Elite Angler Yelas Takes Medical Hardship
Category: article
May 25th, 2022 by Keith Worrall
Modified May 25th, 2022 at 9:13 PM
May 25, 2022
Elite Angler Yelas Takes Medical Hardship
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — After dealing with severe tendinitis in both of his arms for the majority of the year, Bassmaster Elite Series angler Jay Yelas has decided to take a medical hardship and will miss the remainder of the season.
The pain began during the second event of the year at the Harris Chain of Lakes when Yelas made an awkward hook set that caused extreme pain in his right arm. Over time, that same pain began to take over his left arm from relying heavily on it to carry the weight that his right arm could no longer take.
The former Bassmaster Classic champion dealt with the pain and battled through it until Semifinal Saturday of the Simms Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork. Despite the fact that Yelas was sitting in 13th place heading into Day 3, the pain had become so unbearable that he had to sit out the remainder of the event.
After a sports medicine doctor examined Yelas, he came to the conclusion that the best thing to do is take the medical hardship and let the condition heal rather than further irritate the injury.
“It’s really been a bummer,” said Yelas. “I’ve been having one of my better seasons that I’ve had in a while. After Friday’s weigh-in, I was sitting around 30th in Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year points.
“I went and saw a sports medicine doctor on Monday morning, and she suggested that I just need to cool it. It’s really common sense — if something is harming your body, you need to stop doing that thing.”
While the Oregon pro looked into short-term solutions, it was deemed that the risk for further injury was much greater if he didn’t get things worked out now, as opposed to after the season.
As it stands now, Yelas plans on resting and rehabbing his arms in hopes of being back to full health in four to six months.
“It’s just a matter of stretching, strengthening and rehabbing it with physical therapy to get it back to where it needs to be,” he said. “I’ve been really fortunate to never have an injury like this over the course of my 35 years fishing professionally.”
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B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 515,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series presented by Mossy Oak Fishing, TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Series, Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Abu Garcia Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Team Championship, Yamaha Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak Series powered by TourneyX, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.