Josh Bertrand won’t be fishing on Day 3 of the Toyota Angler of the Year Championship. The 29-year-old Arizona pro determined it was time to head home for the birth of his second child.
Bertrand sits in second place in AOY, 47 points behind his close friend Justin Lucas. If he fished on Sunday he couldn’t fall lower than second, and it would take a miracle to top Lucas’ strong lead.
“The odds are much better of the baby arriving early than they are for me moving up in AOY,” said Bertrand on Saturday. “The doctor told us the chances of him coming early are pretty good.”
Friday after I got off the water I talked to my wife [Chantel], my sponsors, B.A.S.S. and Justin,” he said. “They were all very understanding. I just felt like the baby could happen any minute.”
Bertrand struggled in the first two days of competition on Lake Chatuge, weighing in 15-13 for 43rd place. Lucas, on the other hand, opened up a big lead with 27-2, good for 5th place currently in the three-day tournament. When the AOY Championship began Bertrand trailed Lucas by just 9 points.
Bertrand wanted to talk to Lucas before he made the decision. “I didn’t want him to think I was a poor sport because I was down in the tournament,” he said. “But he was 100 percent supportive, and said they’d probably do the same thing if they were in our situation.
“I’m really thankful Bassmaster LIVE had me on for two days. That was tons of exposure for me and my sponsors.”
Ultimately though, Bertrand leaves with just one regret. “The biggest bummer is I won’t be able to shake his hand when he wins AOY.”