The tournament fishing world came to a screeching halt this week with the release of news covering a cheating scandal on the Lake Erie Walleye Trail (LEWT). This will be one of very few times you’ll find me discussing fishing news outside of the bass world. Unquestionably, the story affects us all.
I can’t help but notice that this report has received more national attention than anything in fishing for quite some time, maybe ever. The story came across my desk at all angles; national newspapers, online news sources, even NPR covered the action. Sure is sad.
In case you missed it, the accused cheaters allegedly stuffed weights in their catch, resulting in an overwhelmingly heavy catch on the final day of a big event. Cheaters often being morons, it was noticeable to all the other competitors that 5-pound fish suddenly weighed 7, thus throwing curiosity to the tournament director and a belly check.
We should pause and mention that nothing has been proven at this time. But, unless Lake Erie walleyes are now feeding on half-pound egg sinkers, the case looks pretty cut-and-dried.
Many of us saw the initial video, showing the tournament director spouting off at the charlatans once the sinkers were discovered. I hate to say it, but much of the controversy surrounding this event, and the news attention that followed, was the result of unprofessional actions. The director was dealt a bad hand, for sure. But his decision to play it, rather than handle things more discretely, threw gas on the fire.
Of note: everything is being recorded, always. Well, except Bigfoot sightings. Other than that, anything noteworthy in our society seems to make its way into an iPhone, where it is later shared with the world. Something to remember when you’re involved in a newsworthy scenario.
So why should we care? As competitive bass anglers, we’re the cream of the crop, right? Biggest prizes, strongest viewership and the most professional organizations handling the details. I mean, I don’t see a profanity-laden brawl coming anytime soon on stage at the Classic.
But bass fishing, remember, hasn’t been without its share of cheating scandals. We see minor versions all the time. Anglers turning themselves in for practice violations or no-information rules. Occasionally we’ll see somebody booted for fishing an off-limits area. But most of the major controversies seem to stay out of the news. That’s by design, and we should all be thankful for it.
You know, it wasn’t long ago that a BFL standout was taking the world by storm, then suddenly disappeared off the map. There was evidence of cheating in a B.A.S.S. Open years ago, too, with a winner’s tethered fish being discovered by another competitor.
Recently in Utah, tournament winners were caught checking fish proven to be from another body of water.
The world record smallmouth bass has been the center of controversy since I’ve been alive, in and out of the books based on an account of weights being stuffed inside. Same with the big U.S. Open tournament out West, where a top competitor was once caught stuffing fish.
And big bass rodeos have been rampant with cheating at times. Three men admitted to such in the 1980s, carting bass from Florida to Texas. A few served prison sentences.
We’re all involved when something like this happens. The controversy tarnishes the entire fishing industry, removing validity from our sport. I’m already tired of people asking me about it. My gosh, the text messages! I can’t help but think of the truly newsworthy stories in pro fishing, now overshadowed by something so juvenile.
Sure, we cycled the messages when they first appeared. The Photoshopped “Port Clinton Walleye Fish Taco” picture, complete with lead-sinker topping. But it’s time to put this behind us.
Do like I do. Ignore it. When friends and those who don’t fish approach you, grinning ear to ear like they’re in on the secret, change the subject. This event doesn’t deserve our attention. The overwhelming growth of young people in bass fishing, and the colleges behind the teams. That deserves our attention. The industry groups, and tournament organizations, doing more to care for the resource and offer lake cleanups. Those are news stories. The loss of Aaron Martens, one of the greatest, too early. Wheeler’s meteoric rise. The expansion of catch and release, and how bass anglers are moving the needle. That’s what we should be talking about.
We don’t need cheaters in our news. They’re not worth it.
(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.)
