It is not supposed to happen this way.
After a pro wins the coveted Bassmaster Classic, he is supposed to coast through the following season. After all, his return ticket to the Classic is automatic, and taking full financial advantage of that championship doesn't allow much time for concentrating on tournaments.
Because of the incredible demands on their time, most reigning Classic champions suffer terrible times on the water for the next 12 months.
Then there's Jay Yelas.
The Texas pro just continues his roll from last season when he pocketed the Classic. And after four Bassmaster Tour events, he finds himself, remarkably, in second place behind leader Jim Bitter in the BASS Angler of the Year race.
"I'm pleasantly surprised," Yelas said via cell phone from the Cleveland airport. "It's one of the better starts I've ever had in my career. I've been leading Angler of the Year a couple of times through the years, but this is one of the best starts I've ever had. I've never been more distracted or less focused on tournaments than I am this year. But everything has been working out.
"This year, I'm not doing any preparation. My tackle is in total disarray. I haven't organized my tackle since the Classic last August. I'm just running around doing all of these promotions and then showing up for the tournaments. And I've been doing pretty well.
"Things have just clicked for some reason. I didn't expect to do this well. It's been fun so far."
Truth be told, the personable angler is astonished at his success so far this season. After starting 2003 with a 60th-place showing at the Harris Chain, Yelas finished 33rd at Lake Okeechobee. That was followed by a 16th-place performance. And he placed third in the recent Toledo Bend tournament.
"I'm focusing on my strengths because I don't have a lot of time," he explained. "I've just got three days practice with no prefishing. So I go out and try to find fish that I like to catch. In three of the first four tournaments I've caught my fish on a (prototype Berkley) spinnerbait, which is one of my favorite lures. There's been a good spinnerbait bite, which has helped me out a little bit.
"I'm learning about myself as I go. I never quit learning about myself as a competitor - what makes me click. And that's good. I think you should always be trying to refine yourself. I think every athlete's peak performance comes as a result of different mindsets. You talk to a coach, and he'll tell you that he needs to push different buttons on each guy on his team to make him at his peak performance. And I'm learning through the years that maybe my best performance is when I just show up and I'm kind of relaxed and loose, and not pressing too hard. And I just go out there and try to fish in the moment. Just try to get on some fish."
With six Tour events remaining, Yelas is on track to become just the second Classic winner to ever win the Angler of the Year title the following season.
"I know David Fritts is the only one who has ever done it," he said. "So I would say the odds are probably pretty long against me.
"I can't guarantee that everything is going to continue this way for me because the next two tournaments I will be flying in at midnight the night before practice starts. And that's no way to go about this. You're not supposed to be at your best when you're doing stuff like that."
The Hawaii-born pro insists that he isn't even thinking about the Busch BASS Angler of the Year competition.
"We've only had four tournaments and we're not even through the halfway point," he said. "To me, it's really too early to worry about Angler of the Year. After the first six tournaments, then I think a guy needs to bear down on it if he has a shot.
"If I'm in a similar position after the next two tournaments, I would think I'd have a good chance going to California. Those are lakes that I have fished before. I probably know more about them than Jim Bitter does or the other guys from the Southeast. I've fished Clear Lake four or five times in tournaments. I fished one tournament on the Delta. They are places that I'm familiar with even though it's been 15 years since I fished them."
GOUGH'S WEEK
The week of the recent Tour event on Toledo Bend Reservoir is one that Mike Gough hopes he never experiences again.
The Florida pro, who has already qualified for the Classic with a high finish in the Bassmaster Opens, endured a dismal week on the water. He finished 179th with just three bass weighing 3 pounds, 4 ounces. But that was understandable when you consider the traumatic news he received from back home in Gainesville.
On Friday night, Gough received a call that his All Star Auto Body shop had caught on fire. His shop received substantial damage when a car being stored there ignited. "I don't make excuses," Gough said, "but it was sure hard to concentrate on fishing not knowing what was going on at home."
HASTING'S RECOVERY
Young Maryland pro Aaron Hastings experienced "one of the most devastating things" of his life in January when his truck and boat were stolen while staying at a friend's home between Florida Tour events. His boat was never recovered; the truck was wrecked and trashed.
Worst of all, Hastings kept every lure and piece of tackle he owned in his boat and vehicle. He figures the loss of tackle alone amounted to more than $45,000. Despite documentation, his insurance company only reimbursed him $2,500.
Amidst this ordeal, Hastings has somehow managed to fish the next three Tour events - thanks to the generosity of others. Ranger provided him with a loaner boat and fellow fishermen have offered him gear. He even picked up a new sponsor when Kinami Baits stepped forward to help him.
"People have just been great wanting to help me," he said. "That's been the one bright spot in this whole thing."
Hastings made a discovery a few days ago that has him a little apprehensive about his chances of doing well at the Lake Eufaula Tour event this week. He made the finals there last year by targeting offshore ridges with isolated cover. Those hard-to-find, obscure spots were recorded in his GPS unit, as well as a loose-leaf notebook. "I just realized that my notebook was in the truck when it got stolen," he lamented. "I had been thinking that it was here at the house."
DID YOU KNOW?
Lake Eufaula, site of this week's Tour event, once surrendered 138 pounds, 6 ounces of bass to North Carolina pro Blake Honeycutt.
PRO BIRTHDAYS
Legendary pro Roland Martin might be 63 on March 13, but he certainly hasn't slowed down any. Todd Auten of South Carolina turns 37 the next day. Florida's Chuck Economou will celebrate his 47th birthday on March 28, while both Curt Lytle (34) of Virginia and Texan Darren Wolf share Chuck's birthday.
IF I HADN'T BECOME A BASS PRO...
Utah's Ron Colby would still be working as a computer systems engineer. He was laid off from that job last year soon after returning from the Classic. (He qualified through the Federation.)
THEY SAID IT
"Tournament fishermen have pushed the envelope to reach niches of fishing territory that hadn't been fished before. We're going to find more and more ways to catch fish under tougher conditions. When I started fishing, I didn't know you could catch a bass when the water was below 50 degrees. That was virtually impossible. Now we're finding there's ways to catch them on down into the 40s, even 30-degree temperatures. I never thought that was going to be possible 10 or 15 years ago. But, lo and behold, we've figured out ways to do it." Former Classic champion Ken Cook on the advancements made by BASS pros over the past 35 years.