Tournament cheating

[uk2thdoc]

The other tough thing is it seems very difficult to actually catch somebody cheating or prove what happens, especially in a situation of fish swapping. I've been in a few tourneys recently where several of the participants thougth another boat was swapping fish or cheating to get their weights. Problem is that unless you have solid proof, you never know and it would be a shame if the guys had legitimately caught their fish only to be accused of being cheater because they were good enough those days to dust the rest of us.

So how does one go about catching a cheater??? Thats the real question here in my mind.

Doc

[Devils Horse]

It's almost impossible to prove tournament cheating. Even if you video someone taking fish out a basket or taking fish from someone else, you'd still have to prove that the fish at the weigh in were those actual fish. You'd almost have to be in the boat with them start to finish to legally prove cheating.

Well let's say you cut someone's fish open at the weigh in, and a pound of split shot fell out. That would prove it right? Not necessarily. Even then it seems to me you'd have to prove the person weighing the fish was the person who stuffed the shot down it.

Common sense tells you cheating is going on in both cases, but proving it beyond doubt is another thing.

[gettingonefishin]

Exactly Jim thats why i didnt say nothing when i caught someone.

Dennis

[MASBASS]

I never would fish T's until this year. I got lucky had a good partner and won the first T I ever fished. I would not cheat for any amount of money. I have seen sign, or what I felt were signs of cheating before. I found a fish basket in Barton's Run once, no fish in it, but it was there can not say for sure maybe for something else.
I have until a month ago never told this one to anyone, not even my closest friends or my fishing partner (sorry Ranger492). I was waiting to see if it happened again or someone said something. I found two bass, 4-5 lbs tied up in Dogcreek last year the night before a big T, will not name which one. The fish were tied up funny, not in a basket. The fish had been tied to, root or limb of a tree about 2-3 inches out of the water. The fish had a small hole punched thru the top portion of the gill plate about 1/2" in from the edge. There was a fairly large latch pin (diaper pin type) inserted thru the hole. That was attached to a very large swivel attached to a nylon twine, like trot line, about 6 to 7 feet long. The fish could not have been on there long the area around the hole was not bloody like a fish gets when placed on a stringer. It may not get bloody thru the gill plate like it would thru the lower jaw, I do not know. I know this the could use thier gills and swim about freely to the length of the cord. I assume that they were placed there for the T if they were HAHAH got you, if not I am sorry I turned your fish loose. I still have the pins and swivels somewhere the fish swam quietly away.

[mhall]

I never would fish T's until this year. I got lucky had a good partner and won the first T I ever fished. I would not cheat for any amount of money. I have seen sign, or what I felt were signs of cheating before. I found a fish basket in Barton's Run once, no fish in it, but it was there can not say for sure maybe for something else.
I have until a month ago never told this one to anyone, not even my closest friends or my fishing partner (sorry Ranger492). I was waiting to see if it happened again or someone said something. I found two bass, 4-5 lbs tied up in Dogcreek last year the night before a big T, will not name which one. The fish were tied up funny, not in a basket. The fish had been tied to, root or limb of a tree about 2-3 inches out of the water. The fish had a small hole punched thru the top portion of the gill plate about 1/2" in from the edge. There was a fairly large latch pin (diaper pin type) inserted thru the hole. That was attached to a very large swivel attached to a nylon twine, like trot line, about 6 to 7 feet long. The fish could not have been on there long the area around the hole was not bloody like a fish gets when placed on a stringer. It may not get bloody thru the gill plate like it would thru the lower jaw, I do not know. I know this the could use thier gills and swim about freely to the length of the cord. I assume that they were placed there for the T if they were HAHAH got you, if not I am sorry I turned your fish loose. I still have the pins and swivels somewhere the fish swam quietly away.

Mark without a doubt those were cheaters. I have heard of what you spoke of exactly the same way before. This is how the so called good ones do it. Good for you on letting them go, I would have done the same thing. To me a cheater is the exact same thing as a thief and I think unless you are stealing food to keep your starving family alive, ONLY EXCEPTION, you should be shot, run over by a truck and then shot again. Buriel should be a trip to the landfill where you are run through a large trim limb grinder and spread over the landfill.

[offdtop]

I have been tourney fishin for 17+ yrs, I too have had suspicions of guys cheating, I have fished 10 boat club tournies and 500 boat tournaments regionals, classics etc. 2 yrs ago my suspicions came to reality when I witnessed cheating by a team whom I was waxing in points in another club (one that did polygraph - unannounced/randomly) yet they were tearing me up in another club that didn't polygraph and was leading points and won 3 of 5 events and placed in the money in the other 2.

Well I witnessed the fish transfer from one guy not in the tourney to the guys in my club, well I quietly waited till this guest boat left and I eased up around the corner with trolling motor on high and went for 'em "we need to talk" I said, they clammered and spoke with broken voices and I told them I had seen the whole thing and they may as well throw them back 'cause they weren't weighing them in because I would protest. I was MAD fellas, furious and was ready to fight and they knew it.

What can be done? Well, talk to a polygraph tech in your area, they're around everywhere if you look, talk to the tournament director let him know of the polygraph guy/girls name and number let them make an announcement that everyone is subject to polygraph. How to pay for it is up to discussion charge someone or take from the winnings, from the club funds - be inventive. In closing, help promote your club to be upstanding and honest group of fish catching machines not cheaters taking your hard earned dollar, because sometimes small clubs just don't think about it or have people willing to help set it up.

Mike