Unless you’ve been living under a rock, no doubt you have heard about the major walleye tournament cheating scandal that occurred in Ohio this past October.
Videos which showcased the director of the Lake Erie Walleye Trail Tournament removing many lead weights and fish fillets out of walleyes supposedly put into the catch to assist Jacob Runyan and Chase Cominsky win a nearly $30,000 prize spread quickly across the internet as news of this spread worldwide.
I am uncertain how those two were able to keep away from the angry competitors. To top it off, they enter not guilty pleas in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court towards the end of October for a variety of felony charges linked with this case. Moreover, during the investigation, Cominsky’s boat was seized by officers.
This isn’t the first time tournament fishing has been accused of cheating. In 2014, two men were arrested following their attempts to cage bass in Lake Guntersville, Alabama, while someone else in Minnesota was also accused of cheating after submitting fish caught in a separate lake.
There are more stories similar to these that have only recently come to light due to Runyan and Cominsky’s controversial antics. It begs the question: what can be done to restore the integrity of large or small tournaments?
Cheating in Tournaments is a Big Deal
Anglers have every right to be angered by the emergence of a cheating scandal in a fishing tournament.
This issue is bigger than just fair play; with so much money at stake even for amateur tournaments, cheating has become tantamount to theft.
Cominsky and Runyan were consequently charged with felony counts of cheating and attempted grand theft, as well as possession of criminal tools.
To top it off, they received a misdemeanour charge for illegal ownership of wild animals due to their fish filets.
The latter charge is the least concerning one in comparison to the other charges which entail serious prison time, if found guilty.
It is now left up to justice to determine how this case will proceed and whether there will be an appropriate outcome; an outcome that is under close observation by people all over the fishing world.
Tournament directors across the nation faced criticism on social media when people asked what preventative measures they employed to protect against a similar incident happening.
In response, Jason Fischer, director of the Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament, took to Facebook where he apologized to sponsors for his vehement reaction after the Ohio-based tournament incident.
The sponsors showed leniency to Fischer, which is understandable considering his reaction was understandable. It showed integrity by insisting Runyan and Cominsky leave the premises.
He even tried to calm the volatile crowd. The video speaks for itself of how furious spectators were as they had long harbored doubts about Runyan and Cominsky. Overall, this isn’t a good day for tournament fishing.
Although that thought is disappointing, perhaps this scandal was a blessing in disguise because it shed light on a larger problem.
In the end, we would hope most people would play fairly and be gracious and humble both in victory and defeat.
Sadly, the world isn’t that way, especially when big money is on the line. The only question is where fishing tournaments will go next.
What Tournaments are Doing to Prevent Cheating
In the aftermath of the highly publicized event, the Lake Erie Walleye Trail Tournament swiftly implemented measures to prevent similar occurrences.
According to WTRF.com, they will employ scanners to identify metal or foreign objects inserted in fish and physically examine catches from top five teams.
These should discourage potential rule-breakers, underlining their commitment to uphold regulations. Amongst their arsenal of tools already in place lies the polygraph test.
The irony is not lost on us when it comes to the use of lie detector tests for fishing tournaments.
The situation in Ohio simply affirms the necessity for these, and Cominsky and Runyan were disqualified from a 2021 tournament, too. It’s a pity that this has become an expected measure, as smaller tournaments have to absorb the additional costs which can be quite significant.
Larger fishing circuits, however, have used polygraphs for years. It is an under-recognized fact that large tournament trails like Bassmaster or Major League Fishing regularly subject their winners to polygraphs.
There are times when Bassmaster conducts these tests randomly or if another angler launches a written protest. However, these types of tests are rare, according to Bassmaster.
Polygraph tests have certainly had their share of flaws, as there has been a number of recorded cases of individuals being deceptive with them.
A case in point came about in September 2022 when two anglers sued a Rhode Island saltwater fishing tournament for disqualifying them from a July event.
As it turned out, the New York Post reported Edward Pollner and Rudolf Bonicelli alleged that the result of the lie detector test was inaccurate due to intoxication and sleep deprivation respectively. This ultimately cost them a whopping $200,000 prize money.
The polygraph is a simple solution to stop cheating, but modern technology has come up with more creative solutions. For example, FishDonkey is a mobile app that allows an efficient catch-and-release tournament to be run by officials.
The app itself can recognize older photos or ones that have been tampered with. This type of technology not only shows an impressive level of innovation, but it’s also more beneficial for the fish since immediate release can be achieved.
Because it allows officials to keep entries organized easily, the FishDonkey app seems to have become popular with smaller tournaments, especially high school teams.
It’s probably the next best thing to having an actual tournament official in each boat to make sure things stay on the level. MLF has begun doing this recently. It feels extreme, but it’s probably the most secure way to make sure every angler plays fairly.
Sources: Wideopenspaces
