The competitive fishing world has been outraged over a scandal that garnered national attention last week when two fishermen were found cheating in a tournament in Cleveland, Ohio, that had a cash prize of $30,000.
The pair could eventually face criminal charges.
A spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources said Monday that the agency's officers gathered evidence from the tournament and are preparing a report for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office.
The scandal went viral after video footage circulated of the tournament director slicing open a walleye fish to reveal weights, which would have given them the first-place trophy for having the heaviest fish.
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One video showing the director of the tournament catch the fishers red-handed on TikTok received 4.5 million views and more than 225,000 likes, with another on Twitter garnered more than 130,000 likes, according to NBC News.
The controversy began at the Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament Friday, as participants gathered to weigh in the fish and announce the winners.
Tournament director Jason Fischer grew suspicious when the fish submitted by Jacob Runyan and Chase Cominsky weighed almost twice what he expected, according to NBC news. Video shows him slicing into the fish revealing the lead weights and walleye filet padding inside.
“We got weights in the fish!” Fischer yelled as the crowd began storming around the fish in outrage. “Get the [expletive] out of here!”
Runyan and Cominsky were disqualified from the tournament.
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O'Malley met with Ohio Department of Natural Resources officers Tuesday, but the investigation is still in the early phases. It is still unclear if or when any criminal charges will be filed.
"I take all crime seriously including attempted felony theft at a fishing tournament," O'Malley said in a statement. "These individuals will be held accountable."
Runyan and Cominsky did to respond to requests for comment.
The pair racked up a long string of wins in recent tournaments over the past year, to the point where it started to become suspicious. The Toledo Blade reported the pair won three previous Lake Erie Walleye Trail events in June, July and September this year. They also won other walleye tournaments in other locations.
Runyan and Cominsky picketed tens of thousands of dollars in cash, plus high-dollar prizes such as boats, motors, and trailers, according to Sport Fishing Magazine.
It is not clear if the tournament director will ever be able to recover the ill-begotten tournament cash and prizes from the cheating pair. Fischer told news outlets that the pair had passed lie-doctor tests following other tournament wins and passed. They also had an observer in the boat in one tourney.
“If they were able to clear all those hurdles, they’re obviously very good at deceiving people,” he said.
A longtime walleye fisherman, Troy Krause, who posted a TikTok video showcases the cheaters being caught, said a winning streak like this “doesn’t happen.”
Catching the best fish takes knowledge and skill — but to win any given tournament also requires some luck.
“You’re gonna tell me that these two guys are gonna win every tournament on a big lake like that? No. You gotta be a little bit realistic,” Krause told NBC News. “I think they just got carried away and they finally got caught, which is good.”
In a video posted on Facebook on Monday, Fischer, wearing a Blaster Shad t-shirt featuring a large fish and standing in front of a plaque with a fish made an impassioned speech over his outrage on what happened on at the tournament.
“On Friday, 9/30 of 2022 we witnessed one of the most disgusting, dishonest acts that the fishing world has ever seen in my life time,” Fischer said. “There has always been stories about dishonesty in competition but I’ve personally never seen something quite like this — in competitive fishing that is.”
“The individuals involved here appeared to put greed and ego in front of anything else, forever tainting our sport,” Fischer said.
Over the past few years, Fischer has built up the tournament, bringing it to a national level with prizes in the thousands of dollars. He promised anglers that he will implement new rules moving forward for weigh-ins and check-ins.
