Chris Lucas had been pulling his hair out this week, eyes glued to the weather reports on television, facing the bugaboo of all fishing tournament directors: the possibility of having to postpone a year-end championship because of unsafe weather conditions.

The first of two championships for the Anglers Choice Invitational Team Trail HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED to be fished Saturday and Sunday, Nov 7-8 on Kerr Reservoir. Having consolidated the Virginia and North Carolina divisions of the Anglers Choice Trail, the series scheduled the Ranger Classic on Kerr and the Triton Classic on High Rock Lake Oct. 17-18.

But this weekend Lucas was facing an extremely muddled weather picture. A recent tropical depression moving up the East Coast has dumped tons of rain on the Carolinas and Virginia, creating dangerous flooding is some areas. To compound the situation, Hurricane Joaquin is poised to hit the North Carolina coast by early next week if it stays on its current track – and more rain and high winds could come in well ahead of the main storm.

“That could bring in a ton of rain and high winds this weekend,” Lucas said. High winds associated with major storms this time of year are another factor that could pose real danger to the anglers, Lucas said.

“There are about 12 different paths the storm could take and it could stay out in the ocean,” he said. “It could come in and bring 5 to 8 inches of rain and that would not have bothered us much, but the threat of high winds did bother us,” he said.

The Governor of Virginia, having declared a state of emergency DUE TO SEVERE WEATHER AND THE THREAT OF HURRICANE JOAQUIN, made the decision for Lucas and has forced him to reschedule the tournament for Nov 7-8, 2015 on Kerr.

Lucas said more than 100 boats had already pre-registered and he hopes to have 130 to 140 boats fish the Classic at Kerr in November.

David Wright and Jeff Coble repeated as points champions, he said. The 2015 points championship team will have their entry fee paid for the B.A.S.S. Toyota Team Championship. Lucas said Anglers Choice will send 12 teams to the Toyota Championship.

“We had one team finish second in the Toyota Team Championship this past year and one angler, Brandon Gray, won the individual title and went on to fish in the Bassmaster Classic on Lake Hartwell. We are hoping to repeat that success this year,” he said.

 

Anglers Choice Invitational Team Trail Classic

Nov 7-8, 2015

Kerr / Buggs Island Lake

Occoneechee State Park Ramp #1

Call Chris Lucas 276-358-0844

www.anglerschoicemarine.com