Expanded discussion on US Open DQ

[Texas Transplant]

BassFan has posted an more in-depth article. Good reading.



Tex
http://www.bassfan.com/news_article.asp?id=3679

 

[Bill McElroy]

Wow,.......what a shame...his partner "Zank" must be crushed, to lose a friend like that for THOSE reasons. Atleast they stripped the AOY title from him..but that's nothing now since his tourney career is OVER and reputation shot......all over a few ounces!!:angry:



..and imagine the feelings going through Hart's wife's mind...........unless she knew what was going on....if she did..to hell with her too...but if she didn't..then man alive she'll have a hard time ever trusting him again!! unbelievable.

 

[Texas Transplant]

I'm in agreement. I'll give the guy credit for one thing (but not too much credit. When confronted, he confessed.



Tex

 

[Teri C.]

All I can say is what a dipsh/t. If you're going to cheat, at least be smart about it. Not that I am approving of cheating, but how stupid can you be.



You weigh in dead fish that you stuffed weights in KNOWING they will be cleaned and donated to charity. What do people do when they clean a fish --- look in the stomach to see what they've been eating --- even I know that!!! So, knowing that they found weights cleaning those fish....why would you risk it the next day. They never would have known who it was had he not stuffed them on day 3. IDIOT!

 

[Randy Walls]

People do strange things to pay bills, keep reputations etc... Look at so of the so called celebrities (Lohan, Spears etc...)



Teri he obviously didn't know the weights were found on day 2, cause if he did he needs to be locked up!



I'd like to catch a cheater some day to just rip them up one side and down the other. Just think it would feel good!



Sorry to his partner (s), wife if she didn't know about it and kids if he has any.



Guy in Lafayette, Indiana was caought about 3 years ago. He was an executive at Catapillar Diesel and lost his job too!!!!!!!!!



Randy!

 

[Teri C.]

Randy, I know he didn't KNOW they found the weights....but knowing they had possession of the dead fish with weights in them wouldn't he take a little caution if he had any sense at all.

 

[Bill McElroy]

How bad would it suck to catch a "weighted fish" that survived a few days and was re-caught?! The tournament crowd would hang your arss and you didn't even know it was there?!! MAN,..that would be my worst nightmare!! If a weight has been there a while, the fish will grow scar tissue around it,...but if it's only been in there a few days and you're ACCUSED of doing it.......man alive..I could imagine the PIA that would be!!

 

[Teri C.]

Mac, that would be my luck...finally catch a lunker and the suckers has weights in it.

 

[Dan J.]

That's the crux of why many tourney fishermen get burned out and hang it up. There always seems to be a seemingly ever-growing percentage of competitors that "push the limit" concerning the definitions of rules or just plain outright cheat. WTH people will do for a few G's is sickening. :angry: Makes it hard to want any involvement at any level due to a small amount of small people.

 

[Texas Transplant]

The world and any number of competitors simply believe that can get one by.



Floyd Landis

Ben Johnson (from Canada)

Marion Jones

The Rocket (Clemens)

Mark McGwire

etc.

etc.

etc.



These are all people that participate on a WORLD STAGE where testing is commonplace. They still did it, and all got caught.



Tex

 

[TrepMan]

This is a sad situation, but he brought it on himself. What surprises me (OK Maybe not) is he said "he did it because he borrowed some money from somebody to fish the event and felt pressure to repay them" OK so if I understand right, this guy is not a poor up and coming pro, it says he and his partners have torn up the south CA tournaments, meaning he was wining. So he obviously had other financial issues that he couldn't get the entry fee and costs together so borrowed the $$.



If you can't aford to gamble, don't - period. I know its a hard concept, but no sympathy from this side for him, don't go in debt for a sport, even if you are on the pro level, as nothing is guaranteed in life.



We had our share, i think it was last year a father-son team was caught keeping fish in a box under a dock and loading it up for tournament weigh-ins, terrible thing to teach a kid and he had his kid doing it with him!

 

[byron cooley]

Mike Hart is one of my locals that has been winning for a long time. Here is a partial list of his winnings posted on my local forum.
http://www.westernbass.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=59583&f=2

 

[Rich Stern]

Makes me both sad and angry. I'm sad for the sport and all of the people who worked hard to compete against Mike Hart this time, and any other time he may have cheated.



And angry because the ridiculous, selfish actions of one man are so small minded and disrespectful toward his fellow anglers. Other folks are out there working hard. Other folks have financial challenges. Gotta cheat because you didn't have the entry fee? Don't fish this tournament, and instead go flip burgers at McDonalds until you can pay your own way into the contest. Jackass.

 

[Rich Stern]

Byron, thanks for that link. In case anyone wondering, looks like Hart's career winnings are in the neighborhood of $200K.