ESCANABA, Mich. — The weather forecast for this area of Lake Michigan called for southerly winds to gradually build to 20-miles-per-hour as Friday progressed. So BASS tournament director Trip Weldon initially made the call for a shortened day, with a 1:30 p.m. check-in time instead of 3:45 p.m. on Day 2 of the Bassmaster Elite Series Toyota Angler of the Year Championship.
But Weldon reconsidered early Friday morning, and Day 2 was postponed until Saturday, which was originally scheduled to be a day off the water for the 50 Elite Series pros that qualified for this season-ending event.
"The forecasts kept changing," Weldon said. "I was up at 4:15 this morning. It had been updated. Out in the middle of Big Bay de Noc, it was already blowing at 12 (miles per hour). And it's just going to ramp up all day.
"We've got to keep these guys safe. It's always a crapshoot up here. These guys practiced in similar conditions a couple of days this week. So it's not like they're not used to it. But at the end of the day, we've got to be safe."
Weldon's call to cancel Friday came after the anglers had their boats in the water and were preparing for the 7:30 a.m. launch. By the time the sun came up and the pros were putting their boats back on the trailers, it was evident that Weldon had made the right call.
"Everybody, like me, wants to fish every day," said Todd Faircloth, who moved into second place in the AOY standings Thursday and now trails leader Greg Hackney by 10 points. "But I think Trip made a good call today.
"I'm behind in the points, and I need to fish every day, but safety is first. And this isn't a body of water that you mess around with. It can get really bad out there. I'm glad he reconsidered the decision he made earlier this morning. That took some guts.
"I don't think any of us out here want Trip's job. He's got a very tough job, and he's got some very tough decisions to make. I have a lot of respect for him, and I think he made a good call today."
When the cancellation was announced, it was still dark. Some of the anglers, who had prepared for a shortened day, were disappointed in the change of plans. But shortly after sunrise, when the south winds had flags flapping furiously and whitecaps were building in Little Bay de Noc, there were few complaints to be heard.
"Hackney is smiling," Mark Davis said of the AOY leader. "I'm rooming right next to Todd (Faircloth), and Todd did not want to go out today, even though he's got the most to gain of anyone.
"This is the worst water we've ever fished (because of the wind). It's worse than Lake Erie. The waves are real close together, and when the wind gets up, it's just undoable.
"Everyone is good with (the cancellation)."