Scott Martin dq'd again? Martin Withdraws From Elite Series

[Pumpkin Lizard]

31 minutes ago, F14A-B said:

Scott isn’t asking BASS to accept it. Remember he said he’s pulling out of the Elite series. So there ya go. 
Btw, everybody, EVERYBODY use to talk to locals and get info in the 80’s, 90’s and even into the 2000’s. 
Fisherman talk. People talk. 
Guides get paid to take clients out to fish. When I pay a Captain 2800$ to take me solo out on the GOM I’m saving waypoints. Same on Cumberland, same on Kentucky LK. 

But hey, there is a new way and it’s called FFS often called a cheater box. I’ve seen the Johnson brothers team up and you know they share info when at Harris last year they end up in the same spring even pointing out fish on beds for one another. Imo, EVERY. SINGLE. FISHERMAN. At every elite series event should be given a poly before and after. You want a straight playing field? That’s one way. A lot of these guys cannot even properly operate their boats or even trailer them properly. You got Zaldain trying to intimidate a weekend fisherman to get out of the area he wanted to fish, going so far as to threaten going to the guys job and interfering with his factory job. He got a fine. But he wasn’t DQ’ed either. Different rules for different guys. 
All of this to say BASS looks very incompetent to me. 

 

The rules state that competitors can share information.

 

The rule states that anglers can’t seek information from outside besides publicity available information.

 

You’re attempting to rationalize his cheating. And sorry but it just isn’t going to work.

[F14A-B]

2 hours ago, Pumpkin Lizard said:

Thr fact that he has demonstrated a clear pattern of behavior taints the win now.

 

And before you say he didn’t need to then I will direct you to the podcast episode I linked above where Greg Hackney says Scott has been doing this for 25 years and that he saw the Okeechobee video. 
 

Scott “bumped into a guy for about 30 minutes” and that BASS 100% did the right thing.

 

Other than trolls, ignoramuses and some highly questionable YouTube channels I haven’t seen anyone respectable come out in support of this guy.

Great so you wanna put your faith in YouTube, gotcha. Seems like information sharing to me. Btw, where is this video showing Martin doing all these bad things? Link the address. I wanna see it since apparently everyone else has… or is it only available to a few privileged fisherman on the elite series and a few YouTube blow hards 🤣🤣🤣 If BASS had any credibility they would have viewed it, made a determination and not shared it amongst other fisherman. Martin should sue them… 

10 minutes ago, Pumpkin Lizard said:

The rules state that competitors can share information.

 

The rule states that anglers can’t seek information from outside besides publicity available information.

 

You’re attempting to rationalize his cheating. And sorry but it just isn’t going to work.

Where’s your proof? Link the video.

11 minutes ago, Pumpkin Lizard said:

The rules state that competitors can share information.

 

The rule states that anglers can’t seek information from outside besides publicity available information.

 

You’re attempting to rationalize his cheating. And sorry but it just isn’t going to work.

I’m not convinced he did cheat. Show me the proof for the third time..

 

or is this the grapevine you keep hammering away on? 

[Pumpkin Lizard]

16 minutes ago, F14A-B said:

Great so you wanna put your faith in YouTube, gotcha. Seems like information sharing to me. Btw, where is this video showing Martin doing all these bad things? Link the address. I wanna see it since apparently everyone else has… or is it only available to a few privileged fisherman on the elite series and a few YouTube blow hards 🤣🤣🤣 If BASS had any credibility they would have viewed it, made a determination and not shared it amongst other fisherman. Martin should sue them… 

Where’s your proof? Link the video.

I’m not convinced he did cheat. Show me the proof for the third time..

 

or is this the grapevine you keep hammering away on? 

 

Putting my faith in YouTube? Where are you getting that from? I referenced a quote from Greg Hackney which you are welcome to go listen to yourself. And it's not on YouTube. Sorry.

 

Hopefully you are just confused and not using some lame straw man argument.

 

I wish I had the video. Greg Hackney and others have seen it and that's credible enough for me.

 

 

 

 

[F14A-B]

1 minute ago, Pumpkin Lizard said:

 

Putting my faith in YouTube? Where are you getting that from? I referenced a quote from Greg Hackney which you are welcome to go listen to yourself. And it's not on YouTube. Sorry.

 

Hopefully you are just confused and not using some lame straw man argument.

 

I wish I had the video. Greg Hackney and others have seen it and that's credible enough for me.

 

 

 

 

No video. That’s what I thought. So in truth you really can’t be sure.. you believe Hack and that’s fine, I like Greg, and I’ll believe Scott. Good enough for you? 

[Logan S]

I don't think most people understand how valuable "information" is if it's from a credible source.  Not taking about waypoints either....

 

The tours give anglers limited practice time and most venues are huge bodies water.... Especially this upcoming one.  An angler getting legit info about which areas to focus on, what things to look for, where the water clears first, etc, etc, is going to have a huge leg up on guys who don't get that....Their practice will be more efficient and they will have more confidence.  They don't need help finding and catching fish, that's a red herring because they are all capable of that...they get insider information that gives them a strategic advantage.  

 

I think Scott outed himself and the tactic in his apology video....The whole, "on a place LIKE Albemarle...but NOT Albemarle," thing sounds like the perfect vehicle for getting this type of stuff.  The stuff he admitted on his video, even the stuff not technically against the rules, is eye opening and raises more questions to me...Which I hate to say because up until now I've always had a pretty positive view of him.  

[Kirtley Howe]

55 minutes ago, F14A-B said:

There weren’t many rules back in Roland’s day.. I remember when he put a ladder on his boat so he could spot beds easier.. salt guys do it all the time, of course Ray Scott made a rule forbidding it but there wasn’t one prior to that. 

I also remember when he showed up with a jet boat so he could go up-river where others could not go. No rule against it at the time, but that changed right after he did it. I have no problem with him doing that. It just showed initiative. It isn't cheating if there is no rule against it. If there is a rule, and you break it (even if by "accident") then it is cheating.

[IYAOYAS]

I still believe that somebody has it out for him. His tactics may be the vehicle of his own destruction(or they may not) but I still believe somebody wanted to see him fail or quit.

[MontanaBasser]

As someone who has only gotten into fishing in the last year or two, everything I hear about BASS makes me think they've been captured by their sponsors.  

 

Who gives a rip who talked to who when guys are running enough Sonar to find Nessie AND the Red October?

 

To me, it seems like the no information rule and all the associated drama are a way to take the conversation off FFS.  

 

When other sports have had issues with team balance the successful solution is normally some form of homologation or salary cap.  That is what BASS should pursue, but they won't because they're constrained by their high dollar sponsors.

 

From the outside looking in, right now competitive fishing looks like an arms race and it's pretty unappealing.  

[Pumpkin Lizard]

3 hours ago, F14A-B said:

No video. That’s what I thought. So in truth you really can’t be sure.. you believe Hack and that’s fine, I like Greg, and I’ll believe Scott. Good enough for you? 

 

Sure, enough to see that you are denial.

3 hours ago, Logan S said:

I don't think most people understand how valuable "information" is if it's from a credible source.  Not taking about waypoints either....

 

The tours give anglers limited practice time and most venues are huge bodies water.... Especially this upcoming one.  An angler getting legit info about which areas to focus on, what things to look for, where the water clears first, etc, etc, is going to have a huge leg up on guys who don't get that....Their practice will be more efficient and they will have more confidence.  They don't need help finding and catching fish, that's a red herring because they are all capable of that...they get insider information that gives them a strategic advantage.  

 

I think Scott outed himself and the tactic in his apology video....The whole, "on a place LIKE Albemarle...but NOT Albemarle," thing sounds like the perfect vehicle for getting this type of stuff.  The stuff he admitted on his video, even the stuff not technically against the rules, is eye opening and raises more questions to me...Which I hate to say because up until now I've always had a pretty positive view of him.  

 

I agree. What's funny is that in his warped head he probably doesn't even see that he is cheating. He should have taken the official polygraph; he would have passed.

1 hour ago, MontanaBasser said:

As someone who has only gotten into fishing in the last year or two, everything I hear about BASS makes me think they've been captured by their sponsors.  

 

Who gives a rip who talked to who when guys are running enough Sonar to find Nessie AND the Red October?

 

To me, it seems like the no information rule and all the associated drama are a way to take the conversation off FFS.  

 

When other sports have had issues with team balance the successful solution is normally some form of homologation or salary cap.  That is what BASS should pursue, but they won't because they're constrained by their high dollar sponsors.

 

From the outside looking in, right now competitive fishing looks like an arms race and it's pretty unappealing.  

 

Having FFS and "Information" aren't even close to being the same thing.

 

Everyone can get FFS and  it isn't some magical box that will make fish jump in your boat.  But everyone has it, but they don't have equal ability and talent in using it.

 

When you have only 3 days to practice, even a little bit of info can make a big difference.

 

Otherwise the sport would just become an unmitigated arms race of "Pro Staffers" and Guides pre fishing places and you wouldn't have the best anglers winning. Just the best networked.

[Logan S]

1 hour ago, MontanaBasser said:

Who gives a rip who talked to who when guys are running enough Sonar to find Nessie AND the Red October?

A 5 minute phone conversation with a knowledgeable local, especially on a place as big as this upcoming event, can be more powerful to these guys than any electronics setup.  It's why they are DQ'ing guys for this stuff but allowing the $50k electronics setups without batting an eye.  

[rangerjockey]

9 hours ago, Logan S said:

A 5 minute phone conversation with a knowledgeable local, especially on a place as big as this upcoming event, can be more powerful to these guys than any electronics setup.  It's why they are DQ'ing guys for this stuff but allowing the $50k electronics setups without batting an eye.  

There was a time I would have agreed with that. Today, I'm not so sure. These critters have a habit of moving around. Maybe different in other areas but around here yesterday is old info especially this time of year.

These days I can run around with 2d and downscan at 30mph and waypoint them then drop the FFS. That's real time not yesterday . Having someone give you a starting point helps but not like it once did.

 

[NoFroFishing]

I could not care less about anglers getting information about a lake. Something literally all of us do. Like I said before, it's just a scouting report. 

I also don't see what could possibly be gained from a polygraph test especially since we all know they aren't accurate.
Say Scott passes their test. Then what? Will the tattle tale be punished for lying? Would scotts punishment be lifted? 

Scott will be just fine. He doesn't need BASS. Hell, anyone with a social media following doesn't need BASS

 

Also in a sport full of "manly men" why are you hiding in the shadows and telling on someone? Man up and put a face to your tattle tales. 

[fishballer06]

I personally do not care whether Scott is guilty or innocent... But his video and explanation leaves me with a few questions. 

 

How many tour level anglers are calling "random guys they've never met before" to discuss similar bodies of water to one they're going to be fishing? 

 

If you truly believe you're innocent, to the point that you would pay for your own polygraph test (to which you claim you passed), then why refuse to take the BASS test? 

 

All of that seems suspicious to me. The anglers voted to have this no information sharing rule and from everyone (who is on tour) I've seen commenting on the subject, they are in favor of the process and how it is going. If 98% of the anglers on tour have no problem taking lie detector tests, then the 2% who are up in arms about it must be playing a grey area (or cheating) to a questionable degree. 

 

Dave Mercer talked about this subject on his podcast and mentioned something that I found of significance. Dave stated that "nobody is getting disqualified because a guy came up to them at a gas station and said Hey! They're eating chartreuse spinnerbaits!" and further explained that something like that doesn't get someone DQ'd. He explained that disqualifications are happening because guys are purposefully going out and talking to folks getting specific information in terms of where to go, water clarity or temps, etc. 

 

He then made an analogy that explained the situation that if he was walking through the grocery store and a woman walked up to him and kissed him, he wasn't cheating on his wife. The woman was just wild and came upon him out of the blue. Then he explained that if he went to a bar, approached a woman, bought her drinks and chatted with her for a while, and then asked to kiss her... Then that would be cheating. This sort of scenario is the type of thing that BASS doesn't want anglers doing. 

 

That's just my questions on the subject. I thought Dave explaining everything publicly on his podcast shows how he probably knows some inside info on how some guys are gathering information that they shouldn't be. 

 

I would question if Scott knows that there's more events this season that Scott can/will be reported for this same rule violation again. 

[fishballer06]

14 minutes ago, NoFroFishing said:

I also don't see what could possibly be gained from a polygraph test especially since we all know they aren't accurate.
Say Scott passes their test. Then what? Will the tattle tale be punished for lying? Would scotts punishment be lifted? 

BASS polygraph tests random anglers during each and every tournament. 99% of the time there is never an issue. 

 

Scott passes his test, he can fish the Pasquotank River event. Scott was never punished for this event. Scott decided to leave the organization before he could ever get in trouble. The reason Scott was being asked to take the test was because someone reported a protest that they believed he was gathering information that he wasn't allowed to gather. 

 

Quote

Also in a sport full of "manly men" why are you hiding in the shadows and telling on someone? Man up and put a face to your tattle tales. 

It's not a matter of being a "tattle tale". The rules are written that anglers are REQUIRED to report any rule violations they see (both on or off the water). If they do not report a rule violation, they can and will be punished as well. 

 

Perfect example of this - Last season, Gerald Swindle was fishing in a no wake zone. Trey Mckinney blew past Gerald with his boat up on plane. Gerald reported the situation to the TD because Trey did not turn himself in for breaking wake in a no wake zone. In this situation, if say Jordan Lee was on the other side of the lake and also watched this happen, if Jordan reported the situation to the TD - both Gerald and Trey would get in trouble because Gerald failed to report a rules violation.

 

The rules are written this way to prevent anglers from teaming up with their buddies and allowing one another to cheat the rules. I hope this helps explain why the rules are the way they are. 

[Logan S]

14 minutes ago, NoFroFishing said:

I could not care less about anglers getting information about a lake. Something literally all of us do.

No, it's not...Especially in this context of insider information for the purposes of doing better in a tournament.  

 

3 hours ago, rangerjockey said:

There was a time I would have agreed with that. Today, I'm not so sure. These critters have a habit of moving around. Maybe different in other areas but around here yesterday is old info especially this time of year.

These days I can run around with 2d and downscan at 30mph and waypoint them then drop the FFS. That's real time not yesterday . Having someone give you a starting point helps but not like it once did.

You can do that all you want....It'll show you fish/cover/structure just fine, because those all exist everywhere....It's small-scale info.  I'm talking about large-scale info, like which entire sections of the body of water you'll focus on (because most of the time, no can actually practice everywhere in only 3 days).  If you have insider information on which parts are more likely to be successful from someone that actually knows what they're talking about you will have definite advantage.  It might not ALWAYS pay off and it might not result in a win, but the average placement of a guy getting that help over time is going to be significantly higher without a doubt. 

 

People think its like guys getting the specific answers to a test that is most problematic (waypoints, spots, baits)....It's not.  It's the person getting tipped off that the history test only focuses on the American Revolution so they spend all their study time on that, instead of wasting time on the Civil War and other topics that won't be covered (Fish this part of the lake, not that part).  They are are still doing the work, but their preparation is much more efficient so their chance of success is much higher.  

[NoFroFishing]

12 minutes ago, fishballer06 said:

BASS polygraph tests random anglers during each and every tournament. 99% of the time there is never an issue. 

 

Scott passes his test, he can fish the Pasquotank River event. Scott was never punished for this event. Scott decided to leave the organization before he could ever get in trouble. The reason Scott was being asked to take the test was because someone reported a protest that they believed he was gathering information that he wasn't allowed to gather. 

 

It's not a matter of being a "tattle tale". The rules are written that anglers are REQUIRED to report any rule violations they see (both on or off the water). If they do not report a rule violation, they can and will be punished as well. 

 

Perfect example of this - Last season, Gerald Swindle was fishing in a no wake zone. Trey Mckinney blew past Gerald with his boat up on plane. Gerald reported the situation to the TD because Trey did not turn himself in for breaking wake in a no wake zone. In this situation, if say Jordan Lee was on the other side of the lake and also watched this happen, if Jordan reported the situation to the TD - both Gerald and Trey would get in trouble because Gerald failed to report a rules violation.

 

The rules are written this way to prevent anglers from teaming up with their buddies and allowing one another to cheat the rules. I hope this helps explain why the rules are the way they are. 

In this case in particular, it is all about being a tattle tale if you are going to call someone a cheater, while remaining anonymous, with no proof. Either man up or be quiet. 

Regardless, if he passes the test, what happens to the person who lied on him? Nothing? If that is the case then what does Scott gain from this? His rep is already being tarnished with a test or without the test. 

Writing the rules in a way that makes anglers run and tell on each other is laughable to me. There has to be a better way.

[Pumpkin Lizard]

40 minutes ago, NoFroFishing said:

I could not care less about anglers getting information about a lake. Something literally all of us do. Like I said before, it's just a scouting report. 

I also don't see what could possibly be gained from a polygraph test especially since we all know they aren't accurate.
Say Scott passes their test. Then what? Will the tattle tale be punished for lying? Would scotts punishment be lifted? 

Scott will be just fine. He doesn't need BASS. Hell, anyone with a social media following doesn't need BASS

 

Also in a sport full of "manly men" why are you hiding in the shadows and telling on someone? Man up and put a face to your tattle tales. 

Well the actual competitors seem to care a great deal about it and all three major sanctioning bodies do. So I guess it’s probably a bigger deal than you realize.

[NoFroFishing]

3 minutes ago, Logan S said:

No, it's not...Especially in this context of insider information for the purposes of doing better in a tournament.  

 

You can do that all you want....It'll show you fish/cover/structure just fine, because those all exist everywhere....It's small-scale info.  I'm talking about large-scale info, like which entire sections of the body of water you'll focus on (because most of the time, no can actually practice everywhere in only 3 days).  If you have insider information on which parts are more likely to be successful from someone that actually knows what they're talking about you will have definite advantage.  It might not ALWAYS pay off and it might not result in a win, but the average placement of a guy getting that help over time is going to be significantly higher without a doubt. 

 

People think its like guys getting the specific answers to a test that is most problematic (waypoints, spots, baits)....It's not.  It's the person getting tipped off that the history test only focuses on the American Revolution so they spend all their study time on that, instead of wasting time on the Civil War and other topics that won't be covered (Fish this part of the lake, not that part).  They are are still doing the work, but their preparation is much more efficient so their chance of success is much higher.  

You can tell me where you caught a fish, what lure, what conditions etc and I still have to go catch the fish. Isn't that the entire argument on using FFS? 

4 minutes ago, Pumpkin Lizard said:

Well the actual competitors seem to care a great deal about it and all three major sanctioning bodies do. So I guess it’s probably a bigger deal than you realize.

And as we have seen over the last few years the competitors are a bunch of man children who tell on each other in the shadows. 

[Pumpkin Lizard]

5 minutes ago, NoFroFishing said:

In this case in particular, it is all about being a tattle tale if you are going to call someone a cheater, while remaining anonymous, with no proof. Either man up or be quiet. 

Regardless, if he passes the test, what happens to the person who lied on him? Nothing? If that is the case then what does Scott gain from this? His rep is already being tarnished with a test or without the test. 

Writing the rules in a way that makes anglers run and tell on each other is laughable to me. There has to be a better way.

Just because the person or people that filed the protest are unknown to you doesn’t mean they are anonymous. And obviously the whistleblower had sone proof because Scott Martin quit instead of submitted to a polygraph and an investigation.

4 minutes ago, NoFroFishing said:

You can tell me where you caught a fish, what lure, what conditions etc and I still have to go catch the fish. Isn't that the entire argument on using FFS? 

And as we have seen over the last few years the competitors are a bunch of man children who tell on each other in the shadows. 

No. You are totally off base.  During practice anglers have to eliminate unproductive water. That takes time.

 

Information allows you to do that before you ever hit the water. 

[NoFroFishing]

2 minutes ago, Pumpkin Lizard said:

Just because the person or people that filed the protest are unknown to you doesn’t mean they are anonymous. And obviously the whistleblower had sone proof because Scott Martin quit instead of submitted to a polygraph and an investigation.

What? That is exactly what it means and exactly why we don't know who it was and exactly why the person has chosen to remain anonymous. Get Ur Fish did an entire video on it and said the person doesn't want to be known. 

 

Scott quitting doesn't prove anything other than he is done with the BS. 
Again, Polygraphs arent accurante and there was no investigation. This is all being done on a he said she said basis. In a professional sport.. 

[Pumpkin Lizard]

Just now, NoFroFishing said:

What? That is exactly what it means and exactly why we don't know who it was and exactly why the person has chosen to remain anonymous. Get Ur Fish did an entire video on it and said the person doesn't want to be known. 

 

Scott quitting doesn't prove anything other than he is done with the BS. 
Again, Polygraphs arent accurante and there was no investigation. This is all being done on a he said she said basis. In a professional sport.. 

 

Scott knows who it is. Get Ur Fish on knows who it is. BASS knows who it is.

 

Thats not what anonymous is.

 

Should I make a handy job aid or a diagram to map it out for you?

[Logan S]

Just now, NoFroFishing said:

You can tell me where you caught a fish, what lure, what conditions etc and I still have to go catch the fish. Isn't that the entire argument on using FFS? 

Not really. I thought I explained my view in my post pretty clearly? 

 

Not saying I'm the authority on this...But as a guy that tournament fishes and frequently goes up against some anglers who hire guides, get information, etc (it's allowed in the small time stuff)...I know the impact these things have.  You know when you get beat by someone's skills VS someone's info or network, I'd bet all those Pro anglers know it too.  

[DinkDonkey30]

17 minutes ago, NoFroFishing said:

In this case in particular, it is all about being a tattle tale if you are going to call someone a cheater, while remaining anonymous, with no proof. Either man up or be quiet. 

Regardless, if he passes the test, what happens to the person who lied on him? Nothing? If that is the case then what does Scott gain from this? His rep is already being tarnished with a test or without the test. 

Writing the rules in a way that makes anglers run and tell on each other is laughable to me. There has to be a better way.

You cant file an anonymous protest. Bass is choosing not to release the name of the protesters. Infact if you listen to the various podcasts or TV shows many of the tournament directors and anglers have covered how the protests work be it Bass, MLF NPFL what have you. The easiest way for a sport to be policed is competition enforcement. We do the same thing in motorsports. Circle track for example if I think or know a guy has illegal shocks on his car I can pay a fee/claim rule to either have the shocks checked or I can buy/claim them off the car right then and there. I also know other teams have the same option so instead of tech guys having to go through a bunch of checks every night teams police themselves.Im not going to spend the money on exotic/illegal equipment if it can be taken that easily so there is no incentive to cheat. 

[JHoss]

On 4/5/2025 at 9:55 AM, N Florida Mike said:

Seems like a double standard if they allow FFS.

How does intentionally breaking the rules and cheating correlate to allowing FFS? 

 

18 hours ago, F14A-B said:

Guides get paid to take clients out to fish. When I pay a Captain 2800$ to take me solo out on the GOM I’m saving waypoints. Same on Cumberland, same on Kentucky LK. 

This is so wrong. And wouldn't be tolerated by most of the saltwater captains I know. Can't speak for bass guides as I don't know any, but I'd assume its the same. You're paying $2800 to go fishing, not steal the information that captain worked years to find.

 

On 4/6/2025 at 10:08 AM, Pumpkin Lizard said:

Yeah. The statement was pathetic. And it’s easy to see why there is suspicion.

 

Who calls/texts so called strangers that they don’t know or trust to get info on water bodies that are “like Albemarle Sound”?  If you believe that then I don’t know what to tell you.
 

And then later on Scott sends the guy waypoints and info on Kentucky Lake for a tournament?

100%. That statement screamed "I'M GUILTY AND DOING EVERYTHING I CAN TO SAVE FACE!'

 

On 4/6/2025 at 6:41 AM, IYAOYAS said:

 Feels to me while Scott may not necessarily be innocent it does seem like he's being targeted for the status quo that most of these anglers are guilty of as well. 

He may be being targeted, but I don't think it's by BASS. My understanding of this and the Okeechobee DQ is that other people reported him or threatened to report him if he didn't self-report. Maybe other anglers are finally fed up with his cheating ways that Hackney, Feider, and others have alluded to and are turning him in now that they think there's a chance something is done. 

 

On 4/6/2025 at 9:34 AM, rangerjockey said:

I'm not his biggest fan but BASS has turned into an absolute sheet show. I hear he hired a independent polygraph  examiner and passed. 

I'm sure that independent polygrapher has no reason to err on the side of the guy who's paying him. I'd also love to know what kind of prep work Scott did to prepare for that poly. 

 

20 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

I think his dad's legacy hung around his neck like an albatross.   

 

It will be interesting to see how Hillary's career progresses and if she tries to make the Elites or BPT.   At some point a female angler is going to be competitive on the top level.  

And it's a shame that he compromised both of their legacies by doing this. I'm relatively new to bass fishing (5 years) and while I absolutely knew who Roland was, I had no clue there was a history of him pushing the rules. And now that it's out that Roland was questionable and Scott's a cheater, Hilary will 100% have to deal with the rumors that she's a cheater too. 

 

19 hours ago, F14A-B said:

But hey, there is a new way and it’s called FFS often called a cheater box. I’ve seen the Johnson brothers team up and you know they share info when at Harris last year they end up in the same spring even pointing out fish on beds for one another. 

But none of that is against the rules. Soliciting information is. 

[fishballer06]

22 minutes ago, NoFroFishing said:

In this case in particular, it is all about being a tattle tale if you are going to call someone a cheater, while remaining anonymous, with no proof. Either man up or be quiet. 

Regardless, if he passes the test, what happens to the person who lied on him? Nothing? If that is the case then what does Scott gain from this? His rep is already being tarnished with a test or without the test. 

Writing the rules in a way that makes anglers run and tell on each other is laughable to me. There has to be a better way.

I respectfully have to disagree with you on this case in particular. Something was reported, Scott publicly stated on video that he talked to someone gathering information about the area, then further explained that he gave the guy information and waypoints on another lake in exchange for the info the guy gave him. 

 

Like I explained in my earlier message, BASS tests anglers at every single event. No one ever talks about who got tested because its not a big deal whenever you're being truthful. This situation caught news because everyone on tour knew it was happening, and told their friends, who told their friends, etc, etc. until the news eventually was everywhere. 

 

 

Quote

Writing the rules in a way that makes anglers run and tell on each other is laughable to me. There has to be a better way.

If Tom Brady is deflating footballs to gain a competitive advantage, I don't think it should matter whether its the locker room janitor, a news reporter, or Gronk himself that turns it in. 

 

In a sport like fishing, the only truest way to govern rules is to have the anglers policing one another. Fishing isn't the only sport that does it this way. Golf is solely reliable on cardmates reporting any rules violations. 

 

The only "better way" to do this rule is to require every single angler to take a test prior to each event and after each day of competition. However that would require a ton of time, resources, and money to go to that level at every event throughout the year. If you have a better suggestion to solve this situation, I'm sure we'd all love to hear your suggestion.