Day 1 of the Black Bass World Championship at Lake Sabor in Portugal has been canceled due to powerful thunderstorms that brought heavy rain and wind to the region. The competition featuring anglers from 14 nations has been shortened from three days to two, concluding on Saturday.
"It was a good call," said Scott Martin, the captain of the U.S. squad that also includes Scott Canterbury, Jacob Wheeler, Dustin Connell, David Fritts and Fred Roumbanis. "Tournament days get canceled all the time – that's nothing new – but this (weather event) was above average. The wind was blowing a solid 25 mph.
"The big thing for (Portuguese officials) is that once a certain warning level is issued, their insurance doesn't cover anybody who goes out on the lake. Another one is that a lot of us are in borrowed boats that are of a smaller size and it could get really bad if something breaks or if there's a mechanical failure."
He said the forecast for Friday calls for much calmer conditions, but there will be a big temperature drop with a high that doesn't get out of the 50s.
"It's probably going to change things with the bite and the techniques we'll need to use to catch the fish," he said.
