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| I would really like to know what everyones thoughts are on the weights of the otterstreet tournament. The rules state that you can weigh five fish and have seven in your livewell with no culling. Their is no way that these weights would be this high for everyone! Someone brought in 23 pounds today for five fish. You are telling me they where honest I think not I have gotten in this tournament for a couple of years now and after this I do not think I will anymore unless somthing changes! And for the record I talked to someone in the top ten and they admitted to me that they culled fish!
I am not saying big weights can not be taken but not as many as there are in this tournament with these rules.
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Location: Rhinelander | Pretty serious complaints. What we have here with this post are unsubstantiated rumors and complaints by an anonymous poster, which is a problem.
Any comments either way from others who fished that event? Not rumors or complaints, either, substantiated or nothing, please. No cull means no cull, but accusing someone who took a great basket ( just because they did, apparently) today of anything other than talent is pretty rude. I see exceptional weights come in on the PWT and FLW tours all the time, and from Pros who have cameramen in the boat. Sometimes those weights are very impressive. So, yes, I'm going with 'honest' for that team. |
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| There is a rule that was read regarding protests stating that any team may protest another team. If you were concerned why was there no protest filed?
Teams are required to pass a polygraph test if some form of rule violation is detected. I would contact Jim Gibson or Scott Engle if you have a problem with someones weight before venting on a website. The rules are there for everyone and with 316 boats on the water it is impossible to watch everyone of them while out on the water. With over 3000 fish weighed, the average fish was 2.57 lbs.
With all the dead fish this weekend only allowing 7 fish in the livewell saved over 1000 walleyes that did not need to be brought up to the scale. Tournaments are a game of strategy..... Here in Wisconsin, we are not allowed to cull. That is part of the game.
The happy walleye!  |
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| He has a point and every right to express his opinion!
Good luck
Tyee
Edited by tyee 6/17/2007 9:56 PM
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Location: Waukesha Wisconsin | Tyee,
He does have a right to express his opinion BUT he does not have a right to post accusations about someone and deface their credibility. If he had/has a legitimate complaint he should take it up with the tournament directors. I would absolutely hate to have a great tournament and win some big cash only to come on here and read garbage like this. He is basically saying that the only way to catch 23 pounds is to cheat. That's not fair to the winners unless he can substantiate it.
I'm heading out fishing. If this gets heated, I'm not avoiding you, just will not be by a computer until Saturday sometime. |
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| Think about it 7 fish. first fish you catch is a 21 inch fish, gonna throw it back? I think not. now you have six fish left to catch and the next four you keep are 27 inch fish with nothing else in between. Odds are slim to none |
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Location: Neenah, WI | Well Bill- Here's how it works. All week in pre-fishing we were catching very large fish, 23" and up with the largest being a huge 28.25" monster that my wife pulled in. We decided before the tourney that we wouldn't keep a fish under 22". By 7:30 Sat. we had thrown back 4 fish between 18 and 20". Then our bite went sour on us and we only weighed 2 fish, a 23 and a 16 that we caught while reeling in before heading back to shore. First thing Sun. morning we caught a 21 which went into the livewell. That was followed by about 15 fish between 15 and 17" (and a lot of shorts). We never did connect with those big ones we caught during the week. We ended up keeping smaller fish yesterday toward the end and weighed a little over 8 lbs. Going into the tournament we thought we would be at least in the top 10. It didn't work for us. Am I sorry that we threw those fish back? Nope. They wouldn't have helped us. Our friends took 1st, 2nd and I think 7th or 8th. It was a great party at my house last night. I can't speak for the 2nd place team but the other 2 were fishing the same area in the mud about a mile from us. If we wanted to cheat, I would have gotten a signal from them and we could have joined the fun. On Sat. night they told me where they were and we decided to stay out of their way because they had a good shot and we didn't want to interfere.
It sounds like things didn't work out for you and they sure didn't for us either. Oh well, there's always a next time. I'm happy for our friends. The next time you want to start throwing stones on the internet you should have the guts to identify yourself.
Dale Frank |
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Location: Neenah, WI | Correction: My other friends were 9th. Not 7th or 8th.
Dale Frank |
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| I fished the tournament this weekend as well and DID NOT and WILL NEVER cull. I can speak from experience that in a tournament that you know when you are on the right fish. My partner and I put our own size limit on our fish until noon. No fish under 20 in the box until after noon. I also carry two clip on weigh tags in my boat and when I hit my five fish I tag the two smallest fish of the five. Then we go ahead and decide what size we want or need the the next two fish to be. I some cases this system works well but in this derby it bit us a little bit with a couple 19's but thats fishing. I extend my hand and tip my hat to the teams who dialed in the nice weights this weekend, we had our chances, we lost three fish over 20 saturday morning and a 5-6 pounder right away(first fish) sunday morning. Four fish that would have made a huge difference for us.
If a person is fishing tournaments and doesnt know how to manage their livewell correctly then they wont do very well and if they resort to culling to make up for that lack in ability then it will eventually catch up with them in future events.
On the other hand I am also sure Bill that people culled fish in this tournament but when you have 316 teams fishing for 60 spots and tenths of a pound make a difference between multiple possitions then it's a forgone conclusion that a small handfull of people will cull fish. But blaming everyone for doing so takes away from all of us who love to compete in fishing tournaments and the fishing club that puts on one of the best tournaments of it's kind in the country year after year.
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Location: Rhinelander | I have conducted many interviews during events where the selection of a specific size fish going into the well either won or loat an event for a Pro because of the order in which the fish were caught. If the decision is made to not livewell anything under 23", there you have it. A 21 will go back, for better or worse. it's called fishing to win, and it's pretty common. |
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| Why couldnt there be a post about the good that came from this tournament and every Otter Street tournament, like the fact that it was dedicated to Gary Gray one of the best walleye fisherman of all time, or how his family got to shoot the flare to start the tournament in honor of Gary. How about the fact that they use the money for this tournament to give back to the lake and the anglers who use it, or maybe the money that gets raised for the kids fisheree???
Nope, none of that posted on this thread, just a pointed finger...I have a finger for that but I wont raise it for you |
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| i did not fish otter street,, but i did get out sunday morning ... wow what a great fothersday to be on the water.. anyway.. i was out in the morning wed and had alot of nice fish but my largest was 21 inches , i was out sunday and again had some nice fish but only 1 over 20 inches, anyone that can put a limmit in the boat for two days of over 15 lbs per day is catching fish and has there program running well. anyone that can be 18 or 19 lbs a day for two days in a row not only has a good program but the are a little lucky as well.. CONGRADULATIONS ! as for anyone who culled or used a cell phone to call in a couple boats to a school of nice fish... YOU SUCK ! and as we find more and more we build a case in our own minds.. soon you will wonder why you have no respect by fellow anglers who at one time were your friends... we are all competitive and i have fished tournaments that i have caught a 5 fish limmit all big fish and they were the only fish i caught that day.. even catching one in the last 5 min. so before you throw out an accusation think twice , they most likely had a great day! OH AND BILL..... if one of your friends or fellow tournament anglers tells you he was culling(breaking the law) and stealing from others.. more than just money, than you know what to do with him,,, tell him how you feal .. make sure he knows your pissed and he is lucky as hell you didnt protest. im sure there are plenty of people who wouldnt mind moving up a spot on the board.. and i wouldnt be so freindly to him in the future , or his partner. now every time that guy does well , there will be an asterus in your mind next to his name ,, and in time plenty of people that will figure it out by themselves ,, if it is true or that questionable im sure he will stop getting invites and will be on the sidlines when the boats come to the scale in the future. guys act differently .. i know a guy who said he ran out of gas just so he didnt have to come in with an empty live well... he caught a ton of fish the day before and couldnt face the boys on the second day.. he lied... it was too much for him to deal with .. some guys say thay went threw 50 fish.. ya if you count 12 inchers and sheephead ,, or maybe they did . i always love to hear a good story, true or not true we all stand around and giggle , smile and enjoy the day ,, tuff luck or good fortune.. and the good with the bad.. good fishing and good luck , |
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| Bill,
I can tell you that big weights are possible with good planning, and a lot of luck.
On day one we only had 5 in the box for the who day but they weighed 15#.
On day two two of the Merc , my partner and I had 17# in the box by 11AM and those were our first 5 fish.
Had we found a large kicker fish, we could have had some spectacular weights.
Our mandatory lie detector tests confirmed that it was done properly.
With some good fortune and a great fishery, big weights can be done legitimately.
Let's allow the winners to enjoy the moment and cast our dispersions another time. If you have first hand knowledge of cheating, then the responsible thing to do is contact the tournament directors.
I think it is particularily cool for a father and son team to win the tourney.
Take care,
Jim O |
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| ONOTHER EXAMPLE FOR BILL. i fished the max lure ,,, fished with a heavy hitter name.. has made plenty of money fishing winnibago over the years,, we set the size at 21 inches .. figured we needed 19 lbs to win.. or 20 lbs 5 fish. we went out in the morning and were throwing back 19 inch fish.. after some rain and at about noon we had nothing in the box. ended up keeping 17 and 18 inch fish for 10 lbs.. we got peanuts thrown at us on the stage,... way down on the board.. what happend everyone asked./???? well we could have come in with 15 lbs like everyone else but... or i know of onother guy at otter street that was in at 11;00 am with no one there to weigh his fish.. he waited and waited .. he caught a 19 and then another19 kept them .. caught a 20 and another 20 and a 21 and a 19 (foul hooked and bleeding) and then another 21 and was done .. at 11 am ..,,, He chose not to throw back the 19 as it wasnt going to make it and he couldnt throw back a 20 and after he kept some 19 inch fish... what did it get him ? peanuts! again... ... its hard and again CONGRADULATIONS TO ALL THAT HAD A GOOD DAY! |
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| I took this from another site, Gary pioneered alot of the things we use every day and it IS appropriate that he be recognized for EVERYTHING he did for us!
Good Luck
Tyee
June 1991: The team won their first Masters Walleye Circuit tournament at Fond du Lac.
June 1992: The team won the 1992 MWC World Championship at Bays de Noc.
August 1992: They won the MWC tournament at Bays de Noc.
1992: Won the Mercury Marine National Walleye Tournament in Fond du Lac.
1992: Gray and Klotzbuecher won their first MWC Team of the Year by amassing the most circuit tournament points during the season.
May 1993: Klotzbuecher and Gray won the MWC tournament at Big Stone Lake in Minnesota,
making them the first MWC team to ever win three circuit events.
June 1993: Gray, along with partner Mike Spanbauer, Oshkosh, won the Summer Walleye Tournament on Lake Winnebago. Gray and Spanbauer finished third in the event in 1992 and second in 1991.
1993: Klotzbuecher and Gray topped a 51-team field to win the 1993 MWC World Championship event at the Bays do Noc. They became the first team to ever win consecutive MWC Championships.
July 1993: The team won the MWC tournament at Lake Huron's Saginaw Bay, extending its record to four MWC circuit tournament victories. Their catch at Saginaw Bay set an MWC record for the highest 12-fish weight ever - 83.20 pounds, or an ave@age of 6.93 pounds per fish.
August 1993: Second consecutive Team of the Year award after the fifth MWC event of the season. It marked the first time that any team had won the fifth before the completion of the season.
April 1994: Gray finished third in a record breaking Professional Walleye Trail tournament held at Lake Erie. The event featured the largest walleye tournament catch in history.
June 1994: Gray and Klotzbuecher won the Mercury Marine National Walleye Tournament held at Fond du Lac. Their two-day weight of 55 pounds set a new tournament record.
June 1994: The team finished sixth at the MWC World Walleye Championship tournament held on the Mississippi River at Red Wing, Minn.
July 1994: Gray qualifies for his fourth consecutive PWT Championship. He finished eighth in the PWT Angler of the Year race.
September 1994: The team won their third consecutive MWC Team of the Year after taking second place in the MWC event on the Mississippi River at Red Wing, Minn.
1995 The team finished First at the Mercury Marine National Walleye Tournament held at Fond du Lac.
1995 The team finished second at the Otter Street Walleye Tournament held in Oshkosh.
1995 The team won an unprecedented fourth straight MWC Team of the Year title.
1996 Placed in the money in every PWT event
1996 Finished in 2nd place in the PWT Angler of the Year Race.
1996 Finished 2nd in the PWT Top Gun award.
1996 Finished 6th overall for the MWC Team of the Year
1997 Finished 3rd at Lake St Claire, MI PWT event
1997 Finished 10th at PWT World Cup Championship.
1997 Finished 20th overall on PWT tour.
1997 Finished 4th at MWC Championship.
1997 Finished 4th at Mercury Nationals.
1997 Finished 4th at Otter Street
1998 First Place PWT Lake Erie
over eighty top-ten finishes
In 2001 Gary did the Inevitable, won the pwt top gun award and angler of the year.
Promotions: Writing for Walleye Central Magazine; numerous seminars in North Dakota, Michigan and Wisconsin; maintains web site at walleyecentral.com; and participates in many children's benefits and youth programs. |
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Location: Fremont, Wisconsin | Tyee ????? |
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Location: Rhinelander | Spiering,
Well said, sir. |
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| It is funny to see that someone is taking off some of these posts just goes to show some people can not handle the truth! |
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Location: Rhinelander | Bill,
Your version of the 'truth' is a pretty direct personal attack on some folks based on rumor and hide-behind-the- monitor innuendo. We got it, I think. Everyone knows what your complaint is. What you are saying isn't possible certainly is, and on Winnebago, too.
I think the responses were pretty well presented. Now pick up the phone and get what you think are needed changes made with the event organizers, so you are more comfortable with what happens out there on the water.
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| I fished the tourney over the weekend and took 22nd place with 31.98 pounds. We like most other people had a game plan for the weekend. I had nice fish on Thursday and Friday and did find that the average size of the fish I was fishing decreased on Saturday and Sunday. We were lucky enough to catch one big fish both days. I scrambled to make sure I had five fish in the boat after throwing back numerous 15-19" fish at the start of both days. I ended weighing a 16.5" and two 17" fish in my 10 weighable fish. As you can see I did not cull fish! I was fortunate to have one fish that was 6.26 lb on Saturday and one that was 6.74 lb on Sunday. So not everyone is a cheater as you may think. If I would have kept some of those 19" fish on both days and not been forced to weigh the 16" and 17" fish I know I would have been at least in the top five. I am still very happy with how we did. Oh and by the way, we did catch 30-40 Walleyes per day and only about 6-7 sheepshead! |
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Location: Appleton wi | Bill noone cares but you if you dont fish it anymore there is awaiting list to get into otter street. Now during my prefishing for the league event 2 weeks prior i caught 6 fish over 21" these were 4 pound fish and fat and healthy and one day i had 3 21"boated in 20minutes on one pass. I havnt seen so many fat walleyes 18-23" in years on bago (very very healthy fish)! Alot of poeple have been catching these fish for the past 6 weeks! Now throw in one or two kickers kicker of 24-25" you do the math  |
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| Although not delivered properly I can understand Bills frustration with those who would cheat. He should be allowed that. Realistically, if those who have posted their own innocence in protest of his direct finger pointing (by calling out the 24# bag), believe that no one in a field this size culled a fish, then they are wrong. Buts that is why there are processes for finding them. It's sure not by making unsubstantiated attacks on a message board. Personally I can see people who did not do as well on the first day acting as Bill questioned on the second day. At that point if they are "out of the money", it's more about beating your buddies and up grading a fish is fast and easy. And, although not registered, at least "Bill" did sign a name instead of just being a "guest". Bill, I understand your frustration but I don't agree that it is standard operating procedure by the field. There are too many class acts fishing and promoting these events, and guys that would not allow it to think that it is.
Edited by Joel "Doc" Kunz 6/19/2007 12:57 PM
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| Thank you Joel for seeing my point. I am not saying that large bags can not happen. I have had them myself, in a field this large and pay outs as high as they are with just seven fish in the boat. I feel that alie detector test should automatically be given to the top ten or twenty teams. If they were to give it, you would be keeping the field that more honest. People have expressed on here that their plan was to only keep fish over twenty two inches and getting burned. I just can not see so many weights being so high if teams each did that without "UPGRADING" more times then the rules allow. |
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Location: Rhinelander | If you feel a lie detector test should be administered to the top ten, make your feelings known to the event promoters without accusation, maybe someone will listen then. |
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Location: Appleton wi | Also are you willing to pay extra charge in your entry fee to have the top ten tested? Depending on who performs the test it cost between 500-1000$ for each test.Lie detector test are not 100 accurate. |
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| EYE LUNKER Lets do the math. Lets say worst case 1000 dollars per test times 10 is 10,000 now divide that by 316 comes out to about 31.64. I would spend 50 bucks extra to do this in any tournament I fish in. Why should I pay 350 dollars or anyone else for this matter, to get in a tournament to hear that people had to bend the rules to win? Is that fair to you or me? At least this way maybe you would think twice before you did it.
And befor anyone says I am going off of hear say like I said someone I talked to that placed high in the tourny told me what they did and I was really shocked to here this from this person. I thought more people would get together to keep this honest then all this negativity! |
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Location: Omro,Wi. | OK guys heres my take on the whole situation....and this is my opinion, not based on fact by any means. Do I think there is culling in tournaments, even though it is against the rules.....YES. I am sure it happens all the time, let those who do it live with their conscience and you (Bill) do what you feel is right. I've heard people even use cell phones during them (Hard to believe) but it might be true. Why not be happy with what you did and the way you caught fish and be proud of following the rules and knowing you did the right thing, the right way, and enjoy the sport and opportunity. This must be your first step into the tournament scene and you have to be aware that not everone plays by the rules in life. There is no need to drone on day after day without proof it happened, and if you have proof then file the protest and be done with it. Life is just not fair or walleyes would bite all the time....... |
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| After looking back on this weekend's Otter Street tournament I was a bit suprised that I was the 3rd boat that weighed in at 1:00pm on Sunday. The bite was so good and with the numbers of big fish that were being caught I would have bet that at least 50 boats would have already weighed in. I think Otter Street made a mistake on the rule of 7 fish in the livewell. This put way too much pressure on a bunch of teams that may only fish 1 or 2 tournaments per year. Maybe next year they will go back to the 10 fish limit to reduce the culling problem.
Thanks,
Jimmy Hughes |
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Location: Manitowoc, WI | Let's talk for a minute about lie detector tests and their reliability.
Bill.....have you ever taken a lie detector test? I've taken them many times, as being involved in nuclear power and in order to go from nuclear site to site as a contractor, it was required. I've lost count but I estimate I've taken around 20. I've failed 3.....and I can guarantee that my answers were the truth and that they didn't differ from the answer I gave in the past when I passed or in the future when I passed. That is the unreliability of a lie detector test.
When the day comes that it becomes a requirement to pass a lie detector in order to collect prize money, that will be my last day as a tournament walleye fisherman.
It's unfortunate that we live in a time when we can't just trust the competitors to do the right thing. But, to tell you the truth, I'd just as soon not know as what others might have done. I compete on an even playing field and I do things the right way.....I'll leave it up to you Bill and the others to do the same. |
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| I've been rather quiet on this issue and will keep my statement limited as many of you know my position!
Jimmy, Why would 10 make it any different than 7? Wouldn't it be better to weigh 3 and have 5 in the live? You have every right to question why you were only the third to come in early and that simple thing justifies Bill's questions and concerns.
For years many of you know I have been discussing the culling question mainly because of tournaments, BUT the Bass guys elevated the issue within the state and brought it to light to the Walleye community in recent years.
CULLING EXISTS IN TEAM FORMATS! I don't need to say any more, I know many of you agree, and I will agree that Bill's comments about culling are most likely legit (not necessarily the who). I used to fish a few of those "team" events years ago and know for a fact that many of those top finishers culled (often hearing of it years after from the horses mouth, maybe because I have been so vocal on the topic). Steve you can call it hearsay if you wish but I will go on record and state it as fact and even take one of Jerry's lie detector tests if necessary (which would not stop the problem by the way)!
This is probably the sole reason why I do NOT participate at this level. Now maybe just by discussing it here or on internet websites we are making headway into informing the general public and tournamnet participants that we will not stand for it. Personally I don't have the answer and am not against culling if the resource can handle it. If we are allowed to continue sportfishing in warm weather months in WI we need to be proactive and do the right thing to minimize mortality. Tournamnet directors need to take a stand and better inform their participants of the Laws here in WI and stress that this type of behavior will not be tolerated just so you can brag to your buddies that you kicked their but in a competative event!
Good Luck
Tyee |
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| why not test all contestants. just becuase you dont place in the money doesnt mean you didnt cheat in some way. Cheaters are loser in the long run and eventually it will catch up with them. |
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| I have to stay anonymous. Sorry guys. I have this to say you may or may not know that another Winnebago tournament that requires teams to take a polygraph test will catch you even if you don’t cheat in their tournament. They ask 3 hours worth of questions, one in particular. "Have you ever cheated in any fishing tournament?" If that alone is not enough to keep one honest I don’t know what will. Otter st. does require a polygraph test at the discretion of the director. We all know what happened to someone a few years ago in FDL.
Ann Landers doesnt post any name and my wife thinks se's credible |
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Location: Oshkosh, Wisconsin | Bill you singled out a team with a nice weight. If you don't have first hand knowledge that that team cheated, you ARE out of line. Period.
If up would have kept to your first statement, basically saying that you find it unlikely that so many teams could have weighed that much without culling, I don't think you would be getting this much flack. I don't think that any of us here are so naive to think that some people don't follow the rules 100% of the time, tournament or not.
My advice? Fish more, worry less. You can't control what others do, so don't bother getting upset by it. If you do come across someone that you KNOW is breaking the rules, confront them or turn them in to the tournament director.
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| Seems to me that no matter what any one's opinions may be, it isn't going to change a thing. Like I said in a previous post, I did fish the tournament and I did well. That doesn't mean I cheated though. I am not sure what others did to get to the weights that they came to the scale with nor do I want to speculate. Many of the people that fish these tourneys are honest people whom I trust. I can't speak for everyone's actions unfortunately. I would agree with Jimmy Hughes though that 10 fish in the livewell seems to be a better option than the 7. The reason for me agreeing is that it does give a guy more options while fishing the tournament. You don't have to be extremely critical in the fish you put into the livewell this way as we all know that fish "quality" may not be the same from one day to the next! Only time will tell what changes will be made but I don't believe giving everyone a polygraph is the answer. |
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| Tyeee i hope you have the same passion for the non tournament guys taking 2 bag limits a day and culling. Hate to break the news to you but alot more guys cheat the limit every day than tourny guys so since you jumped in here i also felt compelled to comment on your post.Bottom line is you will never get rid of cheaters in tourny's and yes some guys will do it and my opinion most guys dont. Personally when i realized there is cheating going on it was really almost enough to make me quite tournys but my thoughts now are i cant change them or the system so i just make sure i never cross the line and keep it honest for my self and some day I'll know when the big wins comes it was fair and square. |
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Location: Southwest shore Bago | What was the subject that was being attacked? Otter St. Tourney or was it the way this site handled inappropriate postings?
I’ll ask, doesn’t the chance that a polygraph test would show who has cheated deter teams from cheating? It would ruin a person’s reputation and credibility for the rest of there life. I know of teams that have had a days catch thrown out for various reasons and they never recovered respect from their peers. Some have come very close to having to close their business down do to fishing in tournaments and having an “issue” This has been a great site with very little bashing. Let’s calm down a bit and chill for a day.
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Location: Rhinelander | My position is and will be:
1) If one is fishing an event and finds proof that a team has cheated it is clearly one's responsibility to file a protest or at the very least talk to the tournament Director. I don't personally know the facts about any cheating in any of the Bago events; so if you do and want to post it here you had better sign in and state facts you are willing to air up front and personal in public with the accused knowing exactly who you are and what your accusations might be. And, one probably should run it by the WalleyeFIRST admin in advance so interviews can be arranged with all parties. That clear enough, Tyee?
2) No culling means no culling. Want to cure this? Make it a Pro/Am format. Never know when your Co Angler will turn you in.
3) I believe the Otter Street event says they may use a Polygraph. That's good enough for me, and for most others. Mandatory polygraphs of the top ten IMHO is excessive.
4) If you think this is never going to change, don't fish team events. Especially this event if this is the one bothering you. You have the power to not hand over your personal check, it's up to you.
5) I think the otter Street people have done a fantastic job with this event over the years. Just my opinion, but what they give back is tremendous, and that is also an important issue here.
6) No one is totally anonymous here, and there is no guarantee one ever will be. Admin can see your IP and easily track it, so PLEASE make sure we never have to go through that. Please adopt and accept our policies of fair debate and reasonable behavior. If one doesn't think it should be said with all knowing who one is, don't say it.
What are YOUR suggestions to limit or deter culling?
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| There is only one way, and it is not perfect either, but it is the best system I can think of: tagging fish. If 7 fish is the limit, each team gets 7 tags, every fish in your livewell must have a tag, which would have to be checked by roaming "police" boats. Short of an observer in every boat (or maybe the top 20 after day 1?), I see no better way to stop culling. It is not a perfect system either, but if you can get rid of the mentality that "everyone else is culling, so I have to just to keep up", you will have come a long way in eliminating the cheating.
Dave S
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Location: Rhinelander | There are 'single use' tags out there, that's a pretty good idea. They are like the tags on a power meter; can't reuse them. |
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Location: Fremont, Wisconsin | As was said in another post awhile back, the mwc used to have the tag system and quite frankly I thought it worked well. I watched a guy anchored next to me get 2 fish throwen back when the checking boat decided to stop and look at there fish. 2 tags were not hooked and they were good fish. They simply threw them over. I did laugh quite loudly. I think this would work, it shouldn't have to be done, BUT!!! |
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| Exactly. Clip them off if you want to throw the fish back. I would think that until there is an official protest, and some evidence of cheating that nothing will be changed. The tournament overfills every year, and the tags would just add more cost/headaches for organizers.
Dave S |
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Member
Posts: 2445
Location: Fremont, Wisconsin | I would like to clarify that it would not just be otter street or walleye fishing in general. It would be a state requirement for all forms of competitive fishing. All one way, or all the other. I have been thinking of starting the practice on our spring tournament here at Fort Fremont. No rumors of cheating, more like chicken soup for the competitive player.
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| Change the law let'em cull Michigan does and it Don't hert there fishery. So what's the differince if I release 5 fish from my boat or the tournamnent gusy let all 5 of my weigh fish go. Sopmetimes this state works a little backwards. My 2 cents worth. |
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Posts: 1656
| The "Best Way" to eliminate the problem, make culling legal in this state. Then it's no longer an issue. That in my opinioin is the best way.
the tag idea has merit, but as they say in NASCAR, "If you're not cheating, you're not trying". I think of the old metal sturgeon registration tags, I know a couple guys that figured out how to "pull 'em apart" so they could "reuse" them. They still carry them, when sturgeon spearing, to this day. Only because they like to show off what they could do.
Unfortunately some people "pride" themselves on breaking the rules or "what they can get away with". Like Brad said don't worry about it. There isn't much you can do about it, other than fish your best. |
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| LIE DETECTERS ARE NOT ADMISSIBLE IN COURT FOR A GOOD REASON! |
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| you just need to catch bigger fish than the cheaters, it is very hard to do and that is why a lot of people don't fish team events |
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