Bass in a cage

I do very little fishing. got a question for all u tournament fishermen. I was at the lake last week and saw a lot of folks fishin in a bass tournament. I heard the grand prize was like $100,000.00, that is a nice piece of change for a couple of days fishing. But i guess what i was wondering is what is to keep some less than honest local person from keeping trophy fish in an underwater cage and just take them out when he needs to win a tournament? With 6 or 7 hundred miles of shore line, it wouldn,t be hard to hide them in some secluded cove...

Re: Bass in a cage

I used to fish tournaments and quit just for that very reason! I think that 99% of the guys are honest but it just takes one to screw things up! Yes that type of thing happens all the time! It dosnt even take that high of pot to bring them out either! Sometime just a few hundred dollars is enough! There are several cases in Oregon going on right now! They tend to get caught for several reasons! The fish dont look healthy, or they have big holes in there jaw where they were tied up! Sometimes they are discolored if taken from one lake to another one! One case here in Oregon a guy built a secret compartment in his boat somewhere to hide fish in! When he wieghed them in they were very obviously a different color! Too bad there has to be people like that!!<br /><br />Hasbeen

Re: Bass in a cage

Most of the time it is called POLYGRAPH TEST. I also know a lot of guys say they can beat it but what if they are wrong!!!!

Re: Bass in a cage

True in the really big money tournaments they do polygraph. Hasbeen is right, people will cheat even for a small prize.<br /> On the one lake I fish the same two brothers have won the last 6 tourneys. That is every one they had this year. I don't know how they are doing it but they got something going on. <br /> I fish the lake at least twice a week as well as a lot of my friends and we never see these guys on the water ever. How can they win when they don't ever fish the place. <br /> I have heard they sink their own fish cribs in the lake and then just pull the bass off of them on tourney day. Not as bad as fish in a cage but I think it is cheating. It is illegal to place any kind of man made structure in the lake.<br /> Would be interesting to follow them around next time. I think some of the organizers are starting to get a bit suspicious of those two.

Re: Bass in a cage

this is not one of those hypothetical questions about a 'friend', but instead you might be worried about gittn caught while doiong this.<br /><br />No just kidding, i fish pond tourneys here in OK, and have wondered that same question. we got 2nd place with 17lbs, winner had almost 40lbs, five fish averaging 7-8 lbs, HMMMMMM sounds fishy. the winners are just held to their word.

Re: Bass in a cage

at over 1000 posts I finally have a post I can contribute too!!!<br />Ok I fish PWT and RCL tournys add the dozen or so local and smaller ones I can answer this. All major tournements make you take a lie detector test on placement. You are scrutinized if they ar in question with your weigh ins. For example if the pack can have 3 fish with 20 lb totals and you have 5 fish with 50 lb they are going to scrutinize you a little bit. SOmetimes the fish are taken away and tested etc.. FOr the most part on the major circuit it is impossible to cheat because there are so many people around you The smaller ones it is quite easy to cheat but almost always they are caught. I have seen almost every concivable angle used to cheat. Dip nets bait traps fish from other bodies of water etc.. The smaller ones I tend to agree that there is a fair bit of funny biz going on. The bigger ones there is rarly any cheaters. Remember on the bigger circuit we have way too much to lose if we are found cheating. We lose sponsors. And in reality they can account for a high percentage of your monies earned. Its better for me to go home on the loseing end then lose all my endorsements the sponsors and all the money they give to you. SO to answer the question almost all pro anglers dont cheat the $100000 is a small loss in comparision to years of tourny fishing profits. In a bad year a tourny guy will make $100000 and a good year wow multiply that 3 fold so the choice is abvious Dont cheat

Re: Bass in a cage

The last tounament that I fished was here in Oregon in Feruary on Siltcoos Lake, It was very tough fishing, water temp was about 50-55! The club that was putting it on ran around after about 2 Hrs, to see how everyone was doing! There were these two brothers that Knowone had ever seen before already had there limit! Most of the rest of us were lucky to have 1 to 3 fish by then! They ended up with the best bunch of fish for the first day! Most of the rest of us only had 2 to 3 fish, I think there was only one other limit! The next day they never even weighed in a fish! They still took first place as a cold front moved through and there were not many fish caught the second day! We took second place, but the tounament was really ours!<br /><br />Hasbeen

Re: Bass in a cage

Great question Flashback! And even better answers!<br />I have always wondered about that too. Although I didn't know the prize money was that BIG! WOW

Re: Bass in a cage

Well I think that cheating will certainly cross peoples mind. Money has a funny way of effecting people. In my opinion most people are going to be honest. Most people who are fishing local tournaments are "Sportsman" fishing and not fishing for a living. I know I certainly will not be. And the feeling of cheating to win would certainly not make me puff my chest as would winning it the right way. And no amount of money would make that bad feeling go away. I will be fishing 2 benefit tournaments at Lake of the Ozarks this spring so I will see how the competition feels. <br /> <br />Matt

Re: Bass in a cage

yes Link the money is huge and getting bigger all the time. Exclude the top 30 or so guys who are under various contracts. The pack in the top 100 or so can easily earn in excess of $100000.00<br />Your prize winnings are never the vast majority of the monies you earn. In fact total prize money fro me this year was under $25000. The endorsements, the sponsorship money, the personal apperances, guiding biz, and all the referal money in my case will acount for over 4 times that.

Re: Bass in a cage

A LITTLE OFF SUBJECT<br /><br />I really have to hand it to the guys that are doing this for a living!<br />Myself and a buddy thought about doing this back in the early eighties! We talked to a nice young man named Rich Tauber about how it really was! He told us that it really wasnt as glorious as it looked and it was really a hard job and very stressfull! Basically after you get sponsers, they basically own you and can tell you were you will be about anytime! and if you dont perform they will drop you like a rock! He said he didnt get a lot of time off anyway and that when he did he rarely got to spend it with his family because he would be in Florida and he lived in California and some sponser would want him in Texas at a sportsman show and he had a tournament in Oklahoma the next weekend! They have it tough and I have to hand it to them for sticking it out!<br />We never went pro!!<br /><br />Hasbeen

Re: Bass in a cage

you got that right. Although the demands of ones sponsors have changed ( they are much nicer today) yes it is not much fun at times. When I personal fish I couldnt care if I catch or dont. If the weather is off Im off the water. It is a job and one filled with the ultimate pressure perform or dont get paid. Sponsors have changed in that thier requirements of your time have lessened. Rod and reel sponsors want you to do trade shows and the sportsman shows. Engine sponsors are real easy just fish and refer clients to a dealer to buy the product( of which you are rewarded ) electronic sponsors, clothing sponsors tackle sponsors On an average you generally have 8 - 12 sponsors all cheering you on. As for being dropped there are requirements with sponsors ( each one is different) and yes they will drop you if you dont live up to your agreement like any job. Nothing and I mean nothing is worse then sitting in your boat fishing in foul weather becasue the pressure is on you to put another fish in the tank. Has been it is a job he was correct a real tough job and some days I want to throw in the towel and sit on a dock with my kids catchin sunfish, but then i say I LOVE TO FISH and in reality the price we pay to persue this is worth it. I sold my business went pro and to this day after being swamped rained on snowed on dead engines and days of no fish I thank god for giving me the opportunity to do what I love to do fish.

Re: Bass in a cage

Miloman, and everyone else, thanks for the info, I guess the poly keeps most the guys straight in the small tourneys and the fear of loosing a lot of money keeps them straight in the big ones...good luck to all of you if you fish the tournements......and if you don't maybe we need to start............

Re: Bass in a cage

Hey I for one have really enjoyed all the insite you guys have provided. It's amazing how much is involved with tournament fishing.<br /><br />Link

Re: Bass in a cage

it really is when I started this seven years ago it was a weekend thing 3 or 4 times a summer. Now it is a 5 sometimes 7 day a week job. On the off season it still is a 3 to 4 day a week job.