Keith Poche

[AlabamaSpothunter]

3 minutes ago, WIGuide said:

I don't think this sand bar is the dam in question. It doesn't line up the same with what we're seeing in the screen shot and if your black dot is where the camera is the boat is passing on the opposite side of where you're showing its path on your scree shot.

 

Being open to public fishing and being part of tournament waters are not synonymous. Take a look at the  situation below, these two lakes are open to public fishing there's no law preventing fishing on either one. However, if you have a tournament on one, "tournament waters" would only include one lake as they aren't connected. You can't cast across the road and drag fish from one to the other, you cant jump the road and fish in the other lake and jump back either. 

How much of any of this is clarified in the pre tournament meeting, I'm unsure as I wasn't there, but I've fished in enough tournaments (BASS affiliated) and not, to know you're made fully aware of how to contact the tournament director if you have any questions, that's what they're there for. I have nothing against Keith's style but his "defending the truth" to me in this case seems more like an "I screwed up" and not wanting to own up to it. 

You're correct, it's not, you can watch that whole video on youtube....it's titled Off the grid.....Georgia.   They just made a short out of it for other social media platforms that require short form videos.

[AmmoGuy]

18 minutes ago, WIGuide said:

I don't think this sand bar is the dam in question. It doesn't line up the same with what we're seeing in the screen shot and if your black dot is where the camera is the boat is passing on the opposite side of where you're showing its path on your scree shot.

 

Being open to public fishing and being part of tournament waters are not synonymous. Take a look at the  situation below, these two lakes are open to public fishing there's no law preventing fishing on either one. However, if you have a tournament on one, "tournament waters" would only include one lake as they aren't connected. You can't cast across the road and drag fish from one to the other, you cant jump the road and fish in the other lake and jump back either. 

How much of any of this is clarified in the pre tournament meeting, I'm unsure as I wasn't there, but I've fished in enough tournaments (BASS affiliated) and not, to know you're made fully aware of how to contact the tournament director if you have any questions, that's what they're there for. I have nothing against Keith's style but his "defending the truth" to me in this case seems more like an "I screwed up" and not wanting to own up to it. 

 

Well... that's a screen shot from the wrong video....Try the video I linked directly above the satellite image?

Or the "new" link I provided when I edited my original comment.  

 

If you compare the correct video to the satellite image, you'll see the similarities. Even the trees correspond. Here's some stills: 

 

[TnRiver46]

He said he jumped a dirt road, and they said it was against the rules…… what else is there ? 
i would imagine they don’t want others attempting that based on safety reasons 

[Catt]

19 minutes ago, volzfan59 said:

Hey @Catt, Off topic a little, but I have never seen a "roller dam". How is one used? Are they even for public use? Thanks

 

Rollers are quite often used to cross levees down here, you actually have to leave your boat & either wrench the boat over or push the boat over.

1 minute ago, TnRiver46 said:

He said he jumped a dirt road, and they said it was against the rules…… what else is there ? 

 

Where's Trip Weldon when you need him!

[Woody B]

2 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

He caught 15 lbs each day and didn’t even qualify for the final round………. Not like he even had a chance to win 

 

A few comments.  My main comment ties back to this.   He's got way more attention that he would have had he not been disqualified, even if he would have won.     (So has BASS).   Attention = $$$$$ in most cases.   

 

I don't watch videos, and I don't follow bass tournaments beyond looking at an occasionally internet post.  Perhaps he knew he couldn't/wouldn't win, and pulled this stunt for attention.  IMHO there's nothing wrong with that.  It's entertainment.  

 

Decades ago, back when I was drag racing I was known for "thinking outside the box".  Over the years there were many "Woodrow rules".   I won some races by thinking outside the box.  I also generated a bunch of attention.  (back before social media) I worked on, sold and manufactured various race car parts.  Attention was good.  Had social media been around it would have been even better.   

 

I've always been a "ask for forgiveness" person instead of an "ask for permission" one.   I applaud him for that.  

 

I wonder if they draw straws to see who "has" to ride in the boat with him.  

[AmmoGuy]

26 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

I highly doubt you will find on TP&W website where it states access to the WMA is by road, rollers, or anywhere you can jump the levee.

 

 

I think it's a pretty big reach to assume what he did would even blip on TP&W's radar. 

 

[Catt]

3 hours ago, AmmoGuy said:

 

I think it's a pretty big reach to assume what he did would even blip on TP&W's radar. 

 

 

How well you know Texas Parks & Wildlife?

 

I have seen plenty guys busted by Game Wardens because of what has been posted on Social Media. City Police, Sheriffs,, & State Police down here do the same thing. 

 

Keith said he wants this put out there, it is.

[TnRiver46]

 

[Choporoz]

C'mon, now..you stick your cotton candy in mud and eat it???

 

?

[Tennessee Boy]

So he jumped a dam to get out of one of the top bass fishing lakes in the country…..interesting.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

36 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

 

Pretty different to the way Keith handled it......one acted like a grown man, the other cried on the stage, and then on social media.   

 

Keith tried to apologize half heartily at Lay Lake for his behavior on stage during the Buggs Island Open.  

BASS: The Ugly - Bassmaster

Just now, Tennessee Boy said:

So he jumped a dam to get out of one of the top bass fishing lakes in the country…..interesting.

Exactly what my first reply was, who the heck risk getting tossed from a derby for 500 acres, when you can fish 128,000 acres of the second hottest Bass fishery in America.

 

It's a silly story only because Keith thinks he has merit.  

[Catt]

8 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

when you can fish 128,000 acres of the second hottest Bass fishery in America

 

190,000 acres with 1,200 miles of shoreline.

[WIGuide]

16 hours ago, Woody B said:

I've always been a "ask for forgiveness" person instead of an "ask for permission" one.   I applaud him for that.  

Nothing wrong with that mentality at all, but you know full well going in at some point you won't be forgiven for something and you have to deal with that. I think that's my biggest issue here is how he seems to be turning this around as some sort of targeted attack on him and how that's taking away from how he provides for his family. If how he finishes is that big of a financial impact on his family, I feel like he would have called the TD to clarify. He also would have made sure he didn't fish a tournament on Lake Murray during an off limits period getting himself DQ'ed from the Elite event either where the financial impact is considerably higher. 

[volzfan59]

8 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

 

Thanks for posting this @TnRiver46. I'm still a Keith Poche (and Gerald Swindle fan), but this puts a whole new spin on it. If the Opens rule book states an angler can't go over dry land, and I have no reason to think it doesn't, then Keith was 100% in the wrong. He needs to stop, take his "medicine" and go on.

[Choporoz]

Ha ha

[Tennessee Boy]

I don’t have an opinion about the disqualification but here’s the 2023 Open rules.
 

https://www.bassmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2023-Opens-Rules-FINAL-2.pdf

I’m not seeing anything about crossing dry land.

 

[Kirtley Howe]

First I will say I could easily be wrong....but I thought the DQ was because he fished in water that BASS considered to outside the allowed area. Keith believes the area he fished behind the dam IS part of the allowed area, but BASS says it is not. Their call as it is their tournament. To my knowledge he was not disqualified for going over the dam...just for fishing "forbidden" water.

[kingmotorboat]

On 5/17/2023 at 10:05 AM, Tennessee Boy said:

So he jumped a dam to get out of one of the top bass fishing lakes in the country…..interesting.

As a transplant coonass living in Tennessee now, it’s one of those things y’all wouldn’t understand here. No offense. It’s a bit different down in south Louisiana. We try to get in areas other boats can’t. I’ve also fished Toledo a lot and spent a ton of time in spring trying to get in areas other can’t. To be honest that far south some of the best fish are to be had in the backwaters of the backwaters. I grew up on this logic and I can tell ya up here in Tennessee that logic has been useless ?. Different cultures 

[TnRiver46]

11 minutes ago, kingmotorboat said:

As a transplant coonass living in Tennessee now, it’s one of those things y’all wouldn’t understand here. No offense. It’s a bit different down in south Louisiana. We try to get in areas other boats can’t. I’ve also fished Toledo a lot and spent a ton of time in spring trying to get in areas other can’t. To be honest that far south some of the best fish are to be had in the backwaters of the backwaters. I grew up on this logic and I can tell ya up here in Tennessee that logic has been useless ?. Different cultures 

You have to climb up a mountain to Get into backwaters here and there’s only 5 inch brook trout in it 

[kingmotorboat]

21 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

You have to climb up a mountain to Get into backwaters here and there’s only 5 inch brook trout in it 

man you ain’t lying. Tried to go in a backwater in Watauga couple Saturdays ago. Found tons of fish. They just were all carp ?‍♂️. And it was 2 foot deep about 100 yards away from the end

[TnRiver46]

1 minute ago, kingmotorboat said:

man you ain’t lying. Tried to go in a backwater in Watauga couple Saturdays ago. Found tons of fish. They just were all carp ?‍♂️. And it was 2 foot deep about 100 yards away from the end

Bowfishin’! 

[kingmotorboat]

Just now, TnRiver46 said:

Bowfishin’! 

not in a club tournament ? but if I was doing that I wouldn’t have gotten skunked. I’m so weird everyone loves Watauga and holston here. I hate both of them yet I love Patrick Henry and Boone and so many people hate them. I fish Henry like Sabine almost. 3 foot water fluctuations depending on generation same with current. That’s tidal River there 

[Woody B]

10 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I don’t have an opinion about the disqualification but here’s the 2023 Open rules.
 

https://www.bassmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2023-Opens-Rules-FINAL-2.pdf

I’m not seeing anything about crossing dry land.

 

 

 

I read somewhere that he was disqualified because of rule 15.  IMHO he left tournament waters as the WMA lake isn't part of the tournament lake.  

Quote

Boats must remain in tournament waters during tournament days.

 

I still think he knew he wouldn't win, and this was a publicity stunt.  He's got more than his 15 minutes of fame.   

[Tennessee Boy]

20 minutes ago, Woody B said:

I read somewhere that he was disqualified because of rule 15.  IMHO he left tournament waters as the WMA lake isn't part of the tournament lake.  

Yeah,  it’s seems obvious to me that if you have to jump a road to get to some place it’s probably worth a call to see if it’s allowed.  The tournament director made a decision.  I’ve never been one to blame the referee.
 

 I posted the link to the rules in response to the sermon that Swindle posted.  Before you wave the rule book around and start quoting the rules you should check the book to make sure you’ve got the rules right. I’ve always thought his mouth was bigger than his brain but I still like him.  ?

[TnRiver46]

4 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

Yeah,  it’s seems obvious to me that if you have to jump a road to get to some place it’s probably worth a call to see if it’s allowed.  The tournament director made a decision.  I’ve never been one to blame the referee.
 

 I posted the link to the rules in response to the sermon that Swindle posted.  Before you wave the rule book around and start quoting the rules you should check the book to make sure you’ve got the rules right. I’ve always thought his mouth was bigger than his brain but I still like him.  ?

If you watch til the end, he says he can comment because he’s been DQd before (from the classic too). His nephew has also been DQd from an open. His point was if you break the rules, you have to accept the penalty