Bass angler banned for life

[Hamilton Reef]

Angler banned for life

http://www.sgvtribune.com/sports/ci_3221642

By Keith Lair Staff Writer keith.lair@sgvn.com (626) 962-8811, Ext. 2272

An angler on the BASS tour has been suspended for life and faces possible prosecution after he admitted to cheating in last weekend's Bassmaster Central Open in Natchitoches, La.

Paul Tormanen of Lees Summit, Mo. admitted to a Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries warden that while pre-fishing the Red River, he caught bass and attached them to a stringer in the lake. On the second day of the tournament, he allegedly went to those spots, boated them and then claimed them as caught during the tournament's weigh-in. Tormanen was questioned by authorities, and admitted to the scheme, according to the incident report and media reports. He faces up to a year in prison and up to $3,000 in fines for committing "contest fraud" if convicted.

"He was banned for life because he admitted to it," said BASS' Christine Baumann, who was at the tournament. "There was no need to wait."

[t_dog755]

well sucks to be him doesn't it

[waterfoul]

Good. Should take away all his fishing privelages.

[4seasrob]

I've heard of things like this before, but not of anyone getting caught. That servers him right...

[ESOX]

That's what happens when you mix money with fishing.

[Gone Fishing]

That is pretty sad! Some people just don't have a clue. :(

[ESOX]

I remember a case a number of years back where a guy had fish in a cage that he had brought in from a different lake to pick back up during the tournament. I guess those huge prizes at the big name BASS tourneys bring out the worst in people.

[ahasiec]

Serves him right, what a dumb **** :bash: ...

ESOX is right when you start mixing thousand and thousands in prizes and sponsorships it can really bring out the worse in people, hopefully others on the tour will look at this next time they decide to try something this stupid..

[sfw1960]

Just one of many reasons I try NOT to fish for "competition"...
Unless it's braggin' rights over Waterfoul!!
LOL!!!
:lol:
:lol:
http://pages.pathwaynet.com/%7Esfw1960/Muttley-128842.gif

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROIGHT , Mikey???
:evilsmile

[waterfoul]

Bring it on Roberto!! Lest you forget, I've outfished you every time we've been out!! Just thought I'd remind you...

[sfw1960]

ALMOST :rant:
every time...
NOT my fault you've had to leave early!!!
LMAO!!!
:lol:

Ya should been 'dere Y/D!!

:p
R

[Hamilton Reef]

Shreveport angler helps BASS catch alleged cheater

"My first thought was that I had snagged a line that someone else had broke off," Huckabee said. "I got my bait untangled then figured I'd take the other bait out of the fish's mouth and let it go. But there wasn't a hook in its mouth."

Instead, there was a braided fishing line tied through the bottom lip of the bass with the other end tied to a stump. Huckabee immediately threw his rod down, picked up his cell phone and called BASS tournament officials.

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051120/SPORTS0407/511200301/1001/SPORTS

[waterfoul]

Wow.... polygraph tests to winners.... man that almost seems unconstitutional. But I guess if you agree to all the rules and regulations then you have to take the test.

82nd place AND he cheated. Dumb*****

[Hamilton Reef]

Here is another case.

Vista duo banned after bass tournament

http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/outdoors/20051220-9999-2s20outdoors.html

By Ed Zieralski UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER December 20, 2005

The father-son team of Tom and Kyle Heigel of Vista was disqualified from a National Bass West Team Tournament Dec. 10 at San Vicente for refusing to take a polygraph test following a protest about their fishing methods.

The Heigels were placed last in the field after catching a tournament-winning, five-bass limit totaling 17.22 pounds. They forfeited the first-place check of $3,254 and now are banned for life from fishing in a National Bass West Team Tournament, according to Mike Peterson, vice president and owner of National Bass West. Other team circuits such as the American Bass Association and WON BASS are considering such a lifetime ban, according to tournament officials from both organizations.

"I'm not saying I snagged fish," Tom Heigel said last night, denying accusations that formed the foundation of the protest against him and his son. "I'm just telling you we were sight fishing and I had a very poor lapse in judgment. And it was all me. I'm the one who said put them in the box. I'm the one who weighed them in. This is the worst thing that could happen to us. We've always had such a good name in bass fishing here, but this totally ruins our reputation as bass fishermen. I'm just really sorry for my lapse in judgment. I'm paying for it, believe me. I haven't slept in a week."

An unnamed videographer alerted Peterson that competitors in the tournament were violating tournament rules and ethics and Department of Fish and Game regulations. He recorded several teams fishing.

Another two-angler team, whose fishing methods also were part of the protest, has agreed to take a polygraph test today. That unidentified team allegedly discarded its catch before the weigh-in.

Mike Peterson, vice president and owner of National Bass West, confiscated the Heigels' fish, froze them in a bag of water and gave them to a Department of Fish and Game warden last night. The warden is investigating the case.

Art Bailey and Chris Stinnett were declared the tournament winners and awarded the $3,254.

The Heigels won $4,420 on Dec. 3 in the WON BASS Team Tournament, also at San Vicente.

[Hamilton Reef]

Two buddies charged with cheating to win prizes in fishing tournaments

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060629/NEWS01/606290418/1006/NEWS

BENTON, Ky. — A pair of fishing buddies were charged with 10 felonies after being accused of cheating in fishing tournaments on Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley on the Kentucky-Tennessee border.

Marshall and Lyon county grand juries on Tuesday indicted Dwayne E. Nesmith, 43, of Island, and Brian K. Thomas, 31, of Dawson Springs, on nine counts of theft by deception of over $300 in Marshall County, Ky., one count of complicity to commit theft by deception of over $300 and one count of attempted theft by deception of over $300 in Lyon County.

An investigation of the pair started April 30, when authorities allege the men stashed five live bass in a fish basket in the water, then picked them up to weigh in at the Relay for Life Buddy Bass Tournament at the Lake Barkley State Resort Park, state police said.

Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Sgt. Bill Snow said someone reported the bass, which were marked with clippings in their fins.

Nesmith and Thomas were witnessed picking up the fish early on the morning of April 30, then putting their catch in the boat, Snow said.

Snow said the men entered three of the stashed fish in the tournament's weigh-in at the end of the day.

[kumma]

We've always had such a good name in bass fishing here, but this totally ruins our reputation as bass fishermen. I'm just really sorry for my lapse in judgment.

I love lines like this, if this moron actually had a clue he wouldnt have cheated in the first place. Pretty sad to sell your reputation for 4 grand, what a schmuck. :lol:

[Hamilton Reef]

And more examples will continue....

State says 'record' fish filled with lead weights

KENNEWICK - A Kennewick man won't be listed in state record books because the smallmouth bass he caught was packed with lead weights, the state has found.

http://159.54.227.3/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061013/NEWS06/610130319

[Skeeter]

Believe it or not it happens in local tournaments right here in Saginaw Bay area as well. Not mentioning any in particular, but it does. Skeeter

[Capt Hook]

There was a MWC tournament on the bay some years ago that two brothers won. They weighed in a limit of fish both days that were dead and had white gills. They got the check but were told not to show up for the championship.

[CarpKing]

I heard that some one got cought cheating in a salmon tournamet in Grand Haven last year or maybe the year before. Any one know the details or what they did to him?

[Hamilton Reef]

Ky. Man Gets Probation for Fish Scheme

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/13/ap/strange/mainD8MK5PT80.shtml

01/13/07

A western Kentucky man will spend three years on probation for his role in a scheme in which he and a partner illegally won thousands of dollars at several fishing tournaments.

Dwayne E. Nesmith, 43, of Island, recently pleaded guilty to nine counts of theft by deception over $300 in Marshall County Circuit Court. He was sentenced to two years in jail on each count, the sentence to run concurrently, and was given probation, The Messenger of Madisonville reported.

Nesmith will also pay approximately $7,100 in restitution, which is half of the winnings he and his fishing partner, Brian K. Thomas, of Dawson Springs, won in team tournaments.

Nesmith is prohibited from holding a fishing license during his probation.

Thomas is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 5 to answer identical charges.

An investigation of the pair began when Kentucky Fish and Wildlife officers received a tip that Nesmith and Thomas had stashed a basket of fish in Lake Barkley during the Relay for Life Buddy Tournament in April.

According to Mark Marraccini, a Fish and Wildlife spokesman, the two men were observed taking fish out of the basket and putting them in a livewell in their boat during the tournament.

Investigators found that Nesmith and Thomas won approximately $15,000 in cash and a $30,000 bass boat between 2002 and the Relay for Life Buddy Tournament. The boat and some fishing equipment were confiscated by Fish and Wildlife authorities.

Thomas pleaded guilty to the attempted theft charge stemming from the Relay of Life Buddy Tournament in Trigg County District Court and paid a $250 fine and $148 in court costs.

[QuickStrike]

I remember a case a number of years back where a guy had fish in a cage that he had brought in from a different lake to pick back up during the tournament. I guess those huge prizes at the big name BASS tourneys bring out the worst in people.

You would think so. But this is not limited to big tournaments. Fishing for money puts the ego first on all levels of tournament involvement, from local stuff to the big money tourneys. The target species, unfortunately, rank way down the list when you involve cash and fish.

As a past tournament angler, I can say that with some authority.

[Spoon Fed]

not to mention a location, but we fished a kids tourney last year for salmon. we placed 16th and some of the kids ahead of us were pretty small to pull a 18lb salmon out of the water. our jr was 14 and had a hand full in 6 ft waves and a 16.8 lb fish. i told his dad all that counts is we did it right!!:mad:

[walleyeman2006]

Believe it or not it happens in local tournaments right here in Saginaw Bay area as well. Not mentioning any in particular, but it does. Skeeter.....

yep a lot more often then people think...too bad people cant take the time to learn to fish and do things the right way

[anon3292009]

Well, some of the comments here echo my own feelings. The competition to win fame or fortune has expanded to cover every Michigan fish species from smelt to salmon (not to mention rabbits, squirrels, coyotes, deer, pheasants, etc...). How much respect can one have for the motivation to harvest game and fish for money or trophies?? However, money talks and lots and lots of people are drawn into fishing to win. It's a sign of the times, and with the exposure of kids to "prize fishing" it's bound to increase.

[fiveinthelive]

Believe it or not it happens in local tournaments right here in Saginaw Bay area as well. Not mentioning any in particular, but it does. Skeeter

those you speak of will be watched closely skeeter

[djkimmel]

Plenty of decent people enjoy tournament fishing. I see it bring out the best in people much more than the worst. Some people just like to talk about and remember only the worst.

It's all in the example we set as sportspersons to others, and peer pressure on those small fraction that don't care as much as they should or who are just plain bad people. These same kinds of people are spread throughout all levels of the outdoors, not just competitive fishing.

Bad people are bad people. There are many more poachers out there who never fish a tournament than there are people who attempt to break the rules in tournaments.

[trout]

It's sad that the media coverage of fishing and hunting seems to be a negative type.
Millions of honest people enjoy the outdoor sports quietly and they are the real heros.
Take a kid fishing or hunting and perpetuate the honest sportmen and sportswoman image.

[djkimmel]

That's actually why I belong to things like The Bass Federation - an opportunity for anglers to come together and perform youth and conservation activities that actually make a positive impact, while allowing for some news of the good things to get out even if just a little.

[Hamilton Reef]

Bagged bass mystery remains unsolved

http://www.cleveland.com/sports/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/sports/1177058583243560.xml&coll=2

04/20/07 D'Arcy Egan Plain Dealer Columnist

Tournament director Rory Franks and the Ohio Division of Wildlife may never solve the mystery of a wire mesh bag filled with lively bass, but it certainly made for an interesting weekend on the Portage Lakes.

An angler discovered the batch of fish Friday afternoon while testing West Reservoir for Franks' $10,000 Portage Powerhouse bass tournament on Saturday and Sunday.

The wire basket anchored by a cord had five good-sized bass in it. Possibly a scheme to cheat in the weekend tournament, the find was reported to Phil Hillman, head of fisheries for the ODOW at the Portage Lakes district office in Akron.

"The wildlife enforcement guys really sprang into action," said Franks, notified as he was driving home from work on Friday.

Summit County wildlife officer Matt Leibengood and ODOW investigators were called in to check out the basket. Under the cover of darkness the officers injected the bass with tiny PIT (Passive Integrated Transponder) tags for instant identification, then returned the bass to the basket. The area was monitored all weekend by wildlife crews eager to catch a pair of cheaters.

A number of two-angler tournament teams stopped to fish the area, said Leibengood, but none seemed to notice the wire basket. At tournament's end, the cache of bass was untouched.

"We put in 77 hours on the case and still can't rule out foul play," said Leibengood. "There is a possibility someone's fish basket was inadvertently left there. Making it suspicious was that there were five large bass in the basket and no crappies or bluegills."

Ray Maynard and Dan Klein teamed to win the $4,450 top prize. They weighed nine bass, one short of a two-day tournament limit, totalling 22.9 pounds.

"Tournament bass fishing is a very positive sport, and I'd like to think the basket was left behind by a kid who wanted to keep some fish alive to show off to his family and friends," said Franks, assistant chief probation officer for the Portage County Juvenile Court.

[FishDaddy09]

I used to run company fishing contests,the top prize was $30. There was 2 catagories game fish and pan fish,with a $30 top prize in each division. The cheating was unbelieveable. At one ice contest a guy showed up with a bag of fish that were turning white. I think he found them outside a bar. He had already told everyone that he wasn't going to fish and that he didn't bring any poles,auger, bait ect. with him. He couldn't understand why we wouldn't let him weigh in his fish.

[Chousse]

I found his mug shot...

http://www.mugshots.com/IMAGES/Mugshot__tormanen.jpg

[kype138]

Having proof is one thing, suspicion with no proof is completely different.
Judging how a small kid may have fought a fish (spoon-fed) if you didn't see it happen is ridiculous. All of us get lucky occasionally, how would you feel if it was your boat (or kid) under suspicion?

[Hamilton Reef]

Missouri fisherman's cheating charge makes him an outcast

Jones, 60, is an avid angler. A divorcé with no family nearby, he sometimes stayed at the shop for hours. He had friends here. So when he placed second in a fishing tournament two weeks ago, the regulars expected he would show up the next morning to crow about it, just as he did after a win the week before.

But his moment of triumph — his trophy plaque and $886 — was the one that got away. He left the winner's circle that day in handcuffs, facing a felony count of theft by deception. Fishermen at the boat ramp cheered his arrest. Others were moved to anger. Fishermen can forgive all kinds of transgressions, but not cheating.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/missouristatenews/story/B2C935529160A78D862572D90015B9F8?OpenDocument

[Bassman Dan]

Sad story.:sad: But that's what happens when money, ego and pride get involved with fishing. I have nothing against tournoment anglers, just the few that can't play fair. Some people just have to prove they are one of the best, at any coast. Now for the rest of his life he will be known as a cheat and an outcast in his community. He got what he deserved.