Fish-on
07-10-2000, 09:34 AM
Just thought you would like to hear this story. At Coralville reservoir yesterday, two of our competitors, Scott Aydelotte and Eldon Olson, found a 19-inch walleye struggling on the surface. This was one of the toughest bites we've ever had in a tournament, and it was an event in which the fish were to be filleted so each angler had to put them on ice, no live wells could be used. They knew for sure that if they weighed that walleye, it would be worth several hundred if not thousands of dollars. What did they do? They brought it to tournament headquarters and turned it in to the director. They were honest enough to bring it in, and they did not want any of the other competitiors to face the temptation.
We take some ridicule once in a while, and we got called a lot of names a couple years ago when we caught a fellow cheating, mostly by people who aren't really familiar with the tournament environment. I just want everybody to know what most tournament anglers are really like. Scott and Elson are not the exception, they are the rule. Most people simply couldn't scoop that fish in a net and stand at the weigh-in and accept a big check while making up a lie about how and where they caught it.
By making the right choice, Scott and Eldon helped us all. This kind of sportsmanship is why the IWTT is considered such a classy organization. I, for one, am very thankful for the high level of sportsmanship we have seen over the years. I expect our anglers to act with integrity and they deliver. The truth is that it's NOT the organizers that determine the atmosphere in a tournament, it's the anglers. It's a fragile thing, but as long as everyone maintains the high level, it continues to grow, and everyone has confidence that they are playing on a level field. Good people like these two guys set the tone for all IWTT events and it spills over into all areas of walleye fishing.
Scott and Eldon weighed no fish along with 39 other teams.
Thanks, guys, my hat's off to ya.
Bernie Barringer, IWTT director
We take some ridicule once in a while, and we got called a lot of names a couple years ago when we caught a fellow cheating, mostly by people who aren't really familiar with the tournament environment. I just want everybody to know what most tournament anglers are really like. Scott and Elson are not the exception, they are the rule. Most people simply couldn't scoop that fish in a net and stand at the weigh-in and accept a big check while making up a lie about how and where they caught it.
By making the right choice, Scott and Eldon helped us all. This kind of sportsmanship is why the IWTT is considered such a classy organization. I, for one, am very thankful for the high level of sportsmanship we have seen over the years. I expect our anglers to act with integrity and they deliver. The truth is that it's NOT the organizers that determine the atmosphere in a tournament, it's the anglers. It's a fragile thing, but as long as everyone maintains the high level, it continues to grow, and everyone has confidence that they are playing on a level field. Good people like these two guys set the tone for all IWTT events and it spills over into all areas of walleye fishing.
Scott and Eldon weighed no fish along with 39 other teams.
Thanks, guys, my hat's off to ya.
Bernie Barringer, IWTT director