Cheatin' Stories?

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

Geeeez, come on spring!



Anyway, I don't if it's appropriate or not but does anyone have any stories concerning cheating in tournaments?



To start off, I fished an open tournament on Lake Anna a number of years ago out of Sturgeon Creek Marina. At the weigh-in (of which I didn't do very well) it was discovered that the winning team had "staked out" their winning Bass the day before. Luckily, a non-fishing civilian saw them retrieve two stringers of Bass from a remote cove and followed them back to the marina. They denied it vociferously but most of the Bass were dead with cloudy eyes and the stringers were still laying in the bottom of their boat. It made me wonder if any of the other teams caught their fish that way and I didn't fish tournaments for a long time after that.

For you old timers, their boat was a Quachita, with 50 hp Johnson and stick steering. Very hot at the time



Bill

 

[Bill McElroy]

I haven't experienced it first hand (or atleast I don't know about it!!)...and I hope I never do!!! Nothin' would piss me off more than knowing I was "ripped off" by someone who deliberatley cheated to win. I'd be pretty naive to think it doesn't happen,...but I also believe it DOESN'T happen very often!!

 

[David Munaretto]

I was in Everstart and a guy was told politely he wasn't welcome anymore - he put 5 bass in a cage in one of his local tournaments, and he ended up winning.... but.... a local fisherman accidentally pulled up the cage and called the DNR - who set up a video surveillance sting. Imagine his surprise after the weighin when DNR turned on the VCR for all to see!



David

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Here in Ohio we DO HAVE certain tournies that I KNOW they cheat. Even proved it but, they still continue to let "RINGERS" fish the tourny or someone is doing something that is questionable. I quit that group and now fish the Southern Boys here in Ohio and have not yet seen anything at all that's even questionable....

Mac I know a feller from back in the day that used to fish tournies at Dale..He told me back then (70's to 80's) most ALL cheated and everyone knew about it. You just had to be a better cheater than them. That was about the same time officials were finding out they were loading the fish with sparkplugs and lead to win! Once the word was out..it was over. Looks like some of the "newbies" have figured out NEW ways...if the accusations are true.

TEE

BTW..Did you know that was the reason the IGFA won't allow the Tenn. Record. Supposedly someone said that the affadavit was altered and the fish was loaded with spark plugs. I think the IGFA did not want to fight it and just dissallowed the record and dropped it. Ahhh..who needs IGFA anyway?

 

[Texas Transplant]

Our club runs a tourney in the spring to raise money for our 'Hooked on Fishing - Not on Drugs' kids tournament. For years, we've had a 'team' that consistenly won, or placed very high. Understanding from other local's is that he sight fishes quite a bit, with a 'snag-em' tool.



When we made it known that we would have a polygraph at our tournament, he was no-where to be found.



Up on Lake Keowee (near Clemson), there have been quite a few 'fish baskets' found on the lake. The lake is 'gin clear', so it makes it pretty difficult to successfully put them out-of-sight.



Tex

 

[Rob LaMoy]

At one tourney I was running by this small reef that is marked by 3 small buoys. Well, I noticed a 4th. It peaked my curiosity so I went over to see what was up. Wasn't a buoy at all. It was a milk jug marking a sunken cage. I pulled it up and there were 5 toads in it. Each was over 4 lbs, AND there was about 1500 emerald shiners LEFT in there. These fish were footballs. I had a pretty good idea who it was, they consistently "won" tourneys from this location. So, I let all the fish go, grabbed a big firetiger spinnerbait and proceeded to catch a half dozen toothy critters to replace his stock for him. I then promptly loaded my boat and left, never to fish that club again.



2 years ago, Bob Gabriel and I found a cage in the tires. There was a tourney going on too. The cage had already been emptied.

 

[Mark Gross]

Question: I was fishing a tournament last year when the pro in the boat hooked a good size bass. He was fishing with a jig and it hooked fairly deep in the fishes throat.He tried to remove it but it did look difficult and he let it say there.I asked if he could do that because of the weight of the jig and he asked "what else am I going to do with it?"

The fist ended up being weighted in jig and all.It didn't help because we still didn't place.Inever did say anything because I was not sure what to do if anything. Iwould have askedat the weight in but that's just me .If if wasn't a gray area and was a matter of caged fish he would have been busted. And I would've made dang sure everybody there newabout it! What would you guys do ??



Mark

 

[fatrap]

A while ago in Texas a set of brothers were caught cheating buy bringing Florida bass, frozen in coolers and weighing them in. I think one of them commited sucide in the jail cell. Shheeesh!

fatrap

 

[Donnie Matney]

I got a question...what if you catch a fish and put it in the livewell and it dies. Later your able to cull..do you cull the dead fish?? Or are you morally responsable for the dead fish??

 

[fatrap]

Depends on how much prize money's being offered at the tournament. Money has a large effect on morals. I wish I could say I'd keep a dead fish rather than cull it if I had a chance on getting a big payday. Never came up in my tournament days but I'm betting the dead one goes over the side quicker than bunny in heat.

fatrap

 

[Bob G.]

We just had the discussion of culling dead fish at our last club meeting. The final rule was that if the fish was moving at all, like a gill or a fin, it could be released. If it is clearly dead, then no culling allowed.



Bob G.

 

[Donnie Matney]

How do they do it at a FLW or BASS toury?? Is the rule you have to keep it??

 

[Texas Transplant]

Interesting question on the culling of dead fish. Hadn't really thought about it, and our club have no culling rules docuemented (I don't believe the Federation rules cover it either.



Tex

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Yeah you're forced to keep according to our club rules too but, I haven't recieved an answer back yet on why I don't think it's fair to be forced to keep a dead fish which you will be penalized for anyway. A dead fish in my opinion SHOULD be able to be culled BOFORE the weigh in. Sometimes it just can't be prevented...but, what kind of ideas do you all have?

TEE

 

[fatrap]

Hey when your working for a paycheck one dead one now and then isn't going make the species extinct. I'm all for catch and release but I don't feel it needs to be followed fanatically. If it doesn't violate any ordinance state or local it's not a big deal. Just descretely slip the stiffy over the side.

I used to know a couple guys who team fished tournaments who almost always brought in a big bag. A lot of times they were dead fish on weigh-in. Some of these tournament almost everyone but them blanked but them. We'd have a championship tournament where the lake was a secret until the evening before and they didn't do very well. Ummmmmh?

fatrap

 

[Donnie Matney]

I think, for clubs. it you should be able to keep that fish (a culled dead fish) and not weigh it in. The team who cought the fish should be able to keep it or give it away to someone who would eat it. Instead of it being possum bait.

 

[Staci Matheis]

Very Good Idea, Donnie!

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

"slide a stiffy over the side" (I do that every morning) BWHAAAAAAA...Sorry, I couldn't resist.



TOXIC

 

[Bill McElroy]

Geez Tox,....that's just WAAAYYYYYY too much info!! You're the regular Larry Flyntt of the NTOWS!!! LOL

 

[fatrap]

Where you buying your little Blue Pills Tox. You need em right?

fatrap

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Naaaaah Mac, I censor myself A LOT!! You mini and Neeley are the only ones that could take my best. One thing my mother (God rest her soul) taught me was if you're gonna tell a joke, make it the raunchiest joke you can. Catches a lot of people off guard!!



Blue Pills? I don't need no stinkeeng blue pills!!LOL



ZZ Top sang about it...."Wakin' Up With Wood"



TOXIC

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

Ok, that does it!



TOX, go to your room



Bill

 

[fatrap]

Tox

Ever heard Rodney Carrington's "Morn'in Wood"?

fatrap





Scroll down toward the bottom of page on the left hand side.
http://www.rodneycarrington.com/previewtracks.htm

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Rodney RULES. Love his song "Dear P#n!$" LOL

 

[Mikel Stephens]

A dead fish in the livewell can mean death for other fish in the livewell. Donate it to the scavengers and catch another.

 

[BJ Laster]

I don't really have any cheating stories but we did have a guy bring in about a 7 pound bass once in a mini boat tournament. It looked like it had been dead for about two days. THey let him weigh it...and he won but I still question that.



A friend of mine was telling me a story about a year ago. He fished a tournament where they were giving away a boat. The guys who won brought in 20+ pounds of fish when second place was 12 pounds. When they did the polygraph test the guys failed. He told them that he had a medical condition that made the polygraph say he was lying. They called a doctor and decided to take him to a hospital to get him checked. On the way there he admitted that he didn't catch the fish legally in the tournament but had them staked out.