Lake Erie Walleye Cheaters Get Caught in Lake Erie Walleye Trail - Bigwater Fishing Podcast #49

[@jaliscogrill8519]

Jason represents excellence in the community. Appreciate him for being proactive and vigilant

[@pearlrival3124]

he was in on it. its his fault this crap was tolerated this long. had we not raised hell he would have never through his buddies under the bus. i was going to cut them apart myself had he not thats why the kid fled.

[@thedon8613]

Real talk, this made TMZ and other national news, not so much because of the cheating, but rather because of Jason's reaction catching them. That was legend!!

[@ptomo66]

🤣better than any umpire! Dude was pissed!

[@jaxmeoff3974]

“We got weights in fish!!!!”

[@warhamster2560]

Yup, fishing isn't something I do more than casually and this story caught my attention. Lots of lessons here.

[@michellemooresings]

It was very impressive. Loved it.

[@andreakarlsson7927]

Im sitting over here in small town Sweden following this. Never ever fished in my life. 😅

[@snakeplissken5136]

So many life lessons in this event that will teach young anglers for generations to come. The fact that nobody raised a hand to these guys was the biggest lesson. This was a pinnacle moment for the sport fishing industry and the community handled it perfectly. 👏

[@fucktheleftFJB]

If the fishing tournament was in Chicago, dudes would be shot on the spot.

[@RC-nl9yp]

So what are we to do to these guys when they do it again. Because they will. There was no punishment. People like this need to learn a lesson. This why we are in the predicament we are in right now. These guys should have had the shit kicked out of them.

[@snakeplissken5136]

@@RC-nl9yp nah, just sabotage their shit off camera later, make their life hell with flat tires and punctured radiators and such.

[@snakeplissken5136]

Busted drivers window on a shitty day is another good one 👍

[@keviny704]

Prettuy sure they weren't the only ones that were nervous at that weigh in.

[@monharris28]

man i dont even follow fishing and this story fascinated me today. this is crazy, thank you for keeping it professional

[@grlygirl1264]

Me too!

[@tycobb8621]

If you’re interested in felony fraud, you should look into BLM 😬

[@bradparadisfishing]

Props to the TD for stepping up and checking. Too many people complain afterwards at these events when they know something is wrong. Kudos to him for doing what is right for everyone that fishes that trail and is an example of how to run the show.

[@jemeeladams1197]

I agree

[@bradforward850]

Trump trash being Trump trash. Not surprising at all. Trump stole from a Childhood Cancer charity. Favre , Trump's butt buddy stole from the poor. And these guys. Trump trash will be Trump trash. Anyone want to put money on them being Trump supporters? I'll gladly take that bet. Lowlifes.

[@TheFrenchPug]

So are these guys really good fisherman in reality if they had to compete honestly? Or are they amateurs that got lucky in the tournament he had a spotter on?

[@stuartstuckey396]

Mk

[@stuartstuckey396]

M MN NM,

[@TonyGingrich]

I sympathize with the hosts. That really is a tough spot to be in. Honestly, my hat goes off to Jason for making the call. That took a lot of courage; the fear of being wrong for pulling that benefit of doubt... it's more than a single event or season. It's an entire culture and lifestyle that he had to put on the line.

[@timothythomas415]

Huge kudos to Jason for handling the situation as well as he did. Very sad but a learning opportunity for all of us running events in the fishing industry. At the end of the day, it comes down to angler integrity.

[@christopherwainwright8015]

"... comes down to angler integrity.' is sooo true... Sounds to me just like this lying and Donald Trump thing and lying and the GOP...It sure is good when folk tell the truth and stay away from cheating and defending cheaters

[@timnorton4302]

What else was he supposed to do

[@PeaceToAll-sl1db]

if the winning fish is not cut open it is the person running the event fault if they get hoodwinked

[@jeffreytomlinson5730]

This is not the first time this has happened id think about solving this issue so it can never happen again especially with thi kind of money.there will always be one idiot we had this same thing happen in a east coast va specaltrout torment about 20 years ago when the were caught it brought up questions about the same boat winning the flounder tournament in that spring they now carefully inspect all winners fish i don't think its happened since ?

[@humblekind4189]

Here’s my 2 cents: I’m an avid walleye angler from Minnesota. Fishing Lake Erie is a bucket list trip for me. I have experience in amateur walleye tournaments, but I’m no pro. The LEWT could easily find 100 guys just like me who would volunteer to tag along on these fancy boats and see talented fisherman do their thing. Randomly assign an observer to a tournament boat each day to make sure nobody knows each other beforehand. You could even take it a step further and weigh/ release the fish on the water in the cooler months when the fish can be released live to protect these fisheries.

[@gentlemanowl3193]

Comment needs more visibility!

[@scottmattern482]

The whole goal is to manage the population of a species in a lake. That's why people say that fishers and hunters are the ones financing wildlife management.

[@daysliveon]

Here's a silver lining. I have never once in my life even thought about competitive fishing and here I am listening to an hour long podcast about it and looking up tournament videos on KZbin. I think you'll get some positive elements out of this.

[@full95one]

I've fished all my life. Guess what? I'm not good at it. I'm very interested is this. Blew my mind such a simple, as they say "old school" cheat could pass the sniff test. Not here obviously but for damn sure made it pass other events so much they they thought they could stuff 8 friggen pounds of weight to win. Simply put: WOW.

[@probiethetank8825]

Considering the guy made $300k fishing last year, and it’s all over the national news now, there’s definitely going to be a influx of new anglers😂

[@YouDontKnow-that]

Yep. All attention is good attention. Next year will be a banner year!

[@ohmenervesphotography]

Same here. Putted around with fishing lol but the irony is, I too, am here watchi g an hour long video learning about fishing and how crazy it is with respect to tournaments and prizes, etc. Unreal!

[@Carol-iy2ir]

Tournaments may get fuller and the correct people will win now.

[@josephrowan8003]

Jason Fischer couldn't have handled it any better. His initial reaction is understandable, I would have done the same thing. He'll be a tournament director again. Considering how Jason handled it, the Lake Erie Walleye Trail will recover from this scandal. Jason earned a lot of respect from a lot of people for what he did.

[@jayhatfield5379]

Jason Fischer you are TOP SHELF , You are appreciated Thanks for Doing the right thing.

[@ronniemo_1622]

Jason, good work handling a very difficult situation.

[@docohm50]

Might be a good idea to run a metal detector over the catches in big money tournaments

[@CC-fo7tr]

You have to take a lie detector here in Texas, drug test to make sure you don’t cheat the detector, and I believe a biologist checks the fish to make sure it’s not from Florida or another lake.

[@leahgoodwin3329]

Just place a magnetized top on the scale and place the basket on it. There will be no question then. Cheaters won't be able to pick up their catch.

[@danielaramburo7648]

X-ray the fish. Rent a mobile X-ray machine from a local dentist.

[@eagledetection4451]

@@leahgoodwin3329 a lot of metals aren't magnetic. The metal detector is a good idea. You can buy a pinpointer for less than $50.

[@its2early4dis]

The problem is that fish (particularly larger and longer lived fish) can have hooks or regular smaller weights inside of them that they have swallowed. I can’t tell you how many fish I’ve caught that have another hook inside of their mouth. So the detector would go off all the time on fish that are perfectly legit.

[@Joshwiles]

Great podcast, I hope this gives clarity to the people that have doubt with these tournaments. Props to Jason for putting it all on the line for his tournament.

[@reidsimonson]

Doubts in these tournaments? All the guys on it cheat. The fact these guys went so hard tells you that. They literally felt they needed to go almost twice the weight to win. What does that tell you what all these other guys are doing? Don’t be thick, don’t be ignorant, don’t be brain thick. You know what’s going on and why…. Let your intuition guide you.

[@waynebfr8953]

Great show guys I’m in Tasmania Australia & people were talking about what happened here Bloody terrible but this will only make your Tournament’s even better Cheers

[@BEACH.LUVER101]

I'm in Victoria and same here.. Crazy how far its reached.

[@WillowpineOutdoors]

As a former Podcaster, walleye tournament angler, and walleye tournament director I really enjoyed this episode! Respect to LEWT, Brawl, and Slam.

[@moynaghbassfishes3818]

By handling this in the open, I think will help reduce the occurrence of cheating in the future. I applaud these two tournament officials for facing this head-on so quickly in the public eye. Jason - cutting open those walleye on the spot was the best way to handle it. The fishing tournament world needs to be aware that this crap unfortunately happens. And also, well done in getting those cheaters out of there without suffering a beat down. Hopefully now the law can satisfy us with a fitting penalty. You have my full admiration and respect Jason.

[@joeys7519]

All the anglers need to get together for a lawyer in a joint lawsuit,that amount of tournament winnings cannot be left in the hands of a cheater

[@corkyvanderhaven3391]

Good idea💡

[@barbmorgen8981]

I have to say I am surprised the tournament isn't suing them! They should, on behalf of all the participants.

[@usualsuspectsfor1k]

That's like hiring one cheat to go after another.

[@AureliusR]

Nah, without evidence of wrongdoing it's a waste of money

[@Oregon-airguns]

Dudes can never enter another tournament. Their life’s just got flipped upside down. I think they probably leaned their lesson.

[@caitlankelly4367]

I don’t know anything about fishing but this story turns my stomach. It seems like there is a lot of trust and respect is given to all the anglers. It must feel like a betrayal rather than a robbery.

[@Fishn_4_Reel]

Thank you for putting this together. I have mad respect for everybody on the panel. These brothers look hurt deeply! We will get past this, but man what a tough situation.

[@genieduso7438]

Glad you checked these fish as I believe this has been going on for years! Not just this tournament but a lot of others as well.

[@mathewleben8081]

Great job boys, glad you did this podcast so quickly. Thanks Craig and Jason.

[@JawTooth]

This will be a future episode of American Greed. Lol. You handled it very well

[@PrinceRN]

I have no interest in fishing or their tournaments. So I sat here and listened to this whole podcast. Well done, gentlemen!

[@peterhernandez7817]

Same. I just hate cheaters of any kind.

[@tigermachine6471]

I’d like too say”don’t let the people who do cheat” to keep from these events, but I get it. It’s very frustrating to feel you’re being cheated in such a way.

[@adrianbovia2569]

Jason i will be honored to let my young black son to come to your camp and fish the right way. You have a lot of class my brother. Keep up the good work. I fish here in Ne. At 2 rivers national park. God bless you.

[@12b_engineer]

What's his skin color got to do with anything?

[@brentwhite2057]

Never been in a fishing tournament but this story has made me so angry in general! So glad the anglers didn’t beat those guys up cause then that would of been the story. Great for these guys to come on and talk it over! I do notice some weird “don’t offend the angler with asking to check fish or cut them open thing” but I guess I don’t understand the offense of asking that… if it were me I’d say do whatever you need to prove you win fair and square! Hopefully some good comes out of this !!! Thanks !

[@ScottPerratti]

Jason was correct. Any tournament angler can tell right off the hook if a fish that looks 4 lbs should NOT be 7 lbs. great job!! These guys were so lucky they didn’t get hurt. I’m not so sure I would’ve contained myself… You went Worldwide!!

[@joshkalailieff7448]

Great job Ross, Craig and Jason. If Craig and Jason are buddies and the Slam and Brawl run at the same time… have identical rules for both tournies… one polygraph….one weigh station for both.. and every fish weighed gets cut open. That eliminates alotta headaches and would reinstate trust in the derbies

[@Bass_attack7755]

Polygraphs are not reliable. That's why they are not admissible in court.

[@sharablecortex2725]

They get a lie detector test? So many had to fail

[@mandersen2020]

Just X-ray the fish and toss em back

[@carriepriegel6477]

Was married to Mr. Limpet 2.0 😂 back in dating days, we hiked up 11K in the Sierras to Desolation Lake. Awesome trip, peaceful & amazing night sky... At the end, while we were waiting for the pack mules for the trip back down, I had a very light rod in the water and my now-ex grumbled at me because I wasn't really paying attention, just killing time til our horses arrived. Then he started yelling at me, our friend Chris laughed, "dude, relax! She's got it!! (Then to me) Set the hook & bring it in😅" This trip was their 6th trip up there but previously they backpacked 65lbs. up there mainly to fish the Rainbow trout in beautiful clear water...so, now they're gettin' jiggy. (ex) "That's ridiculous. You come up here, first time and you catch THAT".👀 👀 So, I'm dangling my catch😄 just as the horses & mules show up. I'm an artist, not an outdoors person but they kept saying . ."next time, we gotta beat that catch...and she got it with the rod barely dangling in her lap...tiny leftover bait... waiting for the pack mules". Then there were the decent Yellow fin & Dorado on light line on other trips...🤭🤣🤣 Oops... Turns out he wàs the cheater...whose wife out-fished him at times, fair & square.

[@reeldielfishing]

Great interviews - honestly these guys make me want to drive from NY to participate in their tournaments. Bad apples are everywhere … keep up the good work!

[@alexanderhouseal8997]

Watching from Florida, avid salt fisherman. I can tell you that all of us outdoorsman are watching this unfold. Curious about the future and how this plays out.

[@daniellanier9090]

This tournament cheating incident may look bad for now but 99 percent of the anglers are fishing the right way so keep your heads up and continue to promote the positives in fishing.Fish hard guys.

[@beverlywatson3314]

Well said

[@dogwoodoutdoorcompanyd.o.c9376]

I agree with you 100%.

[@johnbellomo8160]

I was absolutely sick watching these guys get caught... they looked shocked themselves. Just soooo sad. They need to be prosecuted immediately!

[@TheFrenchPug]

They'll just be ordered to pay a fine.

[@chriscarter9264]

.... guess they'll be fishing only in the grandkids league going forward.

[@ericanderson8556]

Prosecuted? Lol

[@tigermachine6471]

Well yea, there’s got to be some consequences beyond the tarnished reputation, for cheating in a tournament that has large prizes. Basically when there’s financial gain involved, there’s always going to be those who will try to win by any means. I mean it’s really up to law enforcement, if they conclude that laws have been broken here. I’m guessing yes there were.

[@ericanderson8556]

@@tigermachine6471 Law enforcement? Why does everyone cry about calling the cops for everything? It’s a civil matter. They need to be sued.

[@rickdownie393]

I watched the raw footage and the director handled the situation incredibly well by telling them to leave and probably saved them a beating.

[@patrickgiroux7596]

They need a good beating. abusing those fish that way.

[@CraigMcGuinn]

@@patrickgiroux7596 true…but the director was right to tell the cheaters to leave because the tourney venue itself wasn’t the right time or place for it

[@Unspoke]

When Jason starts speaking after being asked when there were signs pointing and leading to cheating, he defended himself that it was a slippery slop to tread in. Honestly though, that belief comes stems from fear. When he said “not going to single some guys out,” he’s basically being passive in this sense: “Whatever happens is gonna happened. People can cheat and people will cheat. I don’t condone it but at the same time, I’m not going to pursue the matter of cheating because I need to be 100% certain otherwise I lose credibility and business.” What he’s really communicating is that he rather be safe than to man up and take the opportunity to be discerning and prudent. This is why people still take the opportunity to cheat - it’s because there’s a passive environment stemming from the leadership that isn’t proactive against cheating. Just some things to chew on.

[@billmcconnell1737]

Great pod cast. Jason you handled this very well. It was good hearing from Craig an Jason. Jason hope you can get some rest an get ready for the Brawl

[@juliefriedrich92]

You guys are great! Thank You for putting this out there, taking the time and speaking from the heart. Bottom line is that anglers are real people. You have shown this through all you do, not only for yourselves, but to help all the rest of us enjoy the sport.

[@ogeeche]

It’s not just the money that the cheaters “won” it’s also the sunk cost that the others competitors spent and lost. Edited to add: Some people seem to be confused about the sunk cost factor. I’m not just talking about the admission fee to enter the contest. I’m talking about the money, time, energy and mileage spent on taking up a sport like this. The hours spent practicing. The mileage spent travel to and from bodies of water to practice. The cost of the equipment. Gas money. Money spent on accommodations. Time spent away from families. Maybe time spent away from a 9-5 and losing hour and money that way. All of the sunk cost spent and wasted preparing and practicing even before any of the contestants showed up at the competition.

[@corkyvanderhaven3391]

Obviously

[@tashawn2222]

Those costs were sunk either way.

[@probiethetank8825]

Not to mention sponsorship money, boats, and gear…

[@cjfishtales2238]

@@tashawn2222 but possibly with zero chance of full return on their entry fees. I got a feeling those aren't cheap.

[@JustinOhio]

Not the cheaters fault, it's the people who run tournaments.

[@barbmorgen8981]

Jason -- GREAT job. You handled this situation under pressure better than 99% of us would have. I do have to ask, why are you not suing these cheaters, in addition to whatever the metroparks does, on behalf of all the participants?

[@digitallureworks7297]

My gut feeling is these fall derbies just got fairer. I’ll share my moment I thought I might place in the brawl. 2020. We had kept two open slots for our ‘tournament winners’. It was the last Saturday of the tournament and we had been fishing East of Kelly’s. We were running in fast towards mazurik when some large marks high in the water column appeared on the graph while cruising at high speed. We were trying to get in before dark. I told my buddy we owe it to ourselves to check this out. We set a shallow spread and within a few minutes hooked up and brought my pb walleye to boat. I quickly measured it at 11.22 lbs. ‘this is a placing fish’ I said as I realized I had not hit the ‘tare’ button on the digital scale. I weighed it correctly and it was only 9.74 lbs. I didn’t bother to register it but later found out it would have cashed in special category caught from Grady White boat or by veteran. Check all the categories before deciding to not weigh a fish is my advice.

[@trolltracker]

Wat

[@johnschauder]

Good point

[@jiggyjay682]

@@trolltracker READ

[@Thizzamajig]

I once had intimate relations with a halibut.

[@warick1234]

About 25 years ago I caught a large 35+ lb (scaled out) 47 inch fish during the NY salmon season. It looked a lot like a salmon in shape and size but had a weird coloration to it (greenish silver with a very light tan belly, with a white mouth along with a total of 4 and 5 light pink spots per side respectably.) It wasn't until we started to fillet it we realized that it would have been a new state record brown trout (the record was subsequently broken a year later but was still under my weight!) Like D Fidler said, know your fish and categories...

[@dannyjacobson1381]

These guys went from living a childhood dream back to construction/ warehouse workers. They definitely deserve it

[@nicadamo5703]

Hey now. They are douche bags, but I work in construction and make 90k a year.

[@benhaney9629]

Fair enough but these guys had won over 3 million in prize money...

[@cwatson42785]

​@Nic Adamo Lol same. Didn't like the implication that a construction job is a crappy job. I'm a floor installer and own my own business. It's definitely hard work but can make great money if you do good work. Cheers 🍻 fellow tradesmen

[@_ColeJackson_]

@@cwatson42785 exactly bro

[@BeefyCheeks36]

​@nicadamo5703 guys like you keep the world spinning. Keep up the good work bub

[@ericharsvick7421]

You handled like a pro you saved them from a ass beating.

[@thomasscrivens8122]

Yep

[@matt-bb2kv]

Sometimes an ass beating is what it takes

[@TheChefDQ]

Yeah he did. Part of me wishes they got their asses whooped though,..

[@maureenmcgrath5501]

They both live local. They will get there.

[@ericharsvick7421]

@@maureenmcgrath5501 karma is a bitch lucky they got out with their teeth.

[@JawTooth]

I just saw this on television. Unbelievable!! I had no idea that there were prizes this high in fishing. This could not have been their first attempt. This is one of the most bizarre things that I have heard of. I have been on Lake Erie, awesome lake btw

[@Cent51]

There is sometimes big money, sponsorship deals and nice prizes to be won.. There is also big money in fishing tackle and equipment..

[@waggsish]

Thank you for having real pros on. I'm a novice, but you guys inspire me. I believe in playing by the rules. Thank you again for helping to educate me.

[@bobbytucker6132]

You did a great job! As a Bass Tournament Angler I respect the job you have as a Tournament Director. You did a great job in a horrible situation.

[@johnk9698]

Thank you for interviewing the two gentlemen. They are good honest people. This will work out as a benefit for all future tournaments. God bless them.

[@bridger57]

Jason, you handled it well. It was a gut punch. If I had a chance, LEWT is the tournament I’d definitely want to be at. From this, there will be tighter scrutiny at all tournaments. The sport is great nothings going to change that. They have to deal with the law now, and are branded for life. You handled it well. Good job!

[@sunii4264]

Great interview! I just fish for fun & love of it. This made me mad AF. Just poor excuses for human beings 💔.

[@eriwilnel]

Certainly the anglers would be mad, but how mad would the director of the tournament be? Jason did a way better job of handling this than I could have done. He took the high road. Those guys tainted his tournament and disgraced themselves and the sport. They are now finding out it was not worth it. I mean they are in serious trouble over this and it is going to have a lasting impact on the rest of their lives. Are these guys fathers? This is going to affect their family also. Great job to Jason and the other anglers for calling them out.

[@franciscogutierrez6920]

What happens if guy is 100% honest but they say he failed polygraph? There is a reason why they are not used within our court system. They should never be allowed in a tournament period!

[@bobbyswain7049]

Correct....they can't be used in court for a reason......they are not reliable. There has to be a better way 👍

[@jaywagner13]

That would be a nightmare scenario also but what else can be done? There is no other way except to put a Marshall, camera man, or referee in every competitors boat. Which for these smaller tournys isn't feasible. What do u suggest they do?

[@fightmilk8613]

I think they can be used in some states

[@jonbeeman2148]

Top 15 daily bags are cleaned and inspected, NO exceptions.

[@garychambers6848]

Always buy "Dominion" brand fish scales ......When you absolutely have to "win" overnight.......

[@digitallureworks7297]

Appreciate all three of you coming on here and discussing. I was very interested to hear these perspectives. I support what each of you do in support of our shared compassion for walleye fishing on the big water.

[@opocald]

New rule: Cut open the fish as you weight them. Simple. That doesn't prevent all cheating but it will definitely stop cheating with weights or fillets or even ice if you cut it open right after weighing it. If cutting open all 5 fish is too much trouble, you could simply cut open the heaviest fish of each team. That would probably be the fish with the added weight.

[@danadeleo1334]

TD Jason sounds like an honest loyal stand up dude and did everything he can to keep this trail running without derailing the entire thing. I feel bad for him and what he has gone through but want to give props to him for his professionalism in this interview and also how he conducted himself the day of the scandal.

[@annmarieconnors1623]

While this situation is indeed frustrating because of these cheating anglers…I’m hoping it will bring many new anglers in by the publicity reaching some who have a deep love of the sport, weekenders if you will, that may not have ever known about even local tournaments. The video reached news outlets that I would have never imagined discussing a fishing incident. Enjoy the fall weather and may great ice fishing soon be ahead!

[@ike_d5402]

I appreciate Adam Savage taking time to offer his perspective.

[@dependablepaul]

Reading comments while watching, can't unsee it now, lol.

[@byang3950]

Thank you for showing this. Thank you Jason for taking your time. To explain for us to understand. This needs to be explain. I love it...

[@chriseverett6355]

Jason should be running all the Fishing turniments, Awesome job Jason 👊🏻

[@benhaney9629]

I like how the one guy literally left his partner holding the bag...

[@gregkoprivnak2003]

I walleye fish Erie a lot, and over the years have gotten pretty good at it. Am a law enforcement officer from Kittanning PA. Never entered a tournament, but I would enter yours’re, don’t be so down about it, you were a class act, and handled the situation very well!

[@tigers9281]

Maybe a vet clinic or odnr or somebody could donate time to bring in a portable X-ray to start scanning the winning catches to verify they are not cheating. Might even be able to get area hospitals to bring in a mobile X-ray. They could promote their brand while they’re out there too.

[@Bass_attack7755]

Then people will stuff them with glass balls.

[@tigers9281]

Glass shows up on X-ray too. Anything dense with real weight will show up real clear. Even plastic objects show up on X-ray. Your basically looking for dense foreign objects that have no problem showing up on X-ray. My wife is in radiology and mentioned it as soon as told her about this lol.

[@jamiedarr4114]

Tigers9281. They also stuffed them with fillets. Had they just stopped at that, then it would not show up, just look like more fish material. Heaters gonna cheat. It sucks.

[@sunii4264]

Or sadly silicone. 💔

[@mwcleaning]

Just the fact your fish could possibly be xray’d is a major cheating deterrent.

[@xjcrossx]

Glad I found this interview. Nice work. The raw emotion is what made it so awesome to see.

[@michaelsunderlik638]

Thanks for doing what you do fellas. Sorry for the unwanted spotlight on your tournaments. 🐟🐟

[@610vatorspeed7]

Host of tourney shouldn’t have to apologize he saved these guys from being pitchforked by a mob. This shouldn’t put a shadow on tourneys but help to shed light and improve fishing tourneys. This man handled this as a champion!

[@thomasmartin8202]

They should've been pitchforked by a mob.

[@jeffreyyeater1780]

These guys are doomed. Might as well move out of state and sell their boats .

[@mikesharon2177]

Boats have been seized;)

[@jeffmerklin2022]

The different lie detector result issue is easy to answer. The machines are not reliable. That's why tests/results are generally not admissible in court proceedings. So sorry this happened. My late father loved fishing for Walleye on Lake Erie and it's tributaries. He hated the sleaze who would keep snagged fish and skirted other rules. You did a great job in a difficult situation.

[@Philkoehler4]

The TD is a pure class act..such a great human...to some ppl angling is much much more then a sport!! Its means alot more then that to me...when you catch a 24 inch brown trout out of a tiny little city creek and you burst into tears because you know your father the man who thought you how to fish is looking down on you amd would be so proud,its times and the feelings like that that make it mean alot to ppl....this was such a stab in the back to soooo many people...never been a walleye angler but the way i feel for trout i know some feel the same for walleye....godbless this man!!!! I hope and prat the LEWT comes back even stronger through all this

[@cocksure8430]

Hank is so proud of Bobby!! It's true....😉

[@cwatson42785]

WE GOT WEIGHTS IN FISH!!! Is one of the best delivered quotes of all time! It will go down in the history books!

[@MargieSimpson]

Great to hear from the ‘horses mouth’ the backstory to that clip online. I’m in my 50’s, f, Canadian soccer mom person & have never fished in my life, but this story is mind blowing! I thought fishing was as innocent as farming. Bless you all.

[@johnnylego807]

Let me tell you Marge, fishing gets quite competitive, crazy. And Fishermen just like the next person hate nothing more than a cheater, especially in these tournaments as sometimes the prizes can be IN THE MILLIONS, these same guys who cheated here had won 2 other tournaments before this by cheating, they won 300k and a New boat! that people knew they had cheated, but they got the prizes anyway. crazy stuff!

[@danielstith5227]

Actually I thought Mr. Fischer handled things really well. Sure he was royally upset at those two idiots for cheating and ruining his tournament, but he got himself under control almost immediately and handled things professionally and well. If I owned a tournament I certainly would point at Mr. Fischer and say 'this is how it's done'.

[@brodeypecha9233]

IDEA. Every fish must be donated. Each anglers catch goes into a bag with their ID and the results aren't official until the fish are processed. You could still do the winners celebration with the unofficial results like in Nascar.

[@rayyou7032]

Absolutely,to let guys take their fish with them is asking for trouble.

[@brodeypecha9233]

I have a better idea now. Each angler cleans their fish at the event. This way there is no funny business in transport or at the processing/donation location

[@shyman9023]

@@brodeypecha9233 Third party cleans the fish.

[@kvbstudios316]

Separate competition for fastest/cleanest processing. Cannot process fish in the same division you angle in.

[@mikenelson983]

Been waiting for this podcast!

[@Moondog9322]

Yesssss!!!

[@emhutchi]

I don't care about fishing, but I'm here. Nobody may want to admit this, but this is probably the best thing to happen to professional fishing in many years.

[@saltywalrusfishingcompany]

You definitely handled this as well as possible! Those guys will pay with lost careers. Sure hope their sponsors drop them and issue statements very soon

[@captainflint89]

We have a guy at out little fly fishing club who everyone knows cheats on every club competition, it's only a friendly set of competitions amongst friends for small trophies and no cash , just for fun but he takes up trout caught the day before, uses banned baiting methods like throwing handfuls of maggots or trout pellets or worms into his area and stuffs his fish with weights .. he was nearly exposed last time but managed to remove weights before the fish was inspected. For these types it is a need and a pathology to deceive

[@robertwoodward4525]

You both are stand up guys. You can only do so much to stay within the rules. Keep doing what you're doing. Job well done.

[@roryh2241]

I don’t know one thing about fishing and I’ll probably never watch it or follow it again after this but oh man! What a crazy incident, it was lovely to listen to all of y’all

[@lakeerieicefishing]

Thanks Ross, its great hearing from the horses mouth. You can really see how heavy this whole situation is weighing on them.

[@jasond7229]

Sad days for tournaments for sure... Might have to start x-raying catches entered..

[@TheBrent327]

Well Done guys!! Don't let bad apples spoil your efforts!!

[@Medik]

I wanted to say I haven’t fished in a long time but you guys have definitely got me into it with your passion and all around being good guys. I’m around the area but don’t have a ton of money, will definitely support however I can.

[@jas1720]

Jason, I'm so sorry that you and everyone else had to go thru this. As a tournament angler, I fish Bass and I have been fishing tournaments for 30 plus years from local derbies, team derbies, pro-am to being a co-angler in the B.A.S.S Opens circuits. The 2 guys that did this, they will get what's coming to them, whether it be criminal charges or fines, the one thing I can guarantee is they will most definitely never be able to fish another tournament anywhere again. I do have to say that 99% of the people fishing any tournament, whether walleye, bass or whatever species don't cheat, tourney guys typically have a very strong code to be honest and abide by the rules, no matter what! But unfortunately, they're will always be some people or person that doesn't care about anything else but the glory or the prize. So for anyone out there who's questioning themselves about getting into tournament fishing, don't do it please, don't let a few ruin it for the rest. There is a comraderie amongst us, we become part of a giant family who love to fish and compete! I also have to say that Jason, you were amazingly professional and handled that volital situation with calmness and class. Keeping the mob off of those guys was impressive at the least. So giant kudos to you sir. I know it's heartbreaking and maddening to see these 2 guys who you consider as friends do something like this, for fame, fortune or just plain ego. Please don't sit there with hindsight and say I should of or could of, you run these tournaments believing that guys will police themselves and play fair by the ruels! There is really nothing more that you could do differently to stop them. I wish you guys the best going forward, lines tight my friends. Much respect! Joe Shaw

[@rick2230]

I've never caught a fish, I throw up every time I'm on a boat, but this was a fascinating podcast.

[@1luckyfisherman]

The sad part is the real winners got over looked in the publics eye. These sorry SOBs stole their spotlight

[@brettweaver9608]

Who were the 'actual winners?' Shout out to them !

[@PracticalKen]

Would having a Garrett metal detector security wand, like they swing over people when entering secure buildings, prevent any lead/metal (sinkers or lead/steel shot) from being added to fish? Seems pretty simple and inexpensive way to prevent this issue. Even a #25 metal detector pin pointer found on Amazon would detect metal in a fish. Thoughts?

[@nmxsanchez]

Really well spoken, thorough and level headed analysis of the situation. Nice podcast, new sub earned!

[@brettweaver9608]

I just happend to see this video and nice job to the host, his questions, and the responses of the guests. I am an avid boater of lake erie, love fishing, but have been more recreational boating to the islands. I need to get back into fishing. I did want to comment on the polygraph examination(s) question. I am a retired police officer from Ohio. I spent many years as an investigator/detective. The polygraph test is only as good as the operator. The same with the voice stress test. In the end, your respective organizations will have to decide what is best for you all. I just wanted to share that and Jason has sort of touched on that as I hear this video moving forward. Perhaps reach out to your State Division of Wildlife for some ideas and as a resource. Employ handheld metal detectors to scan fish. I am sure more ideas will be shared moving forward. Hopefully this negative, will bring a positive to your fishing community and be more close knit moving forward. Best wishes.

[@LakeAnglers]

We do it for the love of the Sport . Great job guys 🙏🏼

[@richkostynick1402]

Jason played his hand as well as he could to this point and continues to do so after the fact. He's a class guy and his passion for what he does is clear. He and Craig have great things yet to come as they move on continue promote their sport and local causes on land.

[@timdoll6718]

These guys do a great job under unbelievable circumstances and pressure. Love the passion they have for the city and it’s citizens benefiting from the money generated and the young cancer patient and family that will get a financial and emotional boost. Thank You both for making this World a better place.

[@bobbymullin7968]

One idea that may be a deterrent to adding weight would be a simple metal detection pin pointer waved over the fish at weight in do them all would be fair for all and a deterrent.

[@flogrown1999]

The fact that they had the balls to put weights in every single fish shows that they have cheated before.... Anybody whos cheating like that for the first time would be nervous and worried about making it to obvious so they would only do one or two fish or maybe use smaller weights in all 5 but they got so used to getting away with it that they didnt care anymore...... They got so cocky that they really thought nobody would notice a bag of fish that very clearly weighs ten pounds over what it should... Their greed eventually caught up with them like it does to everyone ...had they kept it small they might still be getting away with it right now ..had fhey been willing to take a few spots lower on the leaderboards they might have been ok

[@origintrackz5235]

Definitely wasn't their first time they were in they lead for the season i think.but proving it is another thing...

[@Shusha0029]

I was blessed to be raised by a daddy that loved fishing. All of our family getaways were around water. Dad fished and we swam or tubed. I have enjoyed over the years hearing the excitement when dad landed a big one! I have also enjoyed picking on him about exaggerating how big his catch is.That comes with fishing but to see someone do something so dirty makes me so mad. Especially knowing how much effort and time these people who seriously love the sport put into what they are doing. My dad absolutely loves this sport and it is disgusting to try to cheat hardworking folks. They should be stripped of every title and charged with fraud. They also should have to give every penny back because no way in hell this is the only time they have done this.

[@user-dy2xu3uv8k]

13:07 He's talking about how most of the guys have money with their $200,000 Truck and Boat combo... Remember kids those are just BIG monthly payments that they are just barely able to afford. 87% of cars/trucks/boats are financed. The bank owns them.

[@timp3035]

From the Outside of Tournament fishing but looking in, I think you Jason handled this situation very well! I think at next year's u are going to have a lot of guys just like me who will be just spectators!

[@matbryan9047]

Jason, and all organizers of events have a huge job, organizing and policing everything. Cheating is only one aspect and comes in many forms, which is extremely difficult to detect. Well done Jason. Keep your head up and be proud of what you did.

[@SCSJiuJitsu260]

Tough situation for Jason. Those guys passed a lot of polygraphs. If he cuts those fish open and they’re not stuffed, it’s all bad for him. Glad he was able to catch them red-handed and put an end to it.

[@full95one]

Imo it should just be standard practice then. Fishermen and a known group of bullshiters'

[@ashleykclark]

This is exactly why polygraphs aren’t admissible in court

[@Ickeriss96]

I’m not familiar with how all this works. Can you explain to me why he would have gotten grief for cutting them open? Why is that not standard to check? Sorry if these are dumb questions. Thanks in advance

[@SCSJiuJitsu260]

@@Ickeriss96 Good question. Who would stuff 8lbs of lead into fish knowing they will be polygraphed? The belief was that no one would be dumb enough to cheat, and if they were the polygraph would catch them. Cutting open and inspecting fish didn’t seem necessary. This isn’t something unique to the LEWT. The polygraph is the tool used by virtually every fishing tournament series to deter and detect cheating. As it is, these guys already have litigation going over last year’s fall brawl fiasco. If Jason cuts those fish open and finds nothing, there goes another lawsuit.

[@hookset43]

I fishing bass tournaments and not walleye tournaments. I want to give a big shout-out to Jason you did a awesome and amazing job. I know God had his hand on you. Awesome job. My prayers are with you.

[@MRBJT51]

I'm a Bass fisherman.... kind of makes me wonder if this has ever happened in all my years of fishing tournaments.... especially the "local yocal" Wednesday night lake tournaments.

[@johnnylego807]

definitely without a doubt.

[@TRoller927]

Bass fishing is usually catch, weigh and release. Right?

[@purewaterswva.5409]

Not sure, my local club it wasn't that much money

[@hughmura6676]

Kudos to Jason and Craig for doing their best to preserve the integrity of the sport. Instead of polygraph, what about a 5 sec scan of each fish such as a portable sonogram. Think about the belt/scanner all carry-on luggage at airport goes thru, but on a much smaller scale. Sounds crazy, but 100% accurate in preventing fraud.

[@cergiecergnul4916]

Thank you Jason, you handled this with class and dignity. You saved them from a beat down and saved the other fisherman from getting in trouble with these cheatin asshats

[@carolehartman7763]

Good job on checking@...Puts a real bad taste in my stomach about all the fishing tournaments...so sad to have to spoil the reputation of some great fishing contests, and all the supportors to this.