Two men surrendered the $100,000 boat after they were found to have stuffed weights into their fish at a Lake Erie tournament. Now the vessel is up for auction.
Anglers around the country might recall the highly publicized cheating scandal in October 2022, involving two men who were found to have stuffed weights into their fish during a Lake Erie walleye tournament.
What anglers might not know is that, for the right price, they could own the top-line bass boat, motors and trailer used by the cheaters and later confiscated by Ohio authorities.
(Jacob Runyan and Steven Gall also received 10-day jail sentences.)
According to Government Deals, a public viewing and demonstration of the boat, valued at $100,000, will be held Saturday (July 13) at the Dempsey Fishing Access Area in Lakeside Marblehead, Ohio.
The 2022 Ranger 622 FS Pro Bass Boat is currently in the possession of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Bids are being accepted online through July 23 and the highest bid, as of July 11, was $82,000.
Another fishing tournament is in the spotlight because of a cheating scandal – this time involving Lake Erie walleye that had allegedly been stuffed with smaller fish to make them appear heavier.
Another fishing tournament is in the spotlight because of a cheating scandal – this time involving Lake Erie walleyes that had allegedly been stuffed with smaller fish to make them heavier.
Peter Smith, 57, a competitor at the Bart’s Cove Walleye Duel July 29-30 in Dunkirk, N.Y., was disqualified after director Mark Mohr discovered that two of Smith’s walleyes appeared to have been stuffed with smaller fish.
One contained a 12-inch walleye with its tail portion removed. Another contained a fully intact white perch. Both smaller fish had lip holes, indicating that they had recently been caught.
Mohr told Outdoor Life: “The 12-inch walleye, it looked to me like they tried to stuff it and it wouldn’t go down, so they cut the last three inches off. It was suspicious because the fish was still really bright, and then I picked it up and could see a hook mark in its lip.”
Smaller fish that were found stuffed inside tournament walleyes. Photo: Mark Mohr/Facebook
Grand prize for the event, which boasted a field of more than 30 teams, was an all-inclusive Panama fishing trip valued at $14,500.
The incident is under investigation, at the request of tournament organizers, by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Folks might recall that two men were sentenced to 10 days in jail in May after being found guilty of felony charges stemming from their actions during a walleye tournament on Lake Erie in October 2022.
The men were found to have stuffed lead weights into fish they had caught.
A pair of Tennessee teens went fishing after their junior prom recently and landed a walleye so large that it was recognized by the state.
Do fishing and romance go hand in hand?
It seems so for a pair of Tennessee teens who celebrated after their junior prom recently by landing a walleye so large that it was recognized by the state.
“MaryJo Mattingly and Luke Lankford of Anderson County High School went night fishing on Melton Hill Lake after their junior prom and she caught this 7.06-pound walleye,” the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency boasted on Facebook. “Note she still has her makeup and nails on!”
MaryJo Mattingly poses with walleye. Photo: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
MaryJo’s walleye doesn’t come close to the state record of 25 pounds, established in 1960. But MaryJo’s is most likely the largest walleye ever landed by a high-school junior on prom night.
A college baseball pitcher in Colorado has caught a walleye measuring longer than the state record for the species.
A college baseball pitcher in Colorado has caught a walleye measuring longer than the state record for the species.
Cole Philip, a junior at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, was fishing April 3 at Brush Hollow State Wildlife Area when he reeled in a walleye measuring 31.75 inches.
But according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Philip (pictured above) was not trying for a catch-and-release record. He kept the fish, presumably to eat.
He was reeling a jerk bait when the “monster” walleye struck. It weighed 13.26 pounds, well shy of the state weight record of 18.81 pounds.
For comparison, the world-record walleye, according to the International Game Fish Assn., weighed 25 pounds. That catch occurred at Tennessee’s Old Hickory Lake in 1960.
–Images courtesy of Colorado Parks and Wildlife SE Region
A 13-year-old boy landed a giant walleye to win a Minnesota charity tournament that attracted participants from around the world.
A 13-year-old boy was the top angler Saturday at a Minnesota charity tournament that attracted participants from around the world.
Zac Padrnos claimed bragging rights at the 33rd annual Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza by reeling in a 9.45-pound walleye that struck his jig at a depth of 50 feet.
Padrnos, who is from Minnesota, was fishing with 3-pound-test line, so landing the hefty walleye presented a major challenge.
“He thought it was a tullibee, but in the end with adrenaline running he ended up reeling in a fish of a lifetime, a walleye,” event staff stated via Facebook.
Walleye are the most sought-after game fish in Minnesota. The state record stands at 17 pounds, 8 ounces.
The Brainerd Jaycees boasted that nearly 12,000 people from as far as Australia and France participated in the event. A record 14,300 holes were drilled into area lakes by volunteers on Friday.
Padrnos won a Ford F150 truck, which was among the donated prizes. It was to be claimed by his guardians.
The Brainerd Jaycees said that this year’s largest beneficiary of the charity competition is the Confidence Learning Center, an outdoor education facility for people experiencing cognitive and developmental disabilities.
The group has donated $4.3 million to more than 75 charities since the first event was held in 1991.
The Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, after a period of review, on Sunday presented a record certificate to Nicholson, who lives in Connellsville, describing his catch as an “outstanding angling achievement.”
The previous Pennsylvania record, held by Mike Holly of Bradford, was the 1980 catch of a 17-pound, 9-ounce walleye on the Allegheny River.
For the sake of comparison, the world record stands at 25 pounds. That fish was reeled from Tennessee’s Old Hickory Lake in 1960.
–Image showing Richard Nicholson with his record walleye is courtesy of Nicholson, via the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission
