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From Outdoorscentral.com Freshwater Fishing
Confidence goes a long way in professional angling. It's not uncommon for an angler to have "a streak of good luck".At this years Classic in pittsburg Jay zeroed on two days, something that just doesn't happen to him very often. Much like many other sports, bass fishing is a sport where success is measured by decision-making. Key decisions made by anglers such as staying on a spot, moving to new water, changing tactics and other strategies lead to streaks of good fortune. It's often said success breeds success therefore when an angler gets "into the groove" or "the zone," good things happen and continue to happen. This year in pittsburg, that just didn't happen for Jay, but through the entire ordeal, he was confident and his usual accomodating self, always remembering his fans and conducting himself in a professional manner. Jay Yelas is a unique bass angler and human being, and "hot streak' or "Zero", he always maintains the same level of enthusiasm and character that make him one of the best anglers on any tour today.
When a pro gets in his zone, good decisions just keep coming. Such was the case at the 2002 Classic held on Lay Lake near Birmingham, Alabama. Yelas was confident from his recent success and took up a do-or-die attitude. He knew that if there was current below Logan Martin Dam (headwaters of Lay Lake), the potential was there for quality bass. Thus, Jay spent his entire practice week scouring the stretch of water directly below the dam. He spent the same amount of time and effort in pittsburg as well, but just wasn't in the zone. However, we might add that having fished that sytem before, if the anglers had been allowed to fish certain areas that were off limits this year, the story may have had a different ending for not only Jay, but several other anglers as well. There are some big smallmouth, and still some big largemouth in the system, but not where they were allowed to fish.
Additionally, he knew from prior experience that jigs catch quality bass. Yelas planned his entire strategy around boating several "kicker fish" throughout the three-day tournament. Although he relied on a crankbait some, it was the jig that caught the majority of his fish and each of his big bass. In fact, Yelas had the honor of weighing the largest bass each day of the tournament in 2002, but not at pittsburg! His bags contained big bass weighing 6.2 pounds (day 1) 6.4 (day 2) and 4.13 (day 3), quite the differet type of weights than any angler found in the three river system of Pittsburg.
Simply put, Jay had confidence and was making the right decisions. Winning the crown jewel of bass fishing wasn't easy for Yelas, though in 2002 either.
Often the heavy current he needed didn't materialize until mid-day. Without the current, the bass on that stretch of river never became active and were basically "un-catchable." Jay was forced to have patience and rely again on his confidence, knowing that once the water began to rush from Logan Martin Dam, it wouldn't be long before the action would heat up for him. The current in the Pittsburg Classic was a major factor this year as well, changing each day.
In short order, this veteran of eleven previous Classics, put together a four-fish stringer that weighed 10.11 pounds, more than enough to cinch his first Bassmasters Classic. He dominated everyday and won with over a six-pound margin.
Strategy and confidence played key parts in Yelas' victory. Equipment was definitely a factor as well. Had Yelas not chosen these lures, would he have tasted such sweet victory? It's doubtful, so lets take a look at the 2002 Bassmasters Classic champion's gear.
Jay Yelas' Tackle
Although most of his bass were caught on the jig (11 fell for it), Yelas also managed to fool three keepers into biting a crankbait. For this technique he chose a Team Daiwa, seven-foot Fiberglass Cranking Rod, also from the Light and Tough series. This particular rod was designed to prevent "pulling a crankbait away" from bass, yet still be sensitive enough to allow anglers to detect the slightest strike.
Paired with the heavy casting rod and cranking rod were a pair of Team Daiwa TDX model baitcast reels. The Texas pro relied on the TDX's power and smooth drag to land a limit of quality bass all but the last day. Spooled on the TDX reels was Berkley Trilene XT line. On the jig rod Jay used twenty-five pound "XT" to enable him to properly set the hook and "winch" in fish from the swift water. Yelas utilized 12-pound "XT" on the crankbait.
Of course, the bread and butter lure was the jig. Originally introduced years ago, the Berkley Jay Yelas Power Jig was taken off the market a few years ago. At Lay Lake, Jay used a new prototype jig similar to the older model with some modifications. The jig was a 5/8-ounce model with a brown, black and pumpkin skirt made of Berkley Power Bait material. He dressed the jig with a Berkley Tournament Strength Power Frog, a chunk type trailer, in green-pumpkin color. The swift waters would not allow Yelas to position his boat near shore, so he was forced to make long casts in order to place his offering to bass laying in the shade of the bank. Jay hopped the jig a bit, and then simply allowed the current to carry it downstream, while he kept the slack out of the line. It wasn't easy to detect strikes, so it was imperative that he had the proper equipment for the task. Yelas likened the technique to drifting baits for trout, a novel approach rarely practiced on the Pro Tour.
Much like in 1996, when George Cochran won the prior Classic at Lay Lake, bucking the trend and doing something unique also won the 2002 Classic. Jay Yelas saw an opportunity and capitalized on it. He prepared, chose the proper tackle, and fished a perfect tournament. What can you say, when it is your time to win as Jay mentioned, "It seems like everything just goes your way." The 2002 Bass Masters Classic belonged to Jay Yelas from start-to-finish. That is a feat that may not be duplicated for some time, at least not at Pittsburg! © Copyright 2004 by skguideservice.com Additional Sites: Big Game Hunting at www.outdoorscentral.com/big_game_hunting.htm
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