Got Bundy'd Again

[Feathers and Fins]

Bferg. I look at it differently. Its a tournament as you say for fun and promote the community. Not exactly good PR for the community if cheating was done or even a cloud cast on it of possible cheating. It actually would place the community in a negative light for NOT taking steps to insure it was legitimate and all people had a fair chance.

The negative PR generated could seriously affect the tournament and local business's for a long time to come and definitely keep more people from entering. I must admit I did not relies this tournament was formatted the way it is that's why I asked. I don't know if those two cheated or not, but even this small amount of doubt will keep me from ever thinking about fishing it even if its for fun.

As to the bag weight, its a very possible bag if people were fishing open water targeting the big bass on the shad balls I have even said it a few times. So it is possible but very difficult and literally requires constantly moving hitting the one or two active fish on the ball. I do it trolling but seriously doubt I could do it in a tournament time frame with any other tactic. But a school of fish that size this time of year is very very unlikely IMO. Those are some big bass and the spawn is on and seems highly unlikely they would be schooled to that degree. Anything's possible I guess.

Just hate to think scumbags would do it and hate the thought of what it would do to so many in the community who played fair.

[1969Larson]

Did anyone ask them about it? I say congratulate them, challenge them, and then ask if you can follow them next year. They'll either agree and put on a clinic, or not come back.

[GENTLE]

There has been alot of talk about these fellows for quit some time, common sense would lead one to believe that if you were this dominate on a body of water, you'd show up more than once a year to compete. No I, nor anyone else I know, have any undeniable proof that these fellows are a couple of sorry cheaters. But, there are several things that just don't add up. I stood directly in front of them in the weigh in line, and I knew who they were while I was standing there( I had the previlage of standing directly behind Mr. Bundy several years earlier with one of his monster sacks), and i took a long hard look at their fish, and thought to myself those are some awfully beautiful fish compared to all these rough looking post spawners I've been seeing. Has anyone on this forum ever seen 4-5 lb LMB schooling on Beaver? Recently? In a 300+ boat field, how did no one else see this miracle school of fish come up, Beaver ain't that big. To win the Chamber tourney a few times is one thing, but to ALWAYS be in top three? For over a Decade??!! KVD ain't got them kind of skills. And why would these guys be " black balled" from tourneys on their home lake? Yes, the Chamber is supposed to be a fun event, and there are a lot of good things about it, but if your going to be giving away a prize as big as a boat, there needs to be more done to protect the integrity of the event.

[Feathers and Fins]

Yes I have seen schools like that but never during or in the spawn and that includes Calis big bass lakes they are more occupied with something err more (r-rated) at that size.

I would like to see proof they were blackballed on any lake if that is proven then I would want to know the reason if its for anything not ethical then Blackballed from all tournaments would seem in order (aka cheating) and why hasn't this come up before and if it has why are tournament directors allowing them in still.

Beaver is a big lake actually and you can be in a cove or arm or any number of places and be on a bite that no one else see's, its possible and top-water has been happening lately.

Now this time of year anything over 3lbs I've caught in the last 2 weeks has rubbed flippers.

It does seem odd they place that high on a very frequent basis, If they are all "Buddy tournaments" then that adds to it certainly and if they are bringing in beautiful fish in a time of year they should show signs of spawning that also will add to it tack on unusually big bags. But lets have the big question answered first. ARE THEY BLACKBALLED and if yes WHY?

[Quillback]

This tourney is a little more than a "fun" tournament, with a boat valued at $12,000 or thereabouts for the winners. I'm not sure of the law on this, but I believe that if someone who is caught cheating after winning could be subject to some sort of criminal prosecution.

Not that I'm accusing anyone of cheating in this particular tourney.

[Stump bumper]

I had an experience like that once during a tournament that a friend decided not to fish at the last minute but we decided to fish around PC anyway. We were on schooling pre spawn fish and the smallest bass we caught that morning was 3lbs and the largest 7lbs something. We could have weighed a 26lb bag or a 22 and 24lb bag if we hadn't backed out and never engaged the motor.

It was a bad day for most people and something like 12lbs won that tournament, wonder what people would have said about us had we weighed those fish, then if we had paid we probably would not have stayed in PC.

Just saying that you never know about that lake, there are those days. The next weekend we tried to repeat and had only one keeper off the same pattern.

[Sore Thumbs]

Did anyone see their fish? They said some came off of beds too. Just wondered if they looked like bedding fish or not.

[Sore Thumbs]

They need to implement a rule that the winner or top 5 get followed by a marshall the following year.

[spahog]

A little off the subject, but does anyone else here fish the Everett series? At the April tournament, the second place (I think it was the second might have been third) failed the polygraph and was disqualified. However, I never hear any formal response from the tournament director.

By not letting everyone one know what happened, the tournament director is doing someone a disservice. Either the rest of us by not publicly identifying a cheater, or the gentleman who was disqualified if it was due to technicality such as kill switch mistake, etc.

[Feathers and Fins]

Not sure how they are running tournaments anymore but when I was fishing them if anyone was disqualified for any reason the director would make it know why and what rule, back then it was by phone call now they could use the net with no problem.

Most Disqualifies were not anglers intentionally breaking rules but not knowing off limit areas. Luckily the directors were diligent in trying to ascertain the circumstances. I had a few tourneys where the awards were issued but not the pay-out until the situation could be resolved.

One that comes to mind was a guy was fishing inside a NO FISHING BOUY LINE area. The Buoys had broken off in storms several months prior and most people knew about it but the guy who got reported was from out of state and didn’t. Instead of a DQ the director contacted the lake officials and they admitted to not having repaired it. The angler was NOT disqualified as he had no knowledge of it and it was ultimately the lake management’s responsibility to properly maintain the area.

The director for other tournaments after that issued maps to all anglers of closed zones so there could be no confusion.

Most the rules were safety rules and a good chunk on etiquette and courtesy. Live well checks were mandatory and there was at least 2 spotter boats used and you never knew where they might be or who as the directors wanted people to fully understand they could be watched at all times. That was far more a deterrent to cheating that anything else. I know the directors had them out even in days leading to the tournament as one cheater found out.

It would be a good idea for all tournaments to post issues big or small and if a person was DQed or disallowed the reason so other tournament anglers and directors could maintain the integrity of the tournament ant sport jmho.