Add Weights To Your Tournament Fish? These Guys Landed In Jail For Doing It

This isn’t Alaska-related, but it’s a story that broke a couple months ago and now has resulted in two Great Lakes tournament anglers who were caught adding weights onto fish they caught sentenced to 10 days in jail. Here’s more from Yahoo Sports columnist Jay Busbee:

Jacob Runyan, 43, and Chase Cominsky, 36, were caught after fishing in the Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament last September. The duo had drawn some suspicion throughout the prior months for their unexpectedly bountiful run of heavy fish in previous tournaments. Among their winnings was the fishing boat used during the tournament, a boat with an estimated worth of $130,000.

When they brought their catch in to be weighed, the Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament director noticed that the fish appeared to weigh much more than fish of that size ought to weigh. He cut open the fish, and as filets and lead weights spilled out, the official called out, “We got weights in fish!” …

“I have no doubt that these two crooks cheated in multiple tournaments over the last several years. Unfortunately, we can only hold them accountable for what they did on September 30, 2022,” said Cuyahoga County prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley. “Although these two deserve to have their fishing license suspended for life, the law only allows a maximum of three years. These two should be banned from every fishing tournament for life.”