Torre de Moncorvo, Portugal October 19, 2023
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 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 does not cover anybody who goes out on the lake. Another thing 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 bass,” he said. The USA team will have two days to showcase their talents and bring home the Gold Medal.
“We know that our team is really chomping at the bit to compete. First, practice day is cancelled and now the first day of competition. We expect them to bring their competitive best which will mean good things for our program” says USAngling President Tony Forte. We are just thankful that we have such a great group of sponsors that allow us to compete and grow the sport of bass fishing. Especially our title sponsor Visit Hot Springs who will be hosting the 2026 Bass Fishing World Championship on Lake Hamilton and our presenting sponsor iKon Boats.”
For updates on the USA Bass Team’s quest for Gold check the official Portugal event Facebook Page here.
