Something is fishy in the world of competitive fishing.
The potential winners of nearly $29,000 at an Ohio fishing tournament were disqualified Friday after their fish were found to be stuffed with lead weights and fish fillets.
Jason Fischer, director of the Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament, told CNN he was immediately suspicious when one team’s fish weighed nearly double what he expected at the championship weigh-in in Cleveland.
The walleye in the bucket looked like they would weigh about four pounds each, but total weight suggested they would be at least seven pounds each, he said.
“I thought there was just no way,” he said. “I could also hear the crowd grumbling, like, ‘No way, there’s no way.’ “
“I felt the fish physically, I could feel hard objects inside the fish,” he said.
The moment Fischer discovered the alleged scam was documented in several now-viral videos posted on social media, showing Fischer, surrounded by competitors, slashing the fish open with a knife and pulling out what he said was one lead ball. Jacob Runyan, a member of the two-person team who allegedly cheated, stood by in silence watching a video Fischer shared with CNN.
“We have weights in fish,” Fischer shouted. The crowd used insults at Runyan.
“You just lost everything,” a person is heard saying to the angler. The video also shows Fisherman telling Runyan to leave and telling the crowd not to touch him.
Runyan and teammate Chase Cominsky were set to win a $28,760 prize, Fischer told CNN. The prize money at every tournament he hosts comes from the entry fee each angler pays for the competition.
Fischer hosts about eight tournaments during the year and attracts competitors from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, he said. Competitors go head-to-head to see who can match the highest combined weight for a bucket of five walleye caught in Lake Erie.
Neither Runyan nor Cominsky responded to CNN’s request for comment.
Fischer said tournament officials are in touch with local authorities.
Stephanie O’Grady, media and public relations specialist at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, told CNN the department collected evidence on Friday and is preparing a report for the Cuyahoga County Attorney’s Office.
“As this is an open investigation, we have no further comment at this time,” she wrote in an email to CNN.
Fischer was “absolutely disgusted” when he discovered the alleged fraud, he said. “It’s a family atmosphere,” he said. “We are all proud of this sport.”
“Everyone sacrifices so much” to host and participate in tournaments, he said.
Orchestrating the big event is taking up precious time from his family, he added. “I can’t believe anyone cheating on her not only for money but also for family time.”
Fischer said he knew Runyan and Cominsky from other tournaments and noted that they had won several tournaments before.
But he said they won’t be competing in the Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament anytime soon.
“They would never be able to fish with me,” he said.