's too long," he said. "I don't expect that it's going to have to be very long because there's a lot going on (with the two classes combined) in a fairly brief amount of time.
"I'll highlight the support of my family and give God the glory for it all – He's the one who allowed me to get established and have a long and prosperous career. I'll talk about this wonderful sport, what it was like when I started and how far it's come during my 33 years.
"I think it's just really neat that our sport was able to put a Hall of Fame together."
