Am I a Cheater? (Disqualification Details)

[@HellaBass]

Wired2Fish Article - www.wired2fish.com/opinions-philosophies/angler-disqualified-for-tweeting-during-fishing-to

[@ericahlstrom9506]

That was back when a group of guys were supposedly communicating with each other on their phones to help each other. I remember all the rumors going around and I remember just hearing you got DQd. Never heard the details. Thanks for sharing your story. That's frustrating the tournament director didn't talk to you. Personally I don't think any use of phones other than emergencies should be allowed during tournaments. Too many opportunities for guys to cheat.

[@HellaBass]

agreed, technology has only created more gray areas for shenanigans in tournament fishing in last 15 years

[@Grimey_Fishing]

This displays the main reasons I keep my channel membership current, Rich: your personality and the glimpses we get of who you are and how you got here. I also love the info we get on techniques, products, and the tournament scene, but the connection is what matters most. That being said, let's talk about the DQ. I believe the spirit of the rule was to curb cheating. You clearly did not violate the spirit of this rule, so although it was clearly a violation of the letter of the rule, a DQ was an overreach. A time or weight penalty would have been a more just result.

[@HellaBass]

Thanks Frank! I will do my best to keep true to the content you enjoy!

[@NedRigNerd]

Guarantee that the person who said something was a friend or family member of a competing team. Because why else would someone who's just there and not fishing the tournament report you.

[@HellaBass]

yeah who knows

[@ryankelsey5847]

Rich you bring interesting points regarding the change in social media and live streaming have made in Bass and fishing tournaments. I cptn Jr and HS BASS teams and I don't feel like the punishment matched the "crime", secondly tournament rule regulation is the responsibility of the "anglers" NOT spectators. I time or weight penalty were better options.

[@BenjiB14]

I used to be scared to even look at my phone during state with how much people would talk about your story. Very funny to see where we are at now

[@HellaBass]

Ha, yeah, I kept my phone in storage compartment for several years after that lol

[@TheBaitmanTV]

It sucks about the DQ. But I do like the vintage TT hoodie.

[@HellaBass]

No comment on the Vintage Camo Custom TT Visor?

[@mattadams3721]

As a tournament director, if i had a rule that was, "cell phones are to be used in emergency situations only" then i would agree the director made the right call. I do think the rule is ridiculous but i always check all trail rules before i fish the trail.

[@HellaBass]

So as a tournament director do you feel the only recourse is DQ or are there other options for infractions? Also in a two day event, would you have not approached me before take off on day 2?

[@mattadams3721]

@@HellaBass absolutely I would have approached you before day 2. As far as the dq goes. In the trail I run it states rules that are broken result in a dq. If it was not stated as that in that trail rules you definitely have a valid argument.

[@HellaBass]

@mattadams3721 not 100% sure but I recall digging back thru rules back then in 2010, basically said enforcement and penalty was up to TD

[@mattadams3721]

@@HellaBass if that’s the case I would have raised 10 kinds of h***. Sounds like they had it out for ya.

[@TK-uk2yy]

Thanks for sharing this story Rich! I agree with you. Once the tournament director knew about it he should've addressed it head on with you directly. Should there have been some sort of penalty, I would say yes, but DQ is a bit harsh. I would still consider that tournament a "W" for you, 😉.

[@HellaBass]

I guess forgot to add, day 1 2nd place guy smashed on day 2 and I would have been 2nd of not getting DQd

[@ILLUMINATHAN79]

That’s crazy dude! Start fishing the KBF, you can use your phone as much as you want.

[@HellaBass]

This was back in 2010, now most tournaments I Could probably live stream on my phone during event lol

[@ILLUMINATHAN79]

@@HellaBass gotcha! I thought it was recently and i was like this is crazy.

[@Garminrules]

Tough not kmowing EXACTLY how the rules read at that, but IF it said No use of cell phone during tournament hour unless emergency is what Im hearing and there was a formal protest...guess you were wrong. ??

[@HellaBass]

I definitely was in the wrong for posting on my phone, I own that. Just don't think the punishment fit the crime, but I should not have put myself in that position

[@BobbyBalsaRNM]

That's ridiculous. And what a little snitch that went to the director.

[@HellaBass]

I would like to know, cause evidently I was facebook "friends" with that person

[@BobbyBalsaRNM]

@@HellaBass that's messed up!

[@victorxavier9977]

Didn't know there was a no phone use rule 🤔 crazy.

[@HellaBass]

that was the rule in 2010 for MN BASS

[@Oldbasshole]

I think the director got it wrong . When there’s a rule violation you have to look at intent . Usually breaking a rule is cut and dry but not in this case . A time penalty or weight deduction would’ve sufficed

[@HellaBass]

100% agreed

[@richardharding8248]

Rules are rules Ignorance of the law is no excuse what's once told to me by a judge

[@HellaBass]

Agreed, rule was broken, and judges don't always enforce maximum sentence for all cases

[@WaconiaBassFishingGuy]

Dumb in today’s world - remember it then a thought it was wrong because then there was no details - now no big deal - llove the honesty- thanks for sharing

[@HellaBass]

Glad you enjoyed

[@kyleanderson9453]

The penalty must coincide actions taken. Since your infraction did not gain an advantage a small time penalty should have been applied. DQ is completely absurd.

[@staleek100]

Sounds like the TD couldn't be bothered. I cannot imagine any of the TD's I've had the pleasure of managing our tournaments just straight up kicking out the guy in the lead for a few posts. It would have been very easy for him to check the activity on your phone to see if you were doing anything that was actually compromising to the fairness your participation in the event. Bummer dude but shows the importance of knowing the rules no matter how silly they seem.

[@HellaBass]

fair points, in 2010 the TD might have had a flip phone or not even a mobile phone at all lol He may have been flustered by the sight of my smart'ish phone

[@danielw2120]

It does seem harsh to DQ you for this. That being said, if you were leading going into day two then any kind of update on day two could reach another angler. This could ultimately affect what they chose to do the rest of the day. Say it gets back to the 3rd place angler hes doing something to catch 5 big ones and hears you have "Tougher day today small limit, 8 lbs" that could ultimately change the course of what he does the rest of the day. I realize thats a reach but i think back to the classic when Christie thought he was cruzing for the win and some dude on the bank tells him Edwin has 27lbs.. That directly changed the tournament for Jason Christie.

[@HellaBass]

Fair point

[@toptoad7149]

Wow! That is crazy. It's like a gray area rule. I hate that.

[@HellaBass]

Live & Learn

[@LorenJannett]

I was told that you were warned verbally after day one weigh in... I went straight up to the Horseshoe chain right after this event to fish the Silverado and sadly I broke the news to a bunch of the anglers..

[@HellaBass]

There was a general verbal warning, but nothing to me personally or where I could hear it

[@LorenJannett]

@@HellaBass I guess, I got the story to save face. I guess if I ever see you in a bar somewhere I can tell you exactly what I remember and heard.. Or maybe that one day when I write that book....

[@davidhenderson1738]

That sucks. I don’t think you are a cheater. I just think it’s a misunderstanding of rules. But the rules a there for a reason. People would take advantage of it.

[@HellaBass]

absolutely the rule was there for a reason

[@rogerdudra178]

I would probably get just a disqualified as you were, if those kind of rules even exist.

[@Mjones8383]

If its a rule and you broke it, then the DQ is justified, still sucks though.

[@HellaBass]

does suck, I think other penalties would have been more justified, but moral of story, don't put yourself in those positions to be up to somebody else

[@Mjones8383]

@HellaBass yep, I do think it was too harsh, but if the rule says the punishment is DQ and there are no stipulations then it's what has to be done. I'm a black and white by the book guy though. I'm old school, if you steal from me get your hands chopped off eye for an eye type shit

[@bassmastermatt]

Seems super harsh. At the time of the tournament, did the rules indicate what the punishment would be for rule infractions? Or just arbitrary?

[@HellaBass]

I recall it saying something about TD discretion but that was a long time ago

[@bobbydunlowdunlow2072]

Never heard of that rule ? Didn't know it was braking a rule by simply using your phone??

[@HellaBass]

Depends on the tournament all have different sets of rules

[@timgallagher6529]

curious what happened to Secret Weapons lures. I have a kit from them and I don't see them around anymore?

[@HellaBass]

They kind of faded away, still have a bunch, good lures, I think they were ahead of their time and price point was a bit high for that period

[@timgallagher6529]

@@HellaBass I was in Iraq when I discovered them online. Guess I had the deployment money for the Pircepoint. But I agree ahead of their time.

[@HellaBass]

@timgallagher6529 thnx for your service

[@willperryman4559]

It sounds like you had an enemy who was a bit covert in the way he helped get you dq’d, but I wonder if anyone else used their phones, and why the guy who saw your post “turned you in” 🤷🏻‍♂️ yes it sucks, and I gotta say I didn’t know your history, but I have a great respect for you for being a stand up guy, and I also admire and respect Jason Sealock, who’s living in my old neck of the woods on Kentucky Lake 👏👏👏👏👏👏🍀🎣🍀

[@HellaBass]

Yeah how many anglers took a call from their wives or work in that event lol

[@wxweenie9]

I am nowhere near a pro, yet I stopped fishing bass tournaments because of all the rules put in place to stop cheaters. They're applied without regard to intent or impact on the bag. I'm not going to say whether you cheated or not because I'm not a tournament director. Based on what you said, however, I don't believe you had an intent to cheat nor gained any advantage with what you did. Tight lines!

[@HellaBass]

thnx

[@ClayWilliamson]

That sucks man. I don’t like the way they went about warning you in the second day, shoulda been looking you dead in the eye when he announced it on day two. DQ is harsh but it’s the way things used to be handled.

[@HellaBass]

for sure, put myself in a bad spot and it went as bad as it could have

[@Michaelpruis]

Think this one coulda been solved with a conversation between a few dudes. Think a DQ was a bit extreme.

[@HellaBass]

Exactly 💯

[@svmoua24]

Yes

[@HellaBass]

Thanks for your honesty

[@nickkoschmeder3288]

Now knowing what I know I think that was harsh and undermining!!

[@pacman_17]

They probably think you have people sending you waypoints during the tournament.

[@HellaBass]

I don't think anyone actually thought that but that is the spirit of why that rule is in place

[@MJ_Bass]

That TD went a little over the top. A simple conversation before day 2, maybe making you blast off last would’ve been more than enough punishment. That said, I would never, ever want to be a TD. Even in little club derbies dealing with the whiners would be brutal.

[@HellaBass]

agreed TD is thankless job

[@Mags120fish1]

Shame on the TD. Handled poorly. Typical bass club stuff.

[@HellaBass]

To be fair Club / Federation TD's rarely have any training for their volunteer positions

[@Mags120fish1]

@@HellaBass apparently little common sense either. Hard to teach that.

[@aarondaeges]

Good times!!!

[@HellaBass]

congrats on 2nd place

[@martys4814]

THATS WAS SO BS…SOMEONE WAS SO JEALOUS YOU WERE WINNING AND USED A TECHNICAL RULE THAT CAN BE INTERPRETED MANY WAYS…..

[@rustyscopano2667]

They definitely should have approached you but I don’t think you deserved the DQ. The spirit of that rule is to prevent obtaining information from outside sources or other anglers on the water.

[@HellaBass]

Agreed, catching any fish on those bandits yet?

[@rustyscopano2667]

@@HellaBass I will be out next week and weekend trying to pull some in on those for sure. Especially with our cold, for us here in N.C. anyway, water.

[@chrishampton8842]

Seems a bit harsh and I would have been looking hard for that fb friend lol😂

[@HellaBass]

Initially I kinda was, but what is done is done

[@tylerduncan2842]

Did you break a rule? Sure. Did you cheat? Not a chance. I would view this similar to a kill switch violation. You didn't gain a competitive advantage.

[@HellaBass]

Fair comparison

[@contactosrs]

I don't imagine the tournament organizers have any way of enforcing their no phones rule without another competitor seeing you and reporting it, so maybe they shouldn't take it so seriously, especially when you consider that kayak tournaments require phone usage and there doesn't seem to be anyone accusing kayak anglers of using their phones to cheat mid event. Tbh, I don't even see how much of a competitive advantage you could get by going to the internet and looking up fishing reports, considering anyone who cares even a little would have done it prior to being on the water. What advantage is there to be had by using your phone on the water, other than literally calling other competitors in the tournament to see what they're doing?

[@HellaBass]

good points, back in 2010 was a different time as well, no apps that ran tournaments like today's kayak events

[@contactosrs]

@@HellaBass oh yeah, i hadn't realized the article was from 2010 until now. Hopefully a dq wouldn't go down over a social media post these days, cause in hindsight that's a lame decision they made in 2010. Although, I can kinda understand why they'd have such a kneejerk reaction back then if the TOs weren't social media savvy and didn't really understand what you were trying to build for yourself.

[@ricker76er]

You got screwed. Technically you weren’t on the phone. The phone has many functions. A telephone call being one of many. But you weren’t making a call. That’s my humble opinion. What if you were listening to music on earbuds?

[@HellaBass]

they definitely would have been corded ear buds in 2010 at best, probably get caught in my reel handle lol

[@bobbycolson1957]

Thats a great story..the punishment dud not fit the crime. And people need to mind their own business

[@HellaBass]

Yeah, thought it was a story people would enjoy, that is mostly the reason for sharing

[@BassinWithBigMalone]

Non emergency use of a cellphone in a tournament🤔🤔 thats pretty dumb. Could have said. Hey. No more updates while fishing. Instead of a DQ you wasn't using to gain knowledge on anything.

[@HellaBass]

for sure

[@kendalllunsford775]

Cheater... ;) By the letter of the law it was a rules infraction..... By the spirit or intent of the rule you in no way cheated to gain any advantage...... This one relly sucks and I can see how disappointing this would've been for you..... Sounds like it was a different time back then when maybe guys were trying to gain an advantage so I understand the rule.... but not necessarily the outcome..... Thanks for sharing

[@HellaBass]

Thnx for feedback

[@PunchFishing]

Uh oh, distressed thumbnail pic. This must be serious.

[@HellaBass]

It was very serious

[@dariusking2927]

There is always a tattletale in every class 👍

[@HellaBass]

Watch your own bobber Karen lol

[@morganboyd581]

Total BS for posting a few updates that had zero impact on the fishing for you or anyone else. It has to be one way or the other in my opinion, phones allowed or no phones allowed. You can't ban them for safety reasons, so let angler take them and use them. Should an advantage or disadvantage be derived from a phone, DQ immediately. But this DQ was total BS. Also, tournament directors hear this. WE CAN'T HEAR YOU WITH 150 OUTBOARDS RUNNING, 60 GUYS TALKING AND ALL THE OTHER NOISE. STOP USING THE WATER LAUNCH TIME FOR UPDATES.

[@HellaBass]

All well said

[@caroferg8857]

So… someone who couldn’t or didn’t qualify ratted on you cuz you basically won… and volunteer or not the TD wussed on the entire thing by waiting till you won to say DQ. I smell more than fish bait on that one. And call BS. So many other ways to handle.. time delay, weight cut… some penalty but oh btw f u you lose? Not cool. Not cool at all. Yes I read the article… still.. Not cool… you handled it like a true gentleman and sportsman I’d still be pissed. And I’m a dish served cold kinda gal ;)

[@HellaBass]

Well I wouldn't have won, caught the fish to finish second, anglers who was right behind me caught a big bag and he beat me by like 5lbs

[@ZZ430T56]

Holy crap man, you are rambling. Get to the point!

[@HellaBass]

Sorry for not being concise with your time, try watching at 1.5x speed 😁

[@klfishing444]

👍👍🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@bobpayseno7481]

What a joke. I understand you need rules for any tournament to work successfully but the “spirit” of the rules also needs to be addressed by the TD. It seemed to me by him kind of arbitrarily deciding what you were doing without really communicating with you about the exact issue was the biggest problem. He should have after the first day of the tournament, spoke with you about this issue. It was just poor communication by him that seemed to be the biggest problem not you doing anything wrong. Your experience kind of reminded me of a stupid technicality that happened to Brandon Palanuik who also got DQ’d when he fished the Mississippi River. He had a monster bag of Smallmouth but was accused of cheating because he culled his fish in another state’s boundaries so Trip Weldon decided he had no option but to DQ his first day weight. It was because a particular state game law said he inadvertently had broken a game law. This particular rule that he apparently broke by the State in my opinion was totally archaic and should have been dismissed long ago so something like that doesn’t happen again to someone else. It had 0 bearing on him doing anything illegal. Brandon however was a true pro and had the most incredible character of anyone I have ever witnessed by any angler. He accepted the penalty by not publicly complaining about what happened to him but instead just came back the following weekend,to win on Lake Erie to collect $100k for first place! Way to go Brandon and way to go Rich by taking the high road even though you both got railroaded.😢

[@HellaBass]

I am actually more irritated with the process and timing more than the severity of the penalty. I remember the BP river tournament, the state law broken does force the TD's hand 100%

[@bobpayseno7481]

@@HellaBass I’m totally with you on that issue. I really think a little communication by the TD would have been super helpful and could have made this situation much less dramatic than it needed to be if he just took the time to talk with you. As far as the BP incident, I understood why Trip did what he did but the law that he broke prohibiting culling to me just seems ridiculous. I’m sure you know the law better than I do. Could you please explain to me why they have the law in the first place? 🤷‍♂️

[@HellaBass]

@bobpayseno7481 I am not sure why the law existed but it has since changed

[@bobpayseno7481]

@@HellaBass That’s why your DQ and Brandon’s will never make sense to me. They both had terrible laws/ rules to begin with but you both were forced to abide by them anyway.😡👎🏻

[@tigers3321]

You big cheater. How dare you encourage others to enjoy fishing and maybe have better outlook on life. For shame! Why would anyone want to help their fellow man??? Jk, as a 30 year soccer referee from pro down to littles, we have a saying that we use as a guide to make decisions for Laws of the Game- "Spirit" of the Law. Understand the intent of a law (rule) to properly enforce it. Some argue it allows human interpretation, they are correct. Informed human decisions involve logic thinking and understanding. Written word can often be too brief when dealing with complex decisions. Anyway, I agree the arbitration of this DQ was poorly handled without interaction with you after day 1. Leads to the belief of alterior motives.

[@HellaBass]

great thoughts, not sure there were any ulterior motives, seems unlikely, most TDs are volunteers and many of them haven't even fished a ton of tournaments, not much for training out there like you have for soccer ref

[@vernonhearn2724]

Sucks

[@HellaBass]

well said

[@mattcampbell3876]

Yes you are cheating, you use live scope, funny they worried about phones but you can have a 72” screen for your scopin sticks, you all are children

[@HellaBass]

lol

[@AJMende]

The man tweeted so we can TikTok 🫡

[@HellaBass]

#HellaHero lol