![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ian-Leybas-dad.jpg?w=690\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nObviously, the Leybas family are a special, resilient group of people. They haven\u2019t let medical concerns slow them down and have continued to live life and love each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ian\u2019s time bass fishing is more than another day on the water, chasing a good tournament finish while trying to climb the ranks as a competitive angler. It\u2019s as much about time to reflect, an opportunity to be thankful, and time to enjoy the quiet focus of pursuit as it is about chasing trophies or status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been fortunate to fish some big-time trails like the NPFL and Bassmaster Opens, but this year is my son\u2019s senior year of high school, and I didn\u2019t want to miss any baseball games or time with him,\u201d Leybas said. \u201cSo, this is a slow year for national tournaments for me, but I still fish somewhere between 20 and 30 events per year. Team tournaments are my favorite.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a sport where ego and self-promotion are commonplace, Leybas\u2019 humility is refreshing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 52-year-old is a Senior Operations Manager for MPLX \/ Marathon Petroleum by trade, but he\u2019s found a lot of success in his fishing career, too. He finished second in the BFL All-American on Lake Hartwell in 2023 and notched another runner-up finish in the BASS Nation event on the familiar waters of Lake Eufaula, OK in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still, Leybas was quick to say fishing with his father in a team tournament or jackpot derby is every bit as important to him as any podium finish in a high-profile event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOut of everything I\u2019ve accomplished on the water, fishing with my dad for 30-plus-years makes me as proud as anything,\u201d Leybas said. \u201cFor us, fishing is as much about time with each other as it is about what we catch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leybas has plans to compete in a national trail again in a year or two when his son heads to college, but right now he\u2019s fully content with BFLs and team tournaments in the Texas-Oklahoma region while spending precious time with those who matter most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of climbing the proverbial ladder, but Leybas keeps his priorities straight and simple: faith, family, fishing\u2026 in that order.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Some fishing stories are bigger than heavy bags of bass or moments on the stage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":1411819,"template":"","meta":{"byline":{"profiles":[{"type":"byline_id","atts":{"term_id":64023,"post_id":65980}}]},"bassmaster_plugin_short_title":"","bassmaster_plugin_photo_attribution":[],"bassmaster_plugin_caption_attribution":[],"bassmaster_article_column":false,"bassmaster_article_columnists":[],"bassmaster_dfp":[],"bassmaster_ad_refresh_interval_bool":false,"bassmaster_ad_refresh_interval_length":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2520],"sponsors":[],"people":[],"tournaments":[],"tournament-series":[1265],"byline":[64023],"class_list":["post-1411818","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-b-a-s-s-nation","tournament-series-nation"],"yoast_head":"\n