A bass fishing club from Martinsville, Indiana held an unregistered fishing contest at West Boggs Lake on Saturday, September 06, 2008. The club, Backyard Bassmasters, held their event on the same days as a legally registered event, which assisted Park Rangers in tracking down at least four of the participants of the Backyard Bassmasters event as they pulled off the water at the ramp. Readers interested in knowing more about the club can find information on their website, which can itself be found in a simple Google search. The website even advertised the West Boggs event, listing the names of members that entered the event.

The club will be given and opportunity to resolve the situation by paying a fee for the required permit, at double the normal rate as per orders of the local Park Board, or face a series of other consequences, including a charge of theft against the organizer and the participants, and/or referral to the Department’s collection legal council for collection as a civil action.

Readers here are encouraged to help spread the word that a ramped up effort for addressing enforcement tournament regulations is in effect at West Boggs, and to avoid being caught up in a problematic legal situation, anglers should make sure they are only entering legal and registered tournaments.