DEL RIO, Texas — The Bassmaster Elite Series pros were all dressed up Thursday morning and ended up having no place to go.
About 20 to 25 of the 109 pros had their boats in the water at Lake Amistad's Diablo East Marina when BASS tournament director Trip Weldon announced that Day One of the Battle on the Border presented by Mahindra Tractors would shift to Friday.
"We waited until the 7 a.m. update from the National Weather Service," Weldon said. "It calls for the winds to shift from the west to the northwest at 15 to 25 (miles per hour), increasing to 25 to 35, with higher gusts."
That decision, announced under clear skies and 15 mile-per-hour winds at 7:30 Thursday morning, left many of the anglers questioning the reasoning behind it. But they weren't aware of all the details Weldon had about how Thursday's weather was predicted to change.
"Based on what the experts say, the day has been cancelled," Weldon said.
Thirty-five miles-per-hour winds on Lake Amistad's 67,000 acres would create unsafe boating conditions for anyone, no matter how experienced.
The Battle on the Border now becomes a three-day tournament: Angler/co-angler pairings will remain the same for Friday. Co-anglers will have two days to fish. There won't be the usual 50 cut after two days. The co-angler champion will be decided at Saturday's weigh-in, which will also determine the top 12 cut for Sunday's final on the pro side.
.