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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Bassmaster Elite Series angler Jay Yelas is retiring from tournament competition to concentrate on his work with the C.A.S.T. for Kids Foundation.
“I decided to retire from tournament fishing to focus on running the C.A.S.T. for Kids Foundation,” the 57-year-old said. “So I’ve fished my last tournament.”
Yelas, who won the 2002 Bassmaster Classic and was Angler of the Year the following season, was having a great 2022 Elite season when tendonitis in both elbows forced him out. The ambidextrous pro from Lincoln City, Ore., left mid-event and took a medical hardship despite being in the Top 15 after two days at the Simms Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork.
“That was a bummer for me,” said Yelas, who experienced excruciating shooting pains. “I was doing well at that event … I’ve never had to pull out of one before. My left arm was pretty much useless. I was like a one-armed bandit. I still can’t set the hook with my left arm. It’s getting a lot better than it was in May. I could hardly turn a reel handle at Fork.”
His position at Fork before he left had moved Yelas to 30th in Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year points and on course to qualify for his 17th Classic. But he couldn’t finish his 234th event with B.A.S.S., an organization he was proud to serve.
Bass Pro Tour Press Release
ONAMIA, Minn. – It was a week of back-to-backs at the Bally Bet Stage Seven Presented by Minn Kota. First, it was Jacob Wheeler winning his second-straight AOY title on Tuesday. Today, it was his good friend Dustin Connell winning his second-straight event and his third of the year to round out the 2022 season in dramatic fashion.
The win on Thursday was Connell’s fourth of his Bass Pro Tour career, counting REDCREST in 2021 on Lake Eufaula. Connell caught 20 bass for 82-9, narrowly escaping a surging David Walker by just 4 ounces.
Connell’s Championship Round didn’t start off too hot, however. Through his first two-and-a-half hours of fishing, he was only able to muster three scorable bass for 13-6. Although one of those three was a 6-pounder, Connell knew his first period wasn’t what it needed to be to win.
“I started out this morning really slow,” Connell said. “I felt like I couldn’t find a bass. Then I had 4-foot waves rolling into my boat, so that wasn’t great. Finally, I found my zone and I settled in during the second period.”
Connell exploded in the second period, catching eight bass for 30-15, shooting him right below Michael Neal into second place. That second period was made possible thanks to a waypoint Connell marked during his Knockout Round on Wednesday with time winding down in the day.
ONAMIA, Minn. – Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour Tournament Director Aaron Beshears issued the following statement today regarding the inadvertent Minnesota Department of Natural Resources fishing regulation violations at this week’s event at Mille Lacs Lake:
MLF Bass Pro Tour Rule No. 33 permits an angler to utilize a second line once per period. It was an oversight that this rule directly violated Minnesota DNR fishing regulations, and we did not properly communicate that to the anglers this week. Upon being made aware of the regulation, we immediately informed all Bass Pro Tour anglers in the competition that they were to immediately cease using two lines for the remainder of the event.
We contacted the Minnesota DNR, who clarified the violations, and we’re working closely with them to ensure that we’re in full alignment with state fish and game regulations.
Bass Pro Tour anglers Jacob Wheeler and Alton Jones, Jr., have both received citations from the Minnesota DNR for violation of the two-line regulation. They have accepted responsibility, will pay their fines, and will face no further disciplinary action.
We apologize to the State of Minnesota, the Minnesota DNR, and the anglers and outdoorsmen and women of Minnesota, and we look forward to wrapping up our regular season in what has been a fantastic tournament for us here at Mille Lacs Lake.
Bass Pro Tour Press Release
ONAMIA, Minn. – For the first time in the history of the Bass Pro Tour, there’s a back-to-back Bally Bet Angler of the Year. After clinching his spot Tuesday in the Knockout Round of the Bally Bet Stage Seven Presented by Minn Kota, defending AOY Jacob Wheeler has secured his second-straight AOY title in the final event of the 2022 season, on Mille Lacs Lake.
Wheeler showed up to Minnesota with a big lead in the AOY race, but knew that his job wasn’t finished if he wanted to assure that second-place pursuer Jordan Lee couldn’t catch him.
“I was really a mess the first day here,” Wheeler admitted. “I knew I had to catch ‘em, so I put a lot of pressure on myself. It wasn’t real to me until I hoisted the trophy. That’s when all the emotions really came out for me.”
Wheeler entered Stage Seven this week with a 65-point lead over Lee in the AOY standings. That big lead came after a consistently dominant year in which Wheeler didn’t miss a Top 10 through the first six events – he still has a chance to make it a perfect 7-for-7 if he notches another Top 10 on Mille Lacs.
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| McIntyre and Jacobs claim championship with almost a 5 pound lead over Englezakos and Stevens! (Photo: CSFL) |
Top 10 Standing (2 Day total)
1 MATT MCINTYRE MARC JACOBS 38.36lbs
2 PETER ENGLEZAKOS ADAM STEVENS 33.54lbs
3 COADY GRANT CHAD BEAUDRIE 33.12lbs
4 HENRY WISNIEWSKI CADEN WISNIEWSK! 32.82lbs
5 SCOTT BURNS WAYNE MISSELBROOK 31.92lbs
6 MATT TORLEE LUKE REGELING 31.30lbs
7 MARIO PALERMO DILLON VORICH 31.14lbs
8 STEVE CLARK DAVE NORGROVE 30.68lbs
9 BILL WALKER KAL VAISANEN 30.2lbs
10 PAUL ALESSANDRINI MARK ALESSANDRINI 30.22lbs
Even casual anglers have probably heard about how Spot-Lock™ GPS Anchor can keep you where the fish are, but what if your boat knew to Spot-Lock or Raptor down as soon as you reached your spot? Or could keep you one cast away from that submerged island so you can fish it from every angle without lifting a finger? Turns out, it can.
Some of the best-kept secrets in fishing aren’t really secrets at all – they’re part of the One-Boat Network. Now, we’re going to share four of the most overlooked capabilities between your Minn Kota and Humminbird products.
What you may have heard referred to as the “North-Up” button actually has less to do with cardinal directions and more to do with keeping your boat on the perfect course (or heading).
Advanced AutoPilot is a long-time tool of the pros is available on all i-Pilot and i-Pilot Link Minn Kota Trolling Motors and keeps your boat on an assigned course to take you right over or to the sweet spot.
The schedule includes nine regular-season events in seven states with a healthy mix of familiar fisheries from recent schedules and some that B.A.S.S. hasn’t visited in a while. Along the tournament trail, these talented anglers will battle each other — and big bass — for the prestigious titles of Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year, Falcon Rods Rookie of the Year and Elite Series champion.
B.A.S.S. CEO Chase Anderson lauded the schedule as another great opportunity for the best professional anglers in the world to showcase their talents on diverse and exceptional fisheries.
2023 Bassmaster Elite Series Schedule
Feb. 16-19, Okeechobee, Fla., Lake Okeechobee
Feb. 23-26, Bainbridge, Ga., Lake Seminole
March 24-26, Knoxville, Tenn., Tennessee River
April 20-23, Columbia, S.C., Lake Murray
April 27-30, Clarendon County, S.C., Santee Cooper Lakes
May 11-14, Shelby County, Ala., Lay Lake
June 1-4, Orange, Texas, Sabine River
July 27-30, Macomb County, Mich., Lake St. Clair
Aug. 17-20, Plattsburgh, N.Y., Lake Champlain
Aug. 24-27, Clayton, N.Y., St. Lawrence River
“The 2023 Elite Series schedule allows us to visit multiple regions — including fisheries where we haven’t been in many years — to celebrate fishing fans and our great sport,” Anderson said. “Anglers are tested in a variety of environments, truly battling for the right to call themselves the Angler of the Year or Rookie of the Year.
“And, of course, for approximately 40 of those anglers, the nine Elite Series tournaments are the pathway to fulfill a dream and compete on the biggest stage in sportfishing — the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic.”
The usual February Southern swing will have a slightly different flavor this year. After starting the season the past four years on the St. Johns River, the 2023 slate will open on world-famous Lake Okeechobee in Okeechobee, Fla., Feb. 16-19.
