Fish Stories

The lowest form of bass fisherman

The realm of competitive sports is always in the endless cause of keeping the perception of fairness in tact. Even with the constant scrutiny and attention to detail when verifying morning launches to tallying up fish totals, some of these desperate anglers seem to be able to sneak by with “less than acceptable” behavior in events. Arguments are had on the regular on what should be considered cheating and what is walking gray lines. There are also times when the behavior jumps to another level. One that we can never truly wrap our head around.

Pride of winning

Almost every angler in tournament communities across the world are in it for the win against the best. Anglers trying to get to high payout events are generally trying to get there to compete in large events for even bigger bragging rights. The thoughts of getting paid well for the victory of course is a factor but not the main factor. Having title of champion or Angler of the Year in a large organization is a prestigious thing. Winning on the biggest stages for any sport is a feat we all dream about throughout our lifetimes. The adrenaline rush throughout all of this not to be understated as well. A driving factor to the love of the sport is the insane rush we get when in the heat of an event we land or lose a winning bass. I think of it like and addiction, a healthy one. And I feed it as much as possible.

What would cause someone to cheat then? What is the emotional payoff for a fraudulent victory? What has that person actually accomplished that is worth the devastating consequences that could cause them to be banned from a sport they love for the rest of their life or even end them up in prison? These questions are what all the other anglers are thinking when a cheater is caught. To the rest of us there was no victory had. Just lies and deceit which have no honorable value whatsoever.

I’m not a psychologist by any strech but the only sense I can put to it is the adrenaline rush we get from competing honestly can also be seen in criminal behavior. The fear of getting caught is a rush itself for some and it can change from a deterrent to an addiction. The confidence created of thinking that they have outsmarted everyone and can do it again is now the path they are on. And the rush every time they are committing the acts is their addiction and eventually that will become their downfall. Either here on earth or at some point later in the afterlife, there will be a price to be paid.

Cheaters get caught

The best case scenario is a cheater is horrible at life in general and immediately is caught, banned and shamed away from competitive fishing forever. Consequences in this sport are brutal for cheaters to the point that most of us can’t even grasp why someone would try it. Public life for a cheater has to be lonely. Aside from the occasional narcissist that seemingly can sleep just fine even after being called out in front of their peers for committing the ultimate competitor sin.

Worst case is it continues for a period of time, and money is exchanged, awards given, public write ups, podcasts, social media posts and so on have been made by an organization or multiple organizations. Now hours of research and investigation has to be had by multiple people, organizations and potentially law enforcement.

At this point its seen as a blemish on the sport by some. Usually the ones that are skeptical about the validity in the first place and believe lots of cheating goes on all the time. I don’t see it that way with my glass half full outlook on life, The fact that we are as focused on integrity more than on anything else in this sport is what needs to be acknowledged and appreciated. There are some favoritism cases that happen and things get swept under the rug, and we get saddened in some circumstances when charges are not going to be filed. Sometimes there just isn’t enough evidence to get beyond “reasonable doubt” factor, and sometimes the situation isn’t as severe to justify it. But boy is it hard to tamper the anger down when these instances occur - even with my mostly positive outlook on life.

The laws in every state are different but committing fraud can carry hefty fines, loss of fishing privileges for life, retribution costs as well prison time in some cases. All of these potential pitfalls of getting caught cheating should be a deterrent on their own because most payouts are less than the potential fines. I wonder if these cheaters even grasp that this is the situation they are putting themselves in?

Moving forward

Although the recent cheating events that happened in the kayak bass fishing world caused a major uproar across the socials it was handled very well with communication between multiple tournament directors at both the local and national level.

The only reason the cheating went on as long as it did was the human beings that judge the fish got a touch sleepy. This wasn’t a single person or just limited to a single trail so there is no blame to be had. The guy was just slick enough to get by, for a little while. The latest infraction that included mutilation of the fish stood out enough however and rumor has it that there was some scrutiny going on beforehand.

The cheating went on over multiple events, months and potentially states. Luckily angler competitiveness can turn into skepticism fairly quickly and a fellow angler noticed something that looked suspicious and reported it. To that angler, the tournament directors and the rest of the community thanks you.

The open communication and camaraderie throughout the sport caused a group of directors to spend a Sunday morning investigating, confirming and reporting the fraud to the other competitors. We also thank them for their dedication to getting this handled quickly.

I write this article as both a vent session and a deterrent. Don’t be so desperate that you feel cheating is the only way, especially in this community that shares more information and tips than in any other. If you feel that cheating is the only solution for you to get ahead then you are in the wrong sport. Find another one.