New Stuff
Yelas Back At Design Table

Photo: BassFan Jay Yelas has been working heavily on a new signature rod series for Abu Garcia.

Yelas has always been heavily involved in tackle research and design, whether it be rods, reels, lines or baits. For the latter two (lines and baits), he's worked closely with Berkley through the years. But until early last year, his rod and reel R&D had been with a Japanese manufacturer.

Now, though, Yelas is onboard with Fenwick and Abu Garcia for rods and reels. It's no surprise, then, that fans will soon be able to purchase rods in a brand new Jay Yelas signature series. What is a surprise, though, is he developed the rods for Abu Garcia (traditionally a reel company), not Fenwick (traditionally a rod company).

Technique Focus

The new line of signature-series rods, Yelas said, will continue the industry trend toward technique-specific applications. They're in development now and won't debut until May or June of this year, at the earliest.

"I think we're going to end up with about 10 different blanks," he said. "We'll have a couple of swimbait rods, plus some for flipping, spinnerbaiting, cranking, jigging – everything really. And we'll have a couple of spinning rods. So the line will have everything an average angler would ever need to go bass fishing.

"The rods will be at a mid-level price," he added. "They won't be $300, like some brands out there. They'll be less than $200."

Why did Abu Garcia specifically tap Yelas to design its new line of rods? Well, he's a 22-year pro who's fished all over the country. He's also a pro who doesn't shy from new techniques, whether it's light-line, swimbaits, or you name it. "With that kind of experience, they thought I'd be a good guy to talk to about designing a new rod series," he said.

Additional Notes

According to Yelas, the exact specifications of the rods will have to remain under wraps for now. But he could divulge a little bit of additional info.