Tournament cheating?

[I Walleye]

Originally Posted by HARSH

One tournament won't make your reputation, but one tournament can ruin it..

Great words Pete! That's about as true as it gets.

[walleye-bum]

I have seen two different tournys here in michigan that caught people cheating. Both of these were tournys put on by local towns and anyone could enter.

I think cheating in club tournys or well know circut tournys is alot less common. Most guys competing in these kind of evens are not doing it for the cash but rather the love of tourny fishing.

[Chode2235]

Originally Posted by Gregking

I am sure there is. Any time there is money involved cheating goes along with it. Pretty sad

Amen to this. I fished my first somewhat competitive league on the St. Croix last year, and the shenanigans got to be too much for me and my buddy.

It's a bit different of a format where it is catch/photo and you turn in your SD card and your measuring board at the end of the night.

The bad thing about this format is that the guy running the league serves as judge and jury. After a few pretty questionable calls, and some pretty flagrant favoritism towards himself and his close buddies enough was enough. Rounding up on their fish, down on other peoples, accusing people of 'taking pictures of the same fish.' Surprise, surprise he and his partner 'won' again, but like 1/2 and inch...

Its a shame, as we were looking for a good excuse to get out fishing during the week and meet a few other guys who like to do the same thing. The cheating by the guy running the league really made the entire experience enraging.

I'm even getting fired up again... gotta

[salmonslayer11b]

I never thought people would go that low hearing some of these posts... If I ever saw it and I was registered in the tourny, I would put a beat down on em!I wouldnt even care if it disqualified me, Id do it for the equality of the tourney!

[codeblue]

I have been a local tournament where a team was DQ'ed. I knew one of them and was absolutely surprised that they would do what they did. It looked like it was just a really bad decision/judgment they made in the heat of competition. I guess the possibility for a few thousand is too much of a temptation for some.

It really drags your name through the mud when people do this...a man and his word carries a lot of weight for me.


On a side note---this story still makes me laugh when I think about the leaking jacket...

http://blogs.courierpostonline.com/f...ught-released/

He won a Dodge. Isn't that punishment enough?

[Morton]

The rules are the rules ... sad that some do cheat.
On the other hand ... how do you feel about having others pre fish for you and supplying you locations and patternes? How about giving other competetors locations or fish you have found because you know you won't need them for that tourney ... etc.

It is a tangled web sometimes ... one of the reasons I don't fish tourneys anymore... for lots of years.

Morton

[Mike7759]

Originally Posted by Morton

The rules are the rules ... sad that some do cheat.
On the other hand ... how do you feel about having others pre fish for you and supplying you locations and patternes? How about giving other competetors locations or fish you have found because you know you won't need them for that tourney ... etc.

It is a tangled web sometimes ... one of the reasons I don't fish tourneys anymore... for lots of years.

Morton

That's hardly cheating. It's research. The sharing of information is not cheating or even unethical in any sport or game.

[Danny W]

It happens a lot bass tourney's down south were I live quite a bit. The amateurs that live on the lakes have fish cages and will hold a few. It's been rumored to happen on crappie tourney's too and these are the ones I usually fish. Crappie tourney's may not make you much money but the competition is friendly and the atmosphere is much more laid back. I don't go fishing to stress myself out. I want to relax have fun and rib my buddies win or lose. In the end what you reap will come from what you sow and cheaters will eventually pay one way or another. (We don't have many walleye tourney's.)

[walleye-bum]

Originally Posted by Morton

The rules are the rules ... sad that some do cheat.
On the other hand ... how do you feel about having others pre fish for you and supplying you locations and patternes? How about giving other competetors locations or fish you have found because you know you won't need them for that tourney ... etc.

It is a tangled web sometimes ... one of the reasons I don't fish tourneys anymore... for lots of years.

Morton

I don't think there is anything wrong with sharing information to friends. I think one of the most important parts of tourny fishing is building a network. I have seen both teams working together in practice to try and narrow water down and teams that only want to work solo because they don't want anyone finding there spots.

I will say tems that network are usually alot more consistent throughout a year.