Tournament Director Explains How The Cheaters Were Caught…

[@TheNightWatcher1385]

I’m not a serious fisher myself, but this incident didn’t give me a bad impression of competitive fishermen. In fact, the strong reaction from the crowd told me just how serious these competitions can be and just how scummy someone must be to be willing to cheat in one.

[@darcymoon2109]

And how they managed to keep it together and not beat his @$$.

[@valeriestevens5250]

And how to keep it from happening again? How about doing X-rays on the fish to make sure no one has stuffed anything (metal weights, rocks, etc.) down their throats? Vets have portable X-ray machines so I'm sure some could be bought for use at the tournaments.

[@swingforthefences777]

Not to mention that every walleye caught in a tournament dies and they hold tournaments all the time.

[@mp5kfisher241]

I havent had a smell of fish on my fingers for almost 1-1/2 months!

[@rogerthomas169]

cheating was far more common 50 years ago, when I was much younger an old(younger than me now) taxidermist befriended me at work, begrudgingly I might add, Merle was a cranky bastard. He would tell me stories of opening up muskies and finding lead packed in them, and a definate clearing straight down the throat the shape of a 2x4 to pack the weights in, then finding out later it was a tournment winner. Or the guy that had dropped off a 30 lb. muskie for mounting and then calling Merle to say he was coming to pick up the already frozen fish to show some visiting relatives , Merle would say,oh just bring them over to see it, but no, had to have it. Next week Merle reads about the guy taking second place with a 30lb muskie. Tournament directors are much smarter now knowing that if someone can cheat, someone will.

[@tomecalm7]

The fact that they didn't need those 8 lbs to win, but it only got them caught, is a case of poetic justice. It also reflects their utter stupidity.

[@ddub87]

I was just thinking the same thing! I'm guessing these guys started adding a few ounces here and there until they got cocky. Over 1.5lbs of weights in each fish is totally stupid and like Randy said anyone who fishes tournaments trails have seen enough fish to guess weights within a pound or less.

[@bradforward850]

EVERY fish from now on should be cut open. Trump trash is strong in this field.

[@tims_always_fishing7117]

exactly. greedy pos'

[@Michaelpruis]

They didn't need 8lbs to win team of the year... however for the tourney win they "needed" more weight than they had

[@tomecalm7]

@@Michaelpruis either way I'm glad they are done. And oh... They're done!

[@jessedavis7555]

My brother had two friends and one of them stole 10,000 dollars. The guy who failed the test turned out to be the guy who didn’t do it. The guy who passed the test ended up getting caught with the money. That test ain’t worth the money they paid to build it.

[@thegriffinsden3383]

Princeton and many other highly held universities have done studies showing how inaccurate the test is. The inventor fought the last 40 years of his life to stop its abuse. Many people have been wrongfully convicted over pseudoscience. If anyone tries to make you take test I'd sue the shit out of them! Research anything someone tries to do to you. Many serial killers have passed polygraph

[@jazzfeline5970]

That's why they aren't even admissible in court. Polygraphs are essentially a pseudoscience. It's comical that people actually go to school to become a "polygrapher" and think they have some superpower. A lot of polygraph "experts" seem pompous and overconfident, as if they're desperately trying to legitimize a job that even they know deep down is bullshit.

[@timberhaint806]

Polygraphs are worthless and easily beatable. That's why they're not admissible in court.

[@Impossibly-Possible]

It only works if the one administering the test really knows his stuff

[@jessedavis7555]

@@Impossibly-Possible even then it’s not 100%. The Cop in my brothers case swore it to be correct and even claimed he put murderer’s in prison for life to the guy who failed. Then he told him he must’ve stolen something else ( never admitted to the mistake) after they found out he was innocent.This is a perfect example of why it’s not allowed in court or trials.

[@jerrybodle5056]

Thanks!

[@randyblaukatintuitive]

Thx for the super thx Jerry!

[@RonBand01]

Inside edition had a story on it Tuesday and they said that the accused had over 1.5 million in tournament wins. That calls into question every tournament win they ever had.

[@direwolf4981]

I have read another story where they have made over 3 million combined. This doesn’t include the boats, motors, gear etc

[@bluekagss503]

I have fished many walleye tournaments on Lake Erie in Ohio, and the one thing that is for sure is that most of us can look at a fish and tell you how much it is going to weigh. To within a pound either way. A 24" walleye will normally weigh 4 lbs. A 25" will be 5 lbs. A 27" will go 7 lbs. A 30" will be right around 10 lbs, give or take a half pound either way. Those walleye were nowhere near 27" walleye. They were closer to 24" to 25" long. And they should have weighed 24 to 26 lbs on the scale. Glad they got caught cause now I can enter the fall brawl and the walleye slam with the hopes that the cheaters out there maybe a little more scared to cheat this year. And we maybe get an honest event for a change. I hope anyway. lol

[@benroper7290]

I agree

[@pearlrival3124]

thats why the guy in the crowd was crying about it. he would have cut them open himself. had it not been for him the tournament director would have let them continue to cheat. director was in on it.

[@unabrazoatodoslosbuenos]

I hope you win. From the spirit in your comment I know you take it seriously. Knock 'em dead but make sure they don't accidentally swallow lead. 😁😁

[@richardstetson8221]

That's why I would have thought that these guys wouldn't have made it so obvious especially if they've been doing it for a while

[@pikehunter23750]

@BlueKags S - It's too bad they don't have an official posted in every boat to weigh the fish after they land it so it's immediately returned to the water. That would take care of this problem immediately. It's also a damn shame to see all of those dead tournament walleyes. I know they have officials in the boat for Bass tournaments. Is it just a matter of cost that they can't do this?

[@theperfectpaintertoolreview]

My buddy I work with doesn't fish and has heard about the cheaters. It's crazy how viral this has gone

[@sportguy-live26]

Very viral I'm on the other side of the planet but we're all fisher men ..

[@jeffnarum1373]

I don't fish but, Its been all over my YT feed.

[@carlmaro]

Being a former tournament director, I once had to disqualify my friends for coming to a weight-in late. 1 pound per minute. And they were 15 minutes late. Also they would have won had they not be late. It Wasn't easy and they weren't happy. Definitely Not an easy job.

[@billdavis6900]

carlmaro - You make an excellent point. People who are pathological liars or sociopaths can pass a polygraph no problem because they don’t get measurably nervous from lying and an honest person who gets nervous from being confronted or directly questioned can fail and be telling the truth. Guys like these who have no morals and have no problem with cheating will likely come off as truthful.

[@Truesoda]

@@billdavis6900 what the hell are you on about?

[@billdavis6900]

@@Truesoda I’m not sure how that happened. My reply was meant for a different comment that was made about failing a polygraph.

[@ovoxo5793]

They can add xray machines

[@billdavis6900]

@@ovoxo5793 I’m sure cost would be a factor but otherwise that’s a really good idea.

[@oscarkoop2548]

One thing about thieves, sooner or later they always get greedy.

[@burs_bobby_iaga]

They were friends with the tournament director you say ….. first thing that comes to mind for me is the fact that these dudes have been accused in the past plenty of times. So when people get greedy and take and take and take, when caught, act surprised. I have a gut feeling that there’s more to these guys just cheating. SOMEONE ELSE or OTHER PARTIES are involved with this scandal. There’s no way you can steal over 3mill in tournament prize money without paying people under the table. Don’t lose sight people that it’s just two that were involved. There’s more people involved that got fed under the table for this to go on as long as it has. Start digging into that as well instead of shedding the spotlight on the two individuals.

[@t-train6723]

Is there proof they win 3 million from cheating?

[@pikehunter23750]

The very same can be said about the election cycle this country has to suffer every two years.

[@PutinsMommyNeverHuggedHim]

@@pikehunter23750 lol sore loser. keep crying

[@uniquestion777]

I admire the restraint of this mob. They saved those two wretched souls.

[@tnsteele95]

What's sad...from what I understand, if they hadn't cheated, their fish would've still probably won the tournament. It's poetic justice lop

[@ltrane81]

But they were know for cheating. Maybe won this tournament but what others did they steal.

[@ty_vaughn96]

Yeah, they added 8lbs to a 25lb bag.

[@richardbossman9875]

But would they have even been in contention to win if they hadn’t possibly cheated before in previous tournaments as well?

[@rickfrompawnstars5550]

There is no chance they didn’t also cheat by catching them before hand. There’s no way they were out on the water, same day, stuffing 8lbs into fish. They most likely double cheated.

[@jasondraughon8825]

@@rickfrompawnstars5550 correct, he was saying how the fish they weighed in felt “mushy” compared to the firmer feeling fish that were brought in by others that day. Most likely frozen over a week or so of fishing prior and thawed out in boat livewell before weigh ins.

[@johnfriar6423]

Randy, I never seem to get it where is the honor and integrity. I’ve been brought up the old way where theses two things were big in my day, and I still teach it to my son, that if you practice this in life you will always come out on top. One saying I have always use is this. If something is worth found it’s worth doing the right way. Thanks John friar

[@sheild1117]

Just an FYI, yes cheating does happen, but the honor and integrity is present in a lot of tournaments, more often than you think.

[@georgeb6079]

Trump voter

[@jalspach9215]

@@georgeb6079 Maybe so. I'll take "honor & integrity" any day. What's YOUR alternative? Tool.

[@isitoveryet9525]

Goes out the window when $ is involved. Every sport has been corrupted at some point

[@2WheelsdownN]

What's worse is people who hide giant bass in the lake and pick it up mid tournament

[@jeffero80]

My mom has never fished a day in her life but she came across the video of that weigh in and asked me about it,so I explained everything to her.i think this story is world wide now

[@markbarret6836]

Hey to your mom.

[@johannvanderschyff7735]

Even here in South Africa we know about it!

[@jamescoleakaericunderwood2503]

@@johannvanderschyff7735 WOW... thanks Johann

[@marvindebot3264]

Can confirm, it made the national news here in Australia.

[@markbarret6836]

@@marvindebot3264 G' Day Australia, from Virginia, named so because the monarch at the time was a virgin...

[@mikeellis4345]

People watching that weigh in also knew the huge 33lb weight was off as soon as they saw the digital scale display the numbers. They can be heard clearly verbalizing their disbelief. Let’s hope the tournament is not negatively impacted by sponsorship withdrawals or competitors walking away in future. Tournament officials need to implement positive rule changes asap.

[@macbook802]

That team should be fined any winnings they've ever had

[@os4hwks757]

Idea for tournament directors! There are hand held metal detectors that look like a small wand that treasurer hunters use to pin point targets, They for sure would pick up lead or other metals inside a fish! One brand I know is Garret Wand!

[@ccampau]

Only works for metal. Filets, ice, etc would not get picked up. Best thing to do is require top 5 placers to have their fish opened.

[@charlesmccoy2087]

@@ccampau I agree but bass tournaments are released after weigh in not sure what the answer is for them but there must be something

[@thegriffinsden3383]

@@charlesmccoy2087 ultrasound can be used on fish they have all kinds of probes that can examine whole fish.

[@johndiasjr9000]

@@charlesmccoy2087 loaded fish probably won't swim away real well, you any good at walking with lead weights in your ass, maybe with practice

[@ccampau]

@@charlesmccoy2087 if they are going to be released, they would be in a live well. Adding a lot of weight will cause the fish to not act right or sink. They could also have a chart with approximate weights per length of fish. If one falls outside the margin of error, the fish would need to be looked at more closely. If all of the fish one guy catches is pushing the MoE, it should raise a red flag. Between issued GoPros on boats, statistical trends, and possible opening up the fish on top of expected ethics, it should be very difficult to cheat and get away with that kind of money.

[@davidanderson8622]

I'm glad you said that Os4hwks, I was thinking the same thing! Garrett makes a very good handheld MD. I tell my fishing buddy all the time that they should have them in the little tournament's that we get into. Also, they can detect Tungsten as well.

[@angelestevis7544]

or a whites or fisher

[@KennyCannon]

What about just doing it by length? The kayak bass tournaments do it and it works really well.

[@i.l6916]

“There’s probably people out there who are just nervous and would send up red flags for a polygraph test” That would be me😂 100% me. Always been afraid of those tests for no reason.

[@captainron3494]

they don't work at all been down that rd u fish all day poping 5 hours like candy then cause u had bad back poping pain killers then take a test in back seat of a car that's over 103 yea good luck on pass that then go take one from state board from fbi and pass they don't recognize that one yea go pro works better date time stamp see what u do all day

[@JM-jq7ft]

It’s a form of interrogation they build repor with you and ask a series of questions to stabilize and get a reading on your breathing heart rate pulse and blood pressure so they will be able to separate anxiety from a dead lie

[@kweekwee5569]

No need to be nervous if you're telling the truth.

[@captainron3494]

agree 100% but not what he did at boat ramp plus cheat on a 50 bucks when u in a 100,000 rig funny now the state board guy ask a ton of questions before test and pass flying colors only thing fail was safe questions cause he said If I forgot to put on life vest or kill switch and you can't remember if u did or not so I fail that .but pass even ever cheated pass it is what it is

[@kweekwee5569]

@@captainron3494 a man can't just go out and have a good time no more. There's always an asshole or two ready to ruin it for everybody.

[@catchofthedave8681]

Agree 1000% Randy; Tournament directors have a very tough and very thankless job. Anytime anything goes wrong, theres any controversy, a couple tournaments suck and have bad conditions, etc... anything like that, they are getting criticized. BE KIND TO YOUR TOURNEY DIRECTORS AND THANK THEM OFTEN FOR THE HARD WORK THEY DO. I know a tourney director who had to dq someone for breaking a rule that was in writing, in the rules, and he confessed he did it, that he didn't know it was a rule. He woulda won, and ended up they had to dq him. The rule wasnt cheating or anything like that, it was more a technical rule, like he still likely would have caught the fish to win, it didn't really affect anything other than allowing him to be able to fish a bit faster and catch more fish out of a fired up school.....but you break a rule, your gonna get dq'd, or take a penalty depending on the rule. Not knowing is no excuse when it's in the series rulebook. So anyways, the guy gets DQ'd while talking to director on the phone on way home from tourney; and he immediately starts cussing out the tourney director and calling him all the names in the book. Still the director was calm and trying to explain why the rule is in place, but guy isn't hearing it, he continues insulting the tourney director and cussing and making veiled threats. So then the guys wife (who knows nothing about fishing except that her husband would have won but got dq'd) She goes on fb and social media and starts trashing the tourney director and threatens to sue him and sue the tourney series etc. So, the director banned the angler and his wife from any tourney event or awards for life, and since the tourney series is a state trail of a much bigger series, he sent all the messages about sueing to the main series legal team. The guy who is a good angler will probably not fish any tourneys in the state again because no one will have him. Especially when they tried to take it on social media and trash the series and director......that was worse mistake they ever coulda done because then they pissed off nearly every other tourney angler in the state who knew and followed the rules and they completely made the guy's wife who posted sound and look like an uneducated idiot. All he had to really do was handle it with some type of dignity, learn from it, and move on and he likely would have won another one before too long. But that is a typical few days in every tourney directors life.......those type situations and many, many, others as well. You gotta also understand that this happened after the awards ceremony and all that. So after all this, the director had go back through and post new winners, adjust all the placements, all the points, and change who the compensation went to, etc. All that is a nightmare to deal with, esp when theres only one director and not a huge team behind the series like a bassmaster or MLF would have. So thank your director, early and often; and if controversy happens, handle it with some dignity and respect......you can always punch a hole in the wall and throw a tantrum at home afterwards when no one is around.

[@johnhumphrey5687]

Write a book ff

[@ballinboii1814]

St fu nobody cares what u think go write a book

[@ChrisG9978]

Polygraph machines are complex and do not "detect" lying, it's not that simple. A polygraph machine is an instrument, like a guitar...the polygraph examiner has to be extremely sharp and well-trained on how to interpret the device based upon baselines that are established with the person being tested. Each person will give unique polygraph results....it's up to the Examiner as to whether or not someone is lying. As an analogy...a guitar doesn't play itself, it's all about mastery of the instrument and knowing its ins and outs, becomes second nature to an experienced guitarist who has mastered the instrument. Same deal for a polygraph...you can hook a guy up to a polygraph, start asking questions, the results would be meaningless to the avg Joe. Whether or not the polygraph is indicating a lie is entirely based on the skill and experience of the examiner, and the baselines/deviations for each individual tested.

[@sinisterryan8r]

I caught a 7 lbs Walleye when I was young. It was three times the size of those fish 🤣🤣 I got pictures to prove it lol 🤣

[@pete5819]

Same here. 26" 7.5 pounds. Obese fish. They're big even at that size, length.

[@jimlahey3919]

We throw back 4-5 pounders in PA. We fill the boat with 7-8 pounders and citation walleye. The fish 4-6 miles out in 100+ FOW are much larger than the western basin fish they catch closer to shore.

[@bobbyswain7049]

The story was on ESPN two days ago. Let's not convict em yet Randy....they may have been on that early Fall lead bite that we all love 😂😂😂

[@danf4616]

lol Dang... I've only been catching steel weighted fish. Better up my game! 😂

[@leebarnes393]

Yeah 😂 I think I heard about that 🤣 Bite!!

[@michaelcarey5981]

I have fished with a charter the last 2yrs now, our Captain has fished against these 2 guys multiple times. There has been suspicion for a long time due to these 2 winning repeatedly

[@victoriacleaveland3465]

The thieves should be charged with animal cruelty, fined, all equipment seized and banned from further events.

[@markcoe509]

Wish there could be some kind of rule or law that if you ever get caught cheating then you have to pay back all your earning from every tournament before that.

[@grandwonder5858]

What about some prison time?

[@ronniegray437]

5 lashes per pole from each fisherman entered. Main stage and let's get a line going.

[@powerbaitpaul]

we interviewed Jason Sunday night on Ike Live. Seems like a good dude, sorry he was put in that situation but he handled it well

[@joeys7519]

When he asked for that knife one of the cheaters immediately bailed out of there in a hurry.

[@davidirwin1549]

Thanks for the explanantion of how it went down. I earlier had seen a video of the director explaining what happened and being suspicious he simply asked them to turn the fish over. The cheater protested but did in fact turn them over and now I'm sure he wishes that he didn't hand them over and just say something and leave. He probably thought they were going to just be re-weighed and didn't think they would be cut open.

[@timholsworth316]

I’m sorry, but this took far too long for tournament directors to figure out. The scumbags were suspected for years! I would expect more with so much money on the line.

[@pneumans]

Well the TD was friends with these guys... they failed a polygraph for cheating in the fall ball, but used the same fish for a lewt tournament at the same time which was legal and passed that polygraph with flying colours. I'm not saying he was involved, but he didn't actually react until the crowd started yelling that 33 pounds was way too much for those fish

[@stevencaskey2796]

I just wanted to say thank you and good job on the video. I have absolutely no knowledge on how these fishing tournaments work. But this is the only video that I found that explains everything I wanted to know about how they were caught.

[@dirttdude]

there isn't anything wrong with any of this. these people that complain about alleged "cheating" are just doing poor sportsmanship. Everybody "cheats", "cheating" is widely accepted in video games, marages, taxes and tests. Goodness, we would be stuck with President Trump right now if it weren't for cheating. So, i need you all to shut it immediately, please. Do you want Trump back or something?

[@garrettm5408]

I work in HR IT and had a coworker come by first thing this morning and tell my team to pat me down for lead weights. I had to laugh. He knew I was a fanatic fisherman and he is not, so even people that don't fish are making jokes about it.

[@wilsonarnette7883]

Xrays and metal detectors are one tool, but fish could still be stuffed with nonmetallic objects. Things that wouldn't show up on an xray or metal detectors. Saw one post mention ice. Randy keep us up to date on any rule changes that come about as result of this.

[@ogles824]

Agreed, a hand held metal detector probably wouldn’t cost that much and with a simple wave would tell if there is metal present enhancing the weight of a bag of fish.

[@tims_always_fishing7117]

they filled em up with felits too, probably stopped the fish from sounding like a drum set

[@ME-pb2gf]

every team on that circuit stuffs their walleye with 1/2-3/4 lb of dead baitfish. How can anyone prove they put those fish in there?

[@ProfessorDisaray]

The Tournaments that I've been in have rules and restrictions. 1. The fish must be alive at all times even at weigh in, or the fish is disqualified which may result in a fine by the DNR. 2. There is metal detector that discriminates all metals, that scans all fish before they are weighed. Any metal... the fish is disqualified. 3. On big purse events, there is a sponsor on all boats to account for any violations and to stop any cheating. Polygraphs are completely useless, they are not an exact science and can be fooled by many.

[@Glock-1]

That has been everywhere, on the national news everywhere! It’s crazy how the only way the fishing community gets press like that is when something bad like this! Sad,not to mention everyone are pissed about the fish having to be put through that and rightly so

[@jimmyrhino6176]

Tournament fishing has never had so much media attention. Crazy. Cool

[@peahead2632]

Randy, I believe most metal detectors will pick up lead if properly set. There are handheld ones (Pinpointers) that would make it easy to check a suspicious fish. Keep up the great videos.

[@AyCee21]

They’ll just stuff it with non-metal objects, such as putty, clay, wood, etc.

[@peahead2632]

@@AyCee21 They in no way increase the weight of a fish like lead would. Heck a they could stuff a rock down it and claim the fish swallowed it. Why not use all the tools you bee to find a cheater. Who are you trying to protect?

[@mikearg3529]

So where can i find the video of the "Tournament director explains how the cheaters were caught" I don't understand the misleading?

[@JohnLong02245]

That’s why I think they should all go to length vs weight (CPR) catch, photo - measurement and release. No need for livewells, the fish are less stressed and with standardized measuring boards no guessing. I’ve caught 23” fish that weighed anywhere from 5.5 lbs to 7.5 lbs but 23” is 23” and wouldn’t matter if the fish was weighted lol. Check out tournament rules for KBF and other kayak tournament rules.

[@leebarnes393]

Absolutely the truth!!

[@dorothymillay631]

I just watched a bass fisherman get caught on the CPR.

[@Eyesofthebeholder214]

Good idea👍

[@jasondraughon8825]

That’s how a lot of the redfish tournaments are done as well. Particularly the fly fishing only tourneys since most of the skiffs don’t have live wells. Redfish tourneys are a little goofy though with not much congruity between them since some only count the three biggest slot fish, so in TX a tournament is pretty much, “who can catch three 28” redfish?” With a side pot for biggest fish outside of the slot. Then other tourneys will be most total inches, which is a little goofy because two redfish the same length can be multiple pounds different, but the boat who can land the most in the day has the lead, and that’s not really a terrible format. All fish are videoed being landed, measured and released with a time stamp on the video.

[@smyersfishingadventures]

The average for their 5 fish they came in with was better than the big fish up to that point, if I am not mistaken.

[@SayKyleNotCow]

As someone who doesn’t really fish and knows absolutely nothing about fishing tournaments, I don’t personally look at it as making tournaments look bad, I think the cheaters look bad and the tournament director looks good for not letting it slide under the radar.

[@mikegonzalez4469]

What do you think about a metal detector…. Or maybe an X-ray machine to test these weight ins ???? Just a suggestion but something useful has to be put in place !!!!

[@Tomc8030]

Thanks for the update… check out Robby Rose down here in Texas, this guy was fishing by his self and winning everything for a couple years. He was caught in 2020 doing the same thing. Can’t begin to tell you how many boats, side x sides, 4 wheelers and cash he cheated people out of and like you side people was whispering cheater and they finally caught him. After it was all said and done he received 5 year’s probation and Jose his hunting and fishing rights for that period.

[@Brandon-du3tk]

Hey man glad you are keeping it real my name is Brandon McConnell I don't want to degrade any work you have done 👍 I appreciate you guys, I'm only here shinning the light 🚨 these guys have disgraced their family and I feel sympathy for there family's because they didn't know any better that these anglers felt they had to cheat to win. My thoughts and prayers are with those who didn't know, that they were doing this.♥️

[@phillipcerrillo2513]

Exrrays

[@dougg1075]

I’ve beat two polygraph tests. No I didn’t do it:) somebody stole at my work and they had everyone in the department take the test. Of course the company threw in questions like “ have you ever used a vehicle without authorization” which we all did , among other dumb stuff. I counted in my head from one to whenever it stopped. I would hear the question, answer and only thinking about the count. Haha! Crazy

[@dant6311]

Too bad it's not that easy at a place where people hand in votes.... Thanks Randy!

[@sforti01]

Bass fisherman here. I think the way you have conducted yourself and the way you have kept us updated is a testament to your character And your commitment to the sport. We got your back and thanks for sharing the facts.

[@spazzymacgee5648]

Bot comment.

[@jasonrutherfordbassfishing]

Good synopsis, thanks Randy. Ad no it does not look good on our sport!!

[@chadbrace2914]

Probably a dumb question and somewhat off topic, but why are they weighing in dead fish anyways? I bass fish every weekend (not in tournaments) and I think there should be a rule that any dead fish gets excluded or even deducted from the live fish total rather than just specified weight penalties.

[@erichildreth7562]

It is sad that there are people that do things like this and they need to ne held accountable for what they did. Hope that you do good out on the water and the background scenery is awesome!!

[@johnpeters5987]

The first time I watched a video of them getting caught I was really surprised no one laid hands on them.

[@unabrazoatodoslosbuenos]

A spectograph could detect a foreign substance in the fish. Find any non-destructive testing technician and they'll be able to help you. I heard this story from a non- fishermen and I live in Spain. The cheaters were criminals and should be treated as such. Un saludo de España.

[@TaterChip91]

There's no link to the interview in the description

[@marinemansfsf7617]

Great video randy. I've really become a fan of your videos over the last few months. Keep up the great work. As far as the cheating goes, couldn't they get some sort of portable xray or lead detector? I know it would be very expensive to buy one of these, but in a tournament where there's thousands of dollars at stake, I think it could be effective.

[@georgequinn5762]

I’m a Tournament fisherman in Florida and cheating is everywhere and these guys got caught and it’s sad this is a sport , we do Catch Photo Release on a bump board and all of our tournaments are required to have live fish

[@kenbragg120]

The judge in this case should require them to stand at every event with a a sign around their neck saying “ I’m a Cheater” for the next 5 years

[@thomasskrappy3250]

Welcome to the Big League. Our Bank Anglers Assoc. tournaments have to watch for this all the time.

[@emilianobanzi9432]

In order to avoid cheating every boat needs 2 Go Pro mounted from the organization and as Matt Stefan suggested few days ago maybe a scan to see if something is inside the fish

[@BobbyBalsaRNM]

Yepp! GoPro's are cheap and an easy way to maintain some integrity or at least limit cheating. Makes you wonder why this hasn't been implemented..? Metal detectors are also cheap.

[@bradbutcher3984]

Go pro batteries last like 40 minutes of run time.

[@BobbyBalsaRNM]

@@bradbutcher3984 not sure what GoPro you're using... My Hero 8 lasts a whole day with 2 batteries.

[@hTIG]

Go Prosare notorious for failing and over heating. What happens when the cameras fail?

[@UWPcustombaits]

@@hTIG foreal I have a gopro 7 and it overheats and corrupts files all the time.

[@AKA0987]

They need to start measuring the density of the fish.

[@davefields2881]

Catch, Photo, Release (CPR) is not 100 percent cheat proof yet, but it's getting better all the time. I believe "weigh ins" will be a thing of the past in the near future. Also, if the purse is more than 10k, I think video should be mandatory.

[@jeremyr7147]

Everything is recorded today.. Ppl drive with dash cams running in their cars. No excuse.. Just set up a cheap dash cam or go pro on the boat to record everything easily as part of the tourney

[@davidwissman85]

a young streamer I watch named Ludwig on his Mogul Mail youtube channel even had a segment on it... it went pretty viral.

[@jackdixon4530]

An MLF format would solve this. There would be a third party weigh master on the boat supplied by the tournament for the final day competitors.

[@givemeabreakdoc]

If you’ve fished for years, You can guess the weight with in 6 ounces……easy.

[@richardsqueeze]

X ray or metal detectors for the fish could help this and not be to expensive for the tournament.

[@jobu88]

I take a poly every year for my job and there is no way you just sit down after a tournament and hook up the machine and get an accurate poly. It's a half-day process to do a proper poly test. And a poly is not admissible in court for good reason, because they are not reliable.

[@richardbossman9875]

In court no, but a tournament could allow them as a final check of integrity. The had them for the big bass contests Mike long was entering his snagged or stolen fish in.

[@jobu88]

@@richardbossman9875 That's all true, no argument, but giving a poly under less than normal conditions is going to make it even more unreliable. I would never agree to take a poly if there wasn't the full time and procedure to do it right. I've never seen one at a tournament but I cannot believe it looks anything like what a properly-administered poly looks like. Seriously, there's nearly an hour of prep as the poly guy explains what he's going to ask and explains other details, and then the test itself usually takes between 90 minutes and 2 hours.

[@TheQuadcopterReview]

The cheating can happen in other ways too. When i fished a BASS state championship in florida i caught a 7.8 lber at which point my boater took back the front position at the end of the day he offered me all of his fish for my weigh in which would put me in the money. I refused, he kept pushing it and i kept refusing. It made me think how much of that kind of cheating goes on as well. Also lets not forget the Flw fisherman that was tying bass to tree’s from pre-fishing days on ockee then going and getting them on tournament day. Fish and game caught him by clipping the fishes tall. Another team was caught throwing fish over an embankment to a small pond. They were filmed casting over the embankment to fill their bag tournament days. You also have prefish fish put in crab traps and retrieved tournament day. 15 years of tournaments i have seen and heard of a lot of cheating but weights were always a myth for me.

[@lancel71]

It doesnt reflect well on the 2 clowns but as far as fishing in general, it hasn't changed my view whatsoever.

[@mateobeans3787]

There’s a easy solution, cut the fish open every time there weighed!

[@WOT881]

Crazy how viral this has gone. I've overheard folks talking about it that don't even fish. Those clowns are lucky that the crowd didn't beat the living hell out of them.

[@oxyfee6486]

If you watch in the video you can hear the guy who leaned in to the director tell him to stop amping people up, he knew things were about to go south.

[@jeremyr7147]

An angry mob!

[@oxyfee6486]

@@jeremyr7147 “They Tuk R JOBS”!!!!!!!!!

[@frontierfishingwithRyanMacD]

I remember 30 years ago fishing Salmon Tournaments in Ontario they were checking fish for lead weights. I remember asking my dad what they were checking for and he told me lead weights... it's the oldest trick in the book that you simply JUST DON'T DO IT!!!! Bye bye sponsors for those two!!!

[@jeremyr7147]

Cant believe they got away with the oldest trick in the book. The tourney should be held responsible for allowing it to happen. Someone was paid to keep it quite...

[@jerryc2709]

The ONLY thing they can be charged with is Cruelty to Animals. They were not awarded a check so there's no theft by deception. Also, there is no real proof that they cheated in other tournaments although I would bet the mortgage they did. They will probably lose their fishing licenses for life in that state but it won't stop them from obtaining licenses in other states. This is why I stopped fishing buddy tournaments years ago.

[@jakebridgetimpastato5622]

They clearly had done this so many times they were confident enough to think they wouldn’t get caught. That’s why they added so much weight. They didn’t care since it worked so many other times.

[@deirdregahansuttle5698]

Well done to all the men NOT beating the cheaters up.

[@donaldfisher4115]

I’m a deer hunter and this resembles poaching. Can’t stand cheaters. Would a metal detector at tourneys possibly help?

[@JimKellogg]

Can you put a link for your Sun Glasses?

[@randyblaukatintuitive]

www.solarbat.com/products/rb2

[@randybarger8649]

The eyes of the world is on the Fishing community right now how this is handled will be how the sport progresses this is bad for all Fisherman But I believe they should never be allowed a fishing license again

[@stevek.7072]

Just one thing..The fact that this dudes name is Jason "Fisher" makes me happy

[@ronniecoker8233]

Every tournament needs to start using gopro cameras or some type of video setup especially if there is big money involved. $1500 and up. And it needs to a camera that has a time stamp.

[@greenbladesofgrass]

How did they add the weight to the fish?

[@TheNightWatcher1385]

I still wanna know why they thought nearly doubling the 2nd place weight wouldn’t be suspicious.

[@trex9194]

The response from all the fisherman, director, etc. were all professional. I can understand the cuss words and all but the control everyone displayed was commendable.

[@Knotyourbusiness]

They were soft and squishy because they even cheated on the catch itself.

[@brianralston1579]

It's time all fishing tournaments have an official on each boat keeps it legal and keeps the fish safe a good catch and release practice

[@davidstick9207]

And it is paid for as part of the entrance fee. Or Go-pros everywhere. Anything....is better than nothing. And if you try something and it is overkill...back away from it. Solutions are not one-time things....but an evolution of trial and error

[@jeremyr7147]

Gopro or dashcams are creap no excuse not to have it recorded.. Pic or it didnt happen.

[@rdude1184]

The fact that Polygraph Test are part of a sport is telling in itself. Dam shame.

[@easttexan2933]

you said, "what do they do moving forward?" well, for starters these two criminals should be banned from competing until the investigation is completed and when found guilty, a lifetime ban should be instituted against them. Pretty simple stuff.

[@grandwonder5858]

No prison time? NBA ref Tim Donaghy served 5 years for cheating for the Lakers!

[@easttexan2933]

@@grandwonder5858 not sure if prison time is an option for cheating on a fishing contest. I guess it could be considered grand larcency which is, so yeah, if that option is on the table.

[@Joshua_Matthew_Fishin]

My wife works in a law firm she said that it will come down to the DA wanting to see them shoving weights in fish more likely they will get off with a fine, but the public humiliation will keep them from ever fishing a tournament again,

[@Marcus_Crawford]

I compete in bass tournaments and they have to be alive, when they are weighed. Do walleye die fast or something the reason they don’t have to be alive.

[@stuartrobertse9617]

Gonna have too start putting the fish through metal detcors?

[@chriswalker9288]

Gotta be cheaper than polygraph tests! A hand held metal detector is a hundred bucks!

[@pellajoe]

Cruelty to animals needs to be one of the criminal charges

[@TTownTCG]

Thank you for the video. Personally I appreciate it. The point you was talking about a 7lb average isn't unheard of but it definitely doesn't happen regularly. Much respect sir.

[@gregackerman9065]

I’m still waiting for a response from all of their sponsors. We may have to boycott all sponsors who don’t condemn this. In my opinion if they won’t condemn it, it means the sponsors condone it.

[@TreybleRockLake]

Dan Patrick had a guy on yesterday and talked about it for 11 minutes, that’s when I knew it went WAY past the fishing world.

[@josephfranklin5083]

Haven't fished in yrs this has caught my eyes

[@antoniomontana5778]

The question I have is, what prevents tournament officials from inspecting the fish of the winning team? I saw in another video that these dudes refused to give their catch from previous tournaments to a company that collects and donates the fish to food banks.

[@ratking948]

These guys were friends with the tournament director? Can anyone confirm what he said in this video

[@Bigwaterfishing]

Full interview here kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJyXgmeKrLCbgrs

[@briansymmes7917]

So in America, kids have to go through a metal detector to get into school, but the adults can’t put a fish through one in a tournament worth tens of thousands of dollars. You can buy a metal detecting wand for a few bucks.

[@Timmichanga361]

While the sentiment is correct, it's just not logical. It is not cost efficient. Each tournament would be responsible for owning, transporting and maintaining the equipment. It could also be said, 'well why doesnt every vehicle have a sober-lock device to keep people from driving drunk'.

[@redbud815]

What do you from this day forward? You charge those cheaters to the fullest that you can. Ban them from every and all competitions in the future. Seems simple to me, but I digress. I don't know the legalities or possibilites of recovering past winnings, but something needs done that's severe to discourage potential cheaters in the future.