How a catfish poacher became big bass king of the world

[Clay C]

They had to be, nobody is that stupid.

Kind of my thinking. That they have played the "I was suspicious but couldn't know for sure" card to save their own hide.

[muzzlebrake]

Your last line is genius....

Back many, many years ago my mother worked for Dallas Power and Light ( long since has been TU Electric ) there was a guy fishing hard in bass tournaments. He was having a lot of success until they caught him flying bass in from Florida.......They were going to take him to trial for fraud and he committed suicide before the trial. That was probably 40 years ago.

-john

I remember that. If I recall it was a $50,000 tournament he won and didn't pass polygraph and the fish were staked out in Lake Fork that were caught and brought in from somewhere else.

[Highbridge hand]

Great read!

[ktjones]

worth the read!

[TX_Hoghunter]

I remember that. If I recall it was a $50,000 tournament he won and didn't pass polygraph and the fish were staked out in Lake Fork that were caught and brought in from somewhere else.

It has been so long that I forget the details but I know it surprised all of his coworkers. My Mom just could not understand that someone would kill themselves over fish. When one of the guys explained the money involved it really blew her mind that people could make that kind of money fishing....The only fishing she had ever done in her life ended up with hot grease at the end of it.....

-john

[xman59]

fame or cash and especially both will always turns liars and crooks into hero's...... just like bragging rights on big bucks do it to some hunters,,,, or poachers

[bigchiefj]

I like how he turned in the cheating anglers when he first started competing.

[Tryton]

Sounds like most BIG fish he caught were on live bait, either trout or water dogs.

Most of them were snagged with a treble hook.

https://youtu.be/8U4xXcpUjQ0

[big_smith]

That was an interesting read. Crazy that some people are that crazy about being in the spotlight. I know there have always been cheaters, but that took it to the next level.

[SmTx]

#1 I didn't know California was a big bass mecca.

#2 Cali boys must be pretty soft to be told a grown man is threatening their son and when he sneaks in your house he doesn't leave in an ambulance.

[TxBowHntr]

Most of them were snagged with a treble hook.

https://youtu.be/8U4xXcpUjQ0

Or weren't his catch at all

[txdrhntr]

Wow

[Puncher51]

Man that’s a great read! Crazy what all he did

[Smart]

In to read later.

[S-3 Ranch]

fame or cash and especially both will always turns liars and crooks into hero's...... just like bragging rights on big bucks do it to some hunters,,,, or poachers

Yep , the guy that got me turned on this website was caught killing some monster bucks . But at night with some very expensive night vision gear , and a suppressed rifle, he fell under suspicion after the border patrol caught him driving out to hunt with no lights on and the suppressed rifle and called the owner ( who he told he was hog and varmint hunting) . Couple of weeks later
I wake up and hear him his buddy ( also a member here) messing around his trailer and when the sun came up , he had a huge buck laying behind his trailer
It was very suspicious, but his buddies all vouched for him , then it happened again, then his two lease buddies both killed some nice bucks under very suspicious circumstances, and when questioned the both announced that they were both leaving the lease , the original poacher stayed but was under some heavy scrutiny and all suppressed firearms, night vision equipment banned on that ranch
These guys couldn’t control them self’s and each finally got caught doing this on two very high dollar ranch’s, since they got caught I haven’t seen one post from any of them on here . It really kinda wrecked my faith in fair play and what some people will do when glory seeking, it has also definitely destroyed my opinions on suppressers and night vision equipment
So just after reading that story my wife had to come reassure me about keeping my faith in humanity but also never assume everyone is honest