Tourney cheating question

Sort of a hypothetical question here. If you had some 2nd hand information that was from a reliable source about someone cheating in a tourney, what would you do with it? Would you sit on it, since it wont affect your results, or would you let the tourney director know? I don’t want the director to think it’s sour grapes or anything like that, but it doen’t sit well with me either. What do you do?
Thanks,
Steve

A few years ago in our club open we had this sort of thing happen..One of our own members fished with his friend and won the tourney. Second hand info came down later and found out that his wife/girlfriend met them and “delivered” them some fish. But again this was “second” hand info. So the guys in the club started questioning the two guys seperately..like nothing was wrong…General info like where you caught them and how. Well to make a long story short, they couldn’t even lie right.

In my lowly opinion that if that sort of thing happens(ed), make sure of the source of info. And maybe question others about it. Or if you know who it was take them aside and question them. Chances are they would lie..but maybe something just would jive to give you enough to maybe go to the tournament director with. If that how you feel.

I think most guys may just blow it off? Sad thing is that this probably happens more than we would like to admit. By your question in this post I’m guessing that this has or is happening to you? Personally, I would find out whom it was and question them. Even if they deny it. They know they may have been busted….Only my thoughts…

Here’s a question to go with yours. If you are someone who has cheated or does cheat and tourneys..What personal reward could you possible get out of it? Not including any moneys won????????

If you can’t prove they cheated I would be very cautious about making any accusations publicly. A little “interogation” privately wouldn’t hurt but you could easily end up the bad guy if you called them out and didn’t have the evidence to back it up.

The situation is that I know someone whose good friends with a guide, who tells him that he guided the eventual winners on a day that the lake was off limits. I would deem the information VERY reliable. I agree that I don’t want it to come back to haunt me, but I have names, and dates and all of this is verified. I almost wish I never learned this info.
Steve

So did the Guide know that they were tournament guys when he took them out fishing? I would like to think that the Guide would have said something before he took them out fishing. This situation does happen alot when you get guys that come from afar.
Here’s a question for you Guides here. If you knew that your clients were breaking the rules for an upcoming tournament. Would you take them out? Now to go along with that. Many of you guys Guide for a living (lucky @##$s), so if you are going to fish a tournament that has an off limit time, do you still go out with Clients? Kinda of a diliema? I would myself have a hard time turning away business. But what would be the ethical thing to do.?? Curious on you Guides responses…Has this ever happen to anyone you???

I would see if the reliable source would be interested in approaching the tournament director. If the information is reliable the director can take it from there.

Steve,

About 25 years ago there was a team out of the cities that were dominating all the tournaments in the area. Both guys were professionals; if memory serves me right one was a lawyer and the other a stockbroker. Lots of guys wondered how they could be so successful but most of us believed they were on the up-and-up. Well, a few people didn’t trust them so there were some spies on the water and sure enough they were caught picking up a box of night crawlers from under a tree. As you might expect there was a major uproar and the team was banned from all the tournaments in the area. To the best of my knowledge, neither has fished a tournament since.

This might have been the best thing that happened to tournament fishing in the area. The message was loud and clear. If you cheat, you’re out forever.

If you have a sound case, I encourage you to take it to the tournament organizers. I hope the results are as profound as case the years ago.

Riverfan

I agree with James, unless you have a smoking gun, I would not risk it. But, if you are sure, are you more worried about what the “Cheaters” are thinking about you, or everyone else in the tournament who lost feel? I know guys I guided before the RCL last year were very aware of the rules pertaining to guides, and followed them closely.
Tuck

Thanks for all of the opinions. I do feel that I have a smoking gun, and I’m going to go to the director with this info. I’ll keep you posted on the results. Basically, it came down to this: If I know and abide by the rules, so should everyone else.
Thanks,
Steve

Ace Wednesday night tourneys don’t allow you to be on the water that day even if it is 1000 miles away. I’ve asked for a solution so that I can do both. So on the days I do guide I don’t fish and the other way around. You will notice that I post a lot on Wednesdays. That is because I chose to fish Ace tourney rather than guide. But obviously that is not always an option so the Ace event loses out.