By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor
With a Bassmaster Classic championship and three tour-level Angler of the Year titles on his ledger, Jay Yelas' place in the annals of this sport is secure. Unquestionably, he's put together a Hall of Fame career.
Nonetheless, he wants to leave an impact on fishing that goes beyond trophies and plaques. That's why he's about to join the ranks of tour pros who also hold down a full-time job.
Early this summer, the 49-year-old Yelas will take over as executive director of the C.A.S.T. (Catch A Special Thrill) Foundation. It's no figurehead post in which he can let his name do all the work for him; it's a bona fide administrative position that will take up a great deal of his time and come complete with all the complications and frustrations of any executive job.
"I look at it as just a great opportunity to make a difference," said Yelas, who's been on the C.A.S.T. Board of Directors for about a decade. "I'm all about trying to make a positive impact on people's lives, especially children. That's the kind of legacy I want to leave.
"For anybody who's ever been to a (C.A.S.T. for Kids) event, I don't have to explain what a great time it is. Everybody leaves with a smile – the kids, their parents and the volunteers. It's something I'm thrilled to have an active role in and I hope I can help grow the foundation and help bring those smiles to the faces of even more people."
Time for a Change
Since the holidays wrapped up, most pros have been consumed with getting ready for the upcoming season. Yelas is no exception, but he's also put in a lot of hours preparing for the C.A.S.T. role, which he'll take over from the retiring Jim Owens.
Owens founded the organization in 1991. Its primary purpose is staging single-day fishing and boating events for children with a wide range of special needs, but has more recently expanded to also serve members of the military who are transitioning back to civilian life. Last year it staged approximately 50 events across 20 states.
At age 65, Owens decided last fall that it was time to turn the job over to a younger person who could inject the organization with new energy.
Jim Owens founded C.A.S.T. in 1991 and has run it ever since.
"I feel like I've taken it as far as I can," he said. "It's hard to put it into words – up until 6 months ago, I thought I'd continue doing this until I dropped dead. I love everything about the job.
"Some things have happened, though, that told me it was time to step down and enjoy my retirement and get back to fishing. I don't quite have the energy that I used to – when I get tired, I'm tired and I no longer have that extra gear to shift into to get that reserve power to get things done. Then the last piece of the puzzle came 3 months ago when a board member and longtime friend had a heart attack, open-heart surgery and a stroke. He's 60 years old and he'll never recover. He's a type A personality and he was still working like crazy and now he'll never get to enjoy the fruit of all the hard work he put in."
Full Steam Ahead
Yelas, who had one of his worst seasons in 25 years of professional fishing in 2014, said taking on the C.A.S.T. position won't result in any changes to his schedule for 2015 – he'll fish the FLW Tour (and hopefully qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup) and a Rayovac derby here and there. He'll run a boat wrap that's split equally between C.A.S.T. and Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits.
He said that once he learned that Owens was retiring, it didn't take him long to determine that he wanted the position.
"It comes at a great time for me," he said. "My oldest daughter's in college and the younger one's a junior in high school and all my softball and basketball coaching days are pretty much over. With that time opening up, I've got more time to dedicate to the charity."
He plans to be present at as many C.A.S.T. events as possible in different parts of the country this year. He'll do the day-to-day work from his home in Corvallis, Ore.
"Right now most of the (C.A.S.T.) events are in the western states, with about 15 or so in the eastern half of the country," he said. "There's massive potential for growth in the southeast and the northeast. Every state in the country could have several of them and that'd be a win-win for everybody.
"Tournament fishing is something I love and that I plan to continue doing for a long time, but there it's all about what you catch. One of the things I love about C.A.S.T. is it's another way to enjoy this great sport and touch the lives of special children around the country.
"There's a lot of ways to enjoy fishing," he continued, "and this is one I'm thrilled to be involved with."
Notable
> In addition to the executive director, C.A.S.T. has two other full-time employees – a chief operating officer and a national program director. There are also two half-time positions – office and programs coordinator and outreach and development manager.
> Owens likened his retirement to giving away a daughter in marriage. "You trust the other person, but she's still your little girl. She'll always be a part of you and you'll always be there to help if you're needed.
> To visit the C.A.S.T. website, click here.
