The first day of the much-anticipated Bassmaster Elite at Lake Champlain presented by Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels has been canceled because of rough-water conditions.

B.A.S.S. Tournament Director Trip Weldon made the call shortly after returning from a test drive to the edge of Cumberland Bay on Lake Champlain, where the first-round takeoff was to have taken place.

A sustained south wind drove waves as high as 4 feet, he estimated.

In a statement to anglers and others, he said, “Day 1 is canceled due to rough seas running north and south. I took a ride out into the lake, and we made a decision it is not safe to go today.”

While weather forecasts called for moderate winds today, gusts were driving waves dangerously high. Elite angler Hank Cherry lobbied Weldon to cancel fishing for the day. Others who are staying in lakeside accommodations, as Cherry is, supported the decision.

Weldon noted that Elite Series rules call for the full field of 109 anglers to compete on Friday and Saturday, and the final round will include the Top 51 competitors on Sunday.

The Elite at Lake Champlain is the eighth of nine regular-season tournaments in the Elite Series. At stake is $100,000 for the winner and valuable Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points.

Takeoff Friday, weather permitting, will be at the Plattsburgh City Marina at 6:15 a.m. ET.

The event is hosted by the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau and the City of Plattsburgh.