Poche disqualified

[Jaredn]

From the rules "Tournament waters shall be established by the Tournament Director for each tournament". Was the area within "tournament waters"?

the tournament director established and defined tournament waters. Go look at the attachment in post 87. It’s circled for you

[HGD]

It is not connected by water! A pipe does not count unless ur going to run ur boat thru it. Glad BASS has the Balls to stand by the rules. I had this fight with FLW years ago. Watched a guy do the same thing in a glass boat but it was a bigger oxbow dam. Several guys were doing it but Bill Taylor told them they weren't allowed to after the cut day bc they had to run the FLW boats. No way it was legal but that is why I have so much more respect for BASS!

[west_tn]

There are several locals commenting on his Facebook post that the small body was water is connected to Toledo Bend via a pipe that runs under the dam. This is why it’s considered part of Toledo Bend. The rules say that he can fish connected waters. The rules do not specify that the connecting water must be navigable. This whole deal sounds to me like Keith did his homework, carefully read the rules, and acted in accordance to those written rules. It also appears to me that B.A.S.S. failed to do their homework and are now retroactively interpreting the rules differently than they are explicitly written. Statements such as “Well, everybody knows that,” “Well, anyone just assumes that,” or “That’s not what is meant by” don’t cut it. If you reads the rules as they are written, he acted within the rules. If B.A.S.S. doesn’t like what he did, rewrite the rules for next year. But to DQ him for taking advantage of the ways the rules are currently written is BS. Most folks praised Jacob Wheeler for knowing the written rules when his boat broke down and he fished with another competitor. This situation is very similar, yet many are condemning Keith for knowing the rules and taking advantage of them.

While you may be right, Keith knew damn well this was a huge grey area. A simple call to the TD would have prevented all of this. It would have took 2 minutes of his time.

[Screamin_Reel]

i don’t understand why this is so hard. BASS defines tournament waters “….OR CONNECTED BY CREEK OR CANAL”, not by “connected by underground pipes, underground aquifers, or sewer systems”

words can be hard but people can look up the definition of Impoundment, creek, and canal to see the this was not tournament water

You're right, it's not hard. Read the statement from BASS's own website. This is the exact phrasing: "Tournament waters will be Toledo Bend and any creeks and canals connected to Toledo Bend." If an underground pipe connects the two waterways, then they are connected. Period. The BASS definition does not say how they must be connected (i.e. pipe, ditch, etc.). If they don't like the rules as written, then they have no one to blame but themselves. And if they are trying to disqualify him based on "leaving tournament waters," then they better go back and DQ a bunch more guys for jumping beaver dams, etc., over the years. If you're running a large organization with anglers investing a lot of money with you, you should make sure your rules are crystal clear as to what is allowable and what is not.

[mikeky]

the tournament director established and defined tournament waters. Go look at the attachment in post 87. It’s circled for you

My mistake, thanks

[Jaredn]

You're right, it's not hard. Read the statement from BASS's own website. This is the exact phrasing: "Tournament waters will be Toledo Bend and any creeks and canals connected to Toledo Bend." If an underground pipe connects the two waterways, then they are connected. Period. The BASS definition does not say how they must be connected (i.e. pipe, ditch, etc.). If they don't like the rules as written, then they have no one to blame but themselves. And if they are trying to disqualify him based on "leaving tournament waters," then they better go back and DQ a bunch more guys for jumping beaver dams, etc., over the years. If you're running a large organization with anglers investing a lot of money with you, you should make sure your rules are crystal clear as to what is allowable and what is not.

you may want to read the definitions of creek and canal

legal tournament waters…

[HGD]

You're right, it's not hard. Read the statement from BASS's own website. This is the exact phrasing: "Tournament waters will be Toledo Bend and any creeks and canals connected to Toledo Bend." If an underground pipe connects the two waterways, then they are connected. Period. The BASS definition does not say how they must be connected (i.e. pipe, ditch, etc.). If they don't like the rules as written, then they have no one to blame but themselves. And if they are trying to disqualify him based on "leaving tournament waters," then they better go back and DQ a bunch more guys for jumping beaver dams, etc., over the years. If you're running a large organization with anglers investing a lot of money with you, you should make sure your rules are crystal clear as to what is allowable and what is not.

CHEATERS always find the grey areas! Normal people use common sense!

[Jaredn]

My mistake, thanks

No worries.

I honestly don’t care as much as it seems. I do this for a living. I have to ensure black and white rules are followed and have to deal with people that try to bend very defined rules and play dumb afterwards

[janky]

Some PDS issues up in here.

[Toni]

Everyone else had the same rules, no one else interpreted it the way you did. Nice try.

If tournament organizers, officials, sanctioning bodies had to entertain everyone that was always finding gray areas and accommodating them on the first pushing of a gray area and then having to rewrite rules to prohibit every new gray area some people tried to use to an advantage, sports would devolve into lawsuits, court cases, arbitration, appeals and all the rest. Sponsors are not interested in that, fans are not interested, the viewing public loses interest.

Right or wrong, BASS made a call, and its the honorable thing to state your piece like a grownup, then just accept the call, learn your lesson and go on your way. Griping about it after the fact, posting statements slamming them, calling their decision laughable doesn't make you look good either. Even if it is debatable, debating it just drags everyone through the mud. You can always be convinced you are right, but you aren't always going to get things your own way. Be a grown up.

[west_tn]

is he going to get dq'd from lay for these posts? isn't there something in the rules against bashing bass on social media? I understand he is defending himself but where is the line drawn?

He's going full on scorched earth with it, so they just might send him packing. BASS has probably already called Ish to get his opinion on what they should do.

[River-Bandit]

Keith Poche for President

[River-Bandit]

you may want to read the definitions of creek and canal

legal tournament waters…

you really have to find some better water to fish in man ,, them der fillets are going to taste like chit

[BigFishSteve]

Please, no politics.

[Dixie-Raven]

What if he didn't jump the dam like he did and just cast his bait over it, would that have been allowed?

[VA Bass]

What if he didn't jump the dam like he did and just cast his bait over it, would that have been allowed?

no not at all

[Dixie-Raven]

no not at all

Well if that is the case jumping the dam should fall along the same lines.

[218_fishing]

They didn't put in navigable water in the rule?

[Screamin_Reel]

you may want to read the definitions of creek and canal

legal tournament waters…

Nice... Insults are always the best way to make your point. I thought about trying to explain my viewpoint to you one more time, but decided it wasn't worth the effort. Have a good day.

[mossie3]

Dukes of Hazard style fishing is fun to watch and will be all good until someone gets seriously hurt doing it. The Leash should put him on their pro staff.