Cheating scandal at Ohio tournament rocks competitive fishing world.
There’s something fishy going on in the competitive fishing world.
The would-be winners of almost $29,000 at an Ohio fishing tournament were disqualified on Friday, after it was discovered their fish were stuffed with lead weights and fish fillets.
Jason Fischer, director of the Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament, told CNN he was immediately suspicious when one team’s fish weighed almost twice what he expected they would at the Cleveland championship weigh-in.
The walleye in the bucket looked like they should each weigh around 4 pounds, but the total weight indicated they would have to be at least 7 pounds each, he said.
“I thought, there’s just no way,” he said. “I could also hear the crowd grumbling, like ‘no way, there’s no way.’ “
“I physically felt the fish, I could feel hard objects inside the fish,” he said.
The moment when Fischer discovered the alleged cheating was documented in several now-viral videos posted on social media, showing Fischer, surrounded by competitors, slice open the fish with a knife and pull out what he said was a lead ball.
Jacob Runyan, one member of the two-person team who allegedly cheated, stood by silently watching in one video Fischer shared with CNN.
“We got weights in fish!" Fischer shouted. The crowd lobbed insults at Runyan.
"How many more fu-king tournaments have you cheated in?" a man shouted.
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5 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.The only thing that would have made this better would be him wearing a "STOP THE STEAL" T-shirt or "TRUMP 2024" 
phoenixone1
Level 8
Oct 3, 2022
3
The only competitive fisherman I ever met was a real and I mean REAL jerk. Also a drunk. He was my ex boyfriend's brother in law.
Lead fucking weights ?!?!?!?
So much about this sad fish tale is indicative of where many in this society have devolved.
silverotter11
Level 9
Oct 3, 2022
4
This reminds me of a story I heard back in the 70s.
There used to be a little convenience store/gas station between the North Rim of the Canyon and Jacob Lake and there was a little trail ride outfit in the woods behind it. My grandfather, when he was a deputy sheriff, used to keep a little trailer by their corral to sleep in on late nights when he couldn't make it back to town. The store was called 'VT' for whatever reason. It's been over 30 years since I've been there so I don't know if it's still there or not.
Anyway... There were two archery deer hunters who ran into each other -- they happened to set up stands at pretty much the same place.
A big buck came in and one of the guys shot it. Then he told the other guy "I'm not ready for my trip to end. Why don't you take it?". The other guy said "Great. There's a 'Big Buck' contest at the little town down the hill. This is a sure winner."
The first guy got indignant and said "No. You didn't shoot this deer. That would be cheating the contest. I'm taking the deer back." And he did. Then he stopped at VT for gas on the way home. When he came back out from paying, there was the guy at his truck trying to saw the antlers off the deer. He grabbed the pistol he had and told the guy to stop. The store cashier came out and asked what was going on. In the confusion the second guy went back to his truck and got his bow.
I guess that's how they were when the Ranger showed up -- faced off bow vs pistol over the deer.
I've got to believe this is a variation of that old saying -- 'When people go out in the woods, they seem often to leave their brains at home'. Why would either of these two guys behave the way they apparently did? I hope there were suitable punishments all around. But I hope nobody got stupidly hurt.
RichCC
Level 8
Oct 3, 2022
6
Hilarious! "When people go out into the woods, they seem to leave their brains at home."
Climbing Mt. Fremont, 2014. "You ruined the trip because you were scared," John later said.
I will never let anyone push me into doing something unsafe again.
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