Bass Tournament Cheaters

Home

BASS TOURNAMENT CHEATERS HOOKED IN COURT…FELONY CHARGES FOLLOW INVESTIGATION
by Steve McCadams

Rumor has it that fishermen sometimes tell a lie or stretch the truth. A couple of bass tournament anglers seemed to have taken the stereotype a bit too far.

Two west Kentucky anglers face up to fifty years in prison for cheating in more than ten fishing tournaments. They're accused of catching fish, stashing them and then using them to cash in at weigh-in time.

Dwayne Nesmith, 43 of Island and Brian Thomas, 31 from Dawson Springs were arrested Tuesday afternoon. They're charged with ten felony counts of theft by deception in Marshall and Lyon Counties.

The two men originally faced a $1,000 fine for cheating in a bass tournament at Lake Barkley in April. Since then, investigators uncovered more than ten other tournaments the men might have cheated in since 2004.

    They were taken to Herman Ford Detention Center in Paducah after indictments were issued by grand juries in Marshall and Lyon counties.
    A news release from the Kentucky State Police did not identify the tournaments. However, Kentucky State Police Sgt. Brent White said Nesmith and Thomas won several thousand dollars and a bass boat valued at $30,000 using fish caught in advance of tournaments and staked out for inclusion in their catches during the competitions.
    Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Sgt. Bill Snow said he had received a report of the cached bass, which were marked by clipping their fins, then staked out by officers.
    Snow said two men later identified as Nesmith and Thomas were witnessed coming by boat to the location of the submerged fish basket in the early morning hours of April 30, retrieving it by rope, then transferring the fish to the boat’s livewell.
    Snow identified three fish in the five-fish catch that Nesmith and Thomas weighed in at the conclusion of the tournament that afternoon as bass that had been in the basket. Misdemeanor charges of theft by deception were filed against Nesmith and Thomas. The boat they were using and their fishing tackle were seized by officers, according to The Paducah Sun.
    Several anglers from the Paris area, including Mike Ward and Bobby Kilzer, have competed against the two cheaters this spring and last year at various tournaments on both Kentucky and Barkley Lakes.

“I fished against these guys in some tournaments and I think cheating goes on more than we realize, especially in the smaller type tournaments,” said Ward. When asked about polygraph tests Ward said he thought they should be administered but also realized the expense required but that future entry fees might have to cover that cost to maintain integrity.

Ward said he thought the anglers should be barred from future tournaments not only in Kentucky but in Tennessee. “If they cheated in Kentucky then they will cheat in Tennessee as the state line won’t make any difference,” continued Ward.

Veteran tournament angler Bobby Kilzer had this to say: “I fish events that are subject to polygraph tests just to avoid the atmosphere of cheating. All of your big events are draw-partner so it’s unlikely to happen in those whereas the buddy tournaments are more open to the possibility of cheating.”

“Still, I don’t think cheating is prevalent and these two guys were bad apples. I fish for the fun and competition and the idea is to hunt and find the fish on your own so cheating to win something takes away from the spirit of the event,” continued Kilzer. “But I do think a polygraph in tournaments would deter any aspects of cheating from anglers for fear of getting caught.”

Both Ward and Kilzer were participating in a buddy tournament at Lake Barkley in April when the two anglers were caught by Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife officials. The event was sponsored by the Bank of Cadiz to benefit the local Relay for Life event by the American Cancer Society.

Each year several fishing tournaments are held throughout the Kentucky Lake area in the name of competition and good sportsmanship. Sometimes big dollars are at stake while others offer a small purse.

As long as a dollar is involved there will be someone trying to take a shortcut to easy money but for the most part, local tournaments are run by honest organizations for honest anglers. Ethics and integrity are part of the tournament with some luck and a lot of skill to boot.

Unfortunately, these two anglers have given a black eye to pick your own partner style events for a while across the region where most events do not require polygraph tests, which may cost in excess of $400.

Future tournament anglers will police their own ranks and rightfully so. After all, it’s their time, reputation, and money at stake and most enjoy the fellowship and competition of finding and catching fish.

Steve McCadams is a professional hunting and fishing guide here in the Paris Landing area. He has also contributed many outdoor oriented articles to various national publications.

Home

*Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley Outdoor Guide- Fishing, Hunting and everything outdoors......*