Is this tournament cheating?

[Jeff Hahn]

There a spot on the Ohio River, White Oak Pool, I think, that is off limits. It’s a private lake that a campground built, and then connected to the River, if I recall correctly. (Dan may know, so correct me if I’m wrong here.). It’s marked “Private” and everyone knows it’s off limits. Yet, on occasion, a tournament competitor will go in there. A few years back in a BFL, the boater and coangler were both set to get nice checks when a friend of mine protested them, having seen them come out of this private lake. They were both DQ’ed, just as they should have been. Luckily for me, that moved me up and I got the last check that day.

[Phrog Phil]

Sounds like a DQ.

[bobh4656]

An obvious double standard. Either everyone can fish the area or no one can fish the area. You can't have two different rules for the same tournament.

[BP in ME]

Sounds like you're off to a great start with the club. You having fun yet?

[06 SB]

I would not call that cheating. It is a rule violation and should be a DQ.

[Kzaker]

10 yards is 30’. I can tell you where it is on a map. The mouth of the canal may only be 50-60’ (correction: maybe 80’ish) total. He was 50 yards INSIDE the canal...

[TMG]

10 yards is 30’. I can tell you where it is on a map. The mouth of the canal may only be 50-60’ total. He was 50 yards INSIDE the canal...

Sounds like he should have been disqualified.

[Kzaker]

maybe his boat is "authorized" or is it common knowledge what vessels are or aren't?

Ive been up since 3am, I’ll pull the rules out and see what they say- they are one complete page so- maybe something. And the coordinator has confirmed that the property is off limits and the sign should have been obeyed. No I didn’t file a complaint because I didn’t have 2 SM over 20”, I had 30 that were between 18-19”- I was continuing to fish and not weighing in this week.... So you can see how by me following the rules and fishing within limits and him violating them really would piss me off since it was just inside of the off limits area..

[NoZero]

Louisiana folk, I realize the reality of bayou trolls may not let you pass, but legally, does this not apply? (from the Coast Guard)

33 U.S. Code § 10 - Waters in Louisiana Purchase as public highways

• US Code
• Notes

prev | next

All the navigable rivers and waters in the former Territories of Orleans and Louisiana shall be and forever remain public highways.

[Walkabout7781]

Locally speaking, on Lk. Washington there is a small system of canals where the HOA put up a sign that said "Private Waters", but it wasn't legal. We went ahead and fished in there and were rather hoping for the police to be called. They took down the sign, but negotiated with tournament organizers to make it "off limits" for tournaments only. A decent compromise.

Between Lk. Sammamish and Lk. Washington is the "Sammamish Slough" (creek/river), which is "off limits" in the DF&W fishing regs. The year after I retired as club TD, the 1st & 2nd place winners in our club-only tournament fished in the Sammamish Slough, violating STATE regs. I wasn't there, or I would have protested. I would also have brought up the off limit areas in the Driver's Meeting, since apparently it wasn't mentioned. OBTW, the TD was the guy that placed 1st, and the guy that placed 2nd is a fisheries biologist. To say I'm disappointed in both of them is an understatement.

For the OP, I feel your pain. Personally, I would do some research and make certain that the sign referred to is not some unofficial POS, because anybody can put up a sign, as we found out on the Lk. Washington example cited above. In many States, there is a "public waters" law, but not all States are the same. Do some research about that, too.

One thing you'll find out about clubs is that you can learn a lot, meet a lot of good people, some jerks, and that 5% of the people do 90% of the work. Meanwhile, GL & GF!

[twitch]

unfortunately if it wasn't called off limits in the pre-tourney meeting then it probably won't stand , should have been discussed before hand . something similar happened here a week ago that is what I was told.....

[Kzaker]

I’m not mad about the situation really. I’m asking because you guys have (collectively) seen just about everything. I feel #2, #3, and #4 team were screwed AND, no matter what amount of time passed between the occurrence and th coordinator finding absolute proof, it seems very unfair that his lunker is still eligible for the year end pot. To say that because the rules state that disagreements (or however it’s worded) must be evaluated 10min after weight in makes it fair, that’s the same as being ok to use live bait when it’s discovered when the boat is pulling out of the lot. Some thing should not fall into that category and I believe that they don’t traditionally fall into that rule set. I don’t want the guy banned, I don’t want him to loose his points or the money, I feel it’s proper and fair that he be reprimanded and his lunker removed from the pool: that’s it.

is that something that never happens? Or are those kinds of decisions made after the fact, in bass tournaments? Does the 10min decision ALEAYS stand in tourneys?

and I have no doubt that the cooridanator is a member of this group- I do appreciate the time he invests for the small return he gets because he isn’t the guy who places in every event. He is there early, he is there late, he prints everything and everyone appreciates his efforts. I just think he should sit down and think about what happened and make a better calculated decision that is fair to everyone involved.- that’s it .

[HaulinBass]

If the complaint isn’t filed within the specified time frame (if it’s in your rule book) then you’re without grounds for complaints. Including fishing too close to a competitor.
Review the rules with the T director prior to take off or at your club meetings.

[OkieBud]

DQ

[Quillback]

Certainly should be some sort of action taken against them. If not, you're fishing in a tournament series where it's OK to break the rules as long as no one brings it up within 10 minutes or whatever the time limit is. I'd find another group to fish with.

[Kzaker]

If the complaint isn’t filed within the specified time frame (if it’s in your rule book) then you’re without grounds for complaints. Including fishing too close to a competitor.
Review the rules with the T director prior to take off or at your club meetings.

I plan to send him the link to this thread well in advance of the next tourney.

rule 18. The tournament directors decision is final at the event. A formal written appeal must be filed with the tournament director within 10 minutes of his final decision. Any and all complaints against another contestant must be filled before the end of weigh-in. No complaint will be heard or acted upon thereafter.

So, ARE YOU SAYING: if I broke every RULE and wasn’t caught then it’s all good? And NO ONE, including the Tournament Director has grounds to DQ a team?

[Ryan]

Why is it off limits? If it's managed by a government or utility, that is one thing. If it's a HOA, they probably are overstepping their boundaries.

This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[D.O.C. 989]

How do you know his vessel was not authorized?

[Kzaker]

This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

It is owned by a concrete company and hasn’t ever been in the hands of a municipality.


and the tournament director specifically told me it is off limits. I asked becaus, as stated, I intentionally do not fish inside the canal- there is a reason the 4’x8’ sign has been in place for ?20?30?40 years? The canal is for offloading coal and such for the industrial complex that is on both sides. There isn’t a boat dock or anything there that is intended for public use... Does that clear that question up?

[brushsjigs]

Told you or everyone? If it was called off limits at the morning meeting, then a DQ is in order. Regardless, if there is a sign there I avoid the area. State sign or not. If the area is accessible to all the field and NOT called at the meeting, its fair game.