I can remember when a DQ in pro bass fishing was a big deal. Back then, just mentioning that someone had been protested, let alone disqualified, placed a black cloud over that competitor’s head. Visions of back-room deals and fish baskets laden with lunkers filled imaginations around the weigh-in.

Nowadays it seems there’s a DQ every couple of weeks. Such is sure to be the case with the big bucks flying around and every pro fisherman’s dreams often hanging by the ounces. Unfortunately, the fame and fortune of one competitor often hinges on the misfortune of another, as harmless as any infraction may seem. Welcome to the big leagues.

Last week, we had such a case in point with the disqualification of rising young star Brandon Palaniuk at the Bassmaster Elite event on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wis. At the time, Palaniuk was blowing the tournament away, leading by 6 pounds after the second day. Then the wheels fell off: his day-2 catch was disqualified due to a culling infraction, sending Palaniuk back to the never reaches of the tournament leaderboard. Big stick grinder Tommy Biffle went on to win.

When I first learned of Palaniuk’s problem, which would most likely cost him a shot at the Classic and six figures of income, I assumed it was something to do with too many bass in the livewell – a rule infraction we see on occasion. However, further investigation enlightened me that Palaniuk had culled in a no-cull area, in this case Minnesota, rather than in the cull-friendly zones of Wisconsin.

You’ve got to be kidding me! I looked up “stupid” in the dictionary, and I think I read something about this very scenario.

By this, I’m not referring to Palaniuk. It would have been easy for this to happen to anyone, with the perplexing borderlines on the upper Mississippi. I’ve spent some time there: it’s as confusing as anywhere. The stupid lies in the law.

Here’s a river that, at times, is just a few hundred yards wide, and offers culling on one bank and a no-cull rule on the other. How in the world can fisheries managers possibly justify this as a means to protect the fishery? We’ve seen time and time again that research indicates no major impact on a fishery when culling is allowed in tournaments. Any laws conflicting that are outdated and scientifically unjustifiable.

That being said, Minnesota can handle its fisheries any way it chooses. The state offers some of the best fishing in the country for a multitude of species, so it’s their business if they want to be hard-headed.

The general consensus, then, is that B.A.S.S. is to blame for bringing events here in the first place. Pros were quoted as saying that such hoops were impossible to jump through and keep the event fair. It was unheard of in bass fishing.

Oh, touché, I say. Such no-cull laws were the case in several EverStart and All-American events over a decade ago, when competitors fished under no-cull rules in all waters of the upper Mississippi, including those in Wisconsin. In 2011, Wisconsin overturned its no-cull law, however. State reps were quoted as saying, “Wisconsin is now open for business and welcomes larger tournaments to our state."

Well, they got the business of B.A.S.S. The problem was, Minnesota apparently wasn’t playing.

So the general public will blame B.A.S.S. Why have a tournament on such a location at all? Why bring the big tents, the big crowds and all the revenue to such a locale if they are unable to have a reasonable playing field? Aren’t there a lot of other places to fish?

Yes, there are. But that doesn’t help the bass club guys in Minnesota; those who made the long drives to the weigh-in, or fueled up their boats just to follow the pros around. It’s those guys who suffer, left behind by the state’s archaic rules, sulking with their heads hung low, wishing they weren’t such a minority.

Brandon Palaniuk will undoubtedly recover from his ordeal. It’s pretty obvious that this kid’s the real deal, both as a competitor and a promoter. More Classics are on his horizon, I’m sure.

But when will Minnesota recover? I find it hard to believe that many tournament organizations will be knocking on the state's door with dollars in their hands anytime soon."

(Joe Balog is the often outspoken owner of Millennium Promotions, Inc., an agency operating in the fishing and hunting industries. A former Bassmaster Open and EverStart Championship winner, he's best known for his big-water innovations and hardcore fishing style. He's a popular seminar speaker, product designer and author, and is considered one of the most influential smallmouth fishermen of modern times.)