Need Advice on a Bad Situation

[SAR Swimmer]

Well, I need advice on a situation that I was recently put in. I was in a fishing tournament with 2 other guys. The tournament was a 2 day tourney.

We were fishing the second day and one of the guys pulled out a fish from the live well that I knew that we had not caught that day. He had gone fishing after we weighed our fish the day before. He managed to keep the fish alive in a water box at his house and brought it in the boat the next day to weigh in. This was a horrible situation to be in. I know these guys fairly well and they are friends of my wife.

We ended up placing 3rd in the tournament and it payed out about 4,000 in cash and prizes. I defered any payment and would not accept any prizes because I knew it was wrong. I felt so horrible standing up there knowing that we weren't winners at all. They made me swear that I would not tell their wives or anyone else.

I am tempted to contact the guy who administrates the tournament to tell him about ehat they did because I can't sleep since the tournament because I feel like by not coming forward, I was just as much of a liar as they were. The guys wives are good friends with my wife and I don't want to cause a stir but they even admitted that they have done this before.

Suggestions?????????????????????????????

 

[ewc]

The time for saying anything has long past. Nothing good will come of it now.

Don't fish with them again.

 

[kdxdude]

Who did you defer the money from? (your partners or the tournament director) If it was your partners, I would not say anything & never fish tournaments with em again. If it was tournament director, he probably suspects something is fishy (no pun intended)

 

[SAR Swimmer]

Who did you defer the money from? (your partners or the tournament director) If it was your partners, I would not say anything & never fish tournaments with em again. If it was tournament director, he probably suspects something is fishy (no pun intended)

I defered the money from the guys that I was fishing with. They are terrified that I am gonna tell someone, so I am hoping that this will cause them to have an integrity check. The guy pulled the fish out at the weigh in and later told me the story of how he caught it on day 1 after we stood up to accept the prizes. I fished on the back of the boat all day and they fished on the front. This fish was in the fron t livewell all day.

 

[JA1234]

should have told them to get bent and toss the fish back right then...now I would tell them how and what I really think about them and how sorry it was for them to put me in that situation.

My wife is my best friend and she would support me no matter what I did about it and how her friends felt about it. I would tell them to find another fishing partner next time and that they could KMA.

Remember what goes around comes around..life is full of circles and the road just branches in short paths sometimes. I know how you feel my conscience is the same way and it would bother me too good luck..

 

[bowriter]

See my post on serious forum.

 

[Coach]

Posted in the serious forum..

 

[Rackseeker]

What kind of tournament was it to have more than two anglers in the boat? Must have been a big tournament to have payed $4000.

 

[rutnstrut2]

you did the honest thing you could by not taking the cash, to late to say anything now but like they said before dont fish with them agian. If you dont say anything and they are any kind of man they will give it back. Good luck

 

[Nimrod777]

They're admitted repeat offenders. If you are in a position to be in the same tournament as they are on a regular basis, then you're going to either have to tip someone off or somehow demand pre-fishing livewell checks (seems like a good practice anyway). If you won't be fishing in the same tournament as these guys, keep the distance between you wide.

They made you swear not to tell anyone? Well neener neener neener. Just tell them that the principal forced you if it comes to that. Tell your wife what happened and let her know why you will never fish with them again. If you're lucky, the moron cheats will find out you spilled the beans, and NEVER FISH WITH YOU AGAIN!

 

[shopson]

What kind of tournament was it to have more than two anglers in the boat? Must have been a big tournament to have payed $4000.

My thoughts too. And how did they make you swear not to tell, threaten to beat you up? And how about the team that should have gotten third? You helped decieve them out of their winnings by being silent. You are right, bad situation and you are definately part of it.

 

[Anonymous]

Hey JMO,but you need to turn them in, they admitted they had done this before, they are criminals, i repeat criminals, you should turn them in and report there names all over the internet.
These scumbags should never be allowed to fish for money again.
And if they tried that at one of my local tourneys, the boys would be waitin for at the ramp the following tourney and it would get real ugly fast!!!!
Guys like this kill tourney fishing. Do the right thing and turn them in....They will cheat and steal again.
I cant stand a cheater!!!!!!!! If you cant win or place without cheating keep your sorry arse at the house!!!!!!!!!!!
PS. Never I repeat never fish any tourney that doesnt check livewells at the ramp!!!!!!!
Damn cheaters, God I hate'em.

 

[B.D.]

I have never heard of a tournament big enough to have a $4,000 payout, yet does not check livewells beforehand and allows 3 people to fish out of a boat. Odd.

That said, assuming everything is accurate, you should report it. They have stolen money from the people who competed fairly. It is theft.

I am surprised at the number of people who have said, "Too late to say anything about it now."

True, you should have said something immediately, but it's never too late to set things right. Knowing about it and keeping quiet makes you just as guilty as they are.

bd

 

[chunkandwind]

I think there was an article in last months BASS mag about 2 KY
guys caught stealing in a tourney. They had caged fish waiting
for them. Someone saw them put the cage out and called it in.
They were busted the next morning when they went to "catch"
their fish.

Those boys are going to jail for a while. These guys are thieves
for stole from everyone in that tourney. They need to be caught.

 

[pulplip fiction]

everyone says they would turn them end - in actualilty most would have done just wha you did - pretty much nothing - then feel bad about it forever. i say go fishing with them again - go to the middle of the river - pull out a gun - and let them swim.

 

[scott co htr]

reminds me of a time my brother in law and I went fishing on Carters Lake in Georgia. We ran out of bait and pulled into the bank next to a little creek. when we went up the creek looking for bait we found where someone had dammed the creek up making a little pool. in that pool was some pretty good sized bass, which I might say ended up in our belly that night.

 

[kdxdude]

Well, anybody know how this one turned out?

 

[SAR Swimmer]

I talked to the tourney director. He knows the guys dad pretty well and they do some busines together (or did business together). The guys dad actually provides a digital sign for the tournament. He said that it was too late to really do alot about it. He appreciated my honesty and vowed that next year would hold a few new surprises to the tourney in order to catch them in the act. He agreed that he has suspicion of a few boats doing the same thing. I will never fish another tournament though.

 

[stik]

Tournament fishing takes the fun out of fishing IMO, I don't care for fishing tounaments.

that was why i quit in the 80's.

 

[Nimrod777]

Good deal on tipping the tourney leader off.

To remember the real joys of fishing, take a kid or an old man who can't get out on their own. It will put the smile back on your face.

 

[Taylor]

I agree with ewc.