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This came from the VDGIF Website..I hope these cheaters read this because you suck!!!!!!!
Region 3 - Southwest
Bass Tourney Cheaters Caught and Reeled In…On April 25, 2008 Officers Jeff Pease and Roland Cox received a request to contact a Claytor Lake bass fisherman who wanted to report finding a bass tied by string to the bank. After meeting with the complainant the officers and complainant went to the cove where the bass was reported to be tethered. Upon arrival the complainant could not find the bass he had called about. Officers Pease and Cox then began to search along the sides of the cove in the attempt to locate other tethered bass. The officers eventually found four bass that had been tethered to the bank at the very back of the cove. The officers were aware there was a major bass tournament schedule for the next day April 26, and it was decided to leave the bass where they were and to place them under surveillance the next day. Officer Cox fin clipped each bass to assist in identification and returned them to the water.
On April 26, Officers Billings and Cox arrived at the cove by vehicle at 0600 and placed the area where the bass were located under surveillance. At approximately 0740 a bass boat entered the area and two subjects began to fish toward the back of the cove. When the subjects got to the rear of the cove they waited until all other boats had left the area and motored to where the bass were tied. One subject began to retrieve the tied bass by hand and as he pulled them from the water he cut the lines near the tie off points, placed the fish in a live well, cut the fish from the line and through the lines back into the water. Officer Billings video taped the subjects retrieving two bass and place them in the live well as well as return two fish that had died overnight back into the water. After the boat had cleared the area the officers retrieved and photographed the two dead bass, as well as took the remainder of the strings used to tether the bass as evidence. Officers Billings and Cox ran the boat number through dispatch and found it was registered to a man from ****enson County. The officers then begin to check local boat ramps and found a vehicle registered to the boat owner at the VDGIF Hidden Valley boat ramp. The officers also found several other vehicles from ****enson County at the ramp and suspected that a bass club from that area was holding a club tournament on the lake. Officers Cox and Billings launched a patrol boat and checked fisherman until they located two from ****enson County and learned they were participating in a club tournament and the weigh in was scheduled for 3:00 p.m. at the Hidden Valley ramp. Officers Billings, Cox, and Wensel arrived at the ramp as the boats were taking off and videoed the weigh in. After the suspects weighed their 10 bass limit, the officers approached and questioned the fishermen about the tethered bass. Both admitted to catching the bass the day before and to retrieving the fish on the morning of the tournament. Inspecting the fish, two were found to be among those Officer Cox had marked the previous day. Officer Billings then asked if there were any more fish on board and the suspect answer "I don't think so". Further investigation revealed an additional bass located in a forward live well, making a total of 11 bass on board the boat, an additional bass still tied to the bank in the cove for a total of 13 bass in their possession. The younger subject will be charged with possessing over the limit of bass and littering. The older subject will be charged with exceeding the daily limit on bass. More severe charges will not be placed because this tournament was not for money or trophies. For more information contact Lt. Rex Hill at (276) 783-4860.
Region 3 - Southwest
Bass Tourney Cheaters Caught and Reeled In…On April 25, 2008 Officers Jeff Pease and Roland Cox received a request to contact a Claytor Lake bass fisherman who wanted to report finding a bass tied by string to the bank. After meeting with the complainant the officers and complainant went to the cove where the bass was reported to be tethered. Upon arrival the complainant could not find the bass he had called about. Officers Pease and Cox then began to search along the sides of the cove in the attempt to locate other tethered bass. The officers eventually found four bass that had been tethered to the bank at the very back of the cove. The officers were aware there was a major bass tournament schedule for the next day April 26, and it was decided to leave the bass where they were and to place them under surveillance the next day. Officer Cox fin clipped each bass to assist in identification and returned them to the water.
On April 26, Officers Billings and Cox arrived at the cove by vehicle at 0600 and placed the area where the bass were located under surveillance. At approximately 0740 a bass boat entered the area and two subjects began to fish toward the back of the cove. When the subjects got to the rear of the cove they waited until all other boats had left the area and motored to where the bass were tied. One subject began to retrieve the tied bass by hand and as he pulled them from the water he cut the lines near the tie off points, placed the fish in a live well, cut the fish from the line and through the lines back into the water. Officer Billings video taped the subjects retrieving two bass and place them in the live well as well as return two fish that had died overnight back into the water. After the boat had cleared the area the officers retrieved and photographed the two dead bass, as well as took the remainder of the strings used to tether the bass as evidence. Officers Billings and Cox ran the boat number through dispatch and found it was registered to a man from ****enson County. The officers then begin to check local boat ramps and found a vehicle registered to the boat owner at the VDGIF Hidden Valley boat ramp. The officers also found several other vehicles from ****enson County at the ramp and suspected that a bass club from that area was holding a club tournament on the lake. Officers Cox and Billings launched a patrol boat and checked fisherman until they located two from ****enson County and learned they were participating in a club tournament and the weigh in was scheduled for 3:00 p.m. at the Hidden Valley ramp. Officers Billings, Cox, and Wensel arrived at the ramp as the boats were taking off and videoed the weigh in. After the suspects weighed their 10 bass limit, the officers approached and questioned the fishermen about the tethered bass. Both admitted to catching the bass the day before and to retrieving the fish on the morning of the tournament. Inspecting the fish, two were found to be among those Officer Cox had marked the previous day. Officer Billings then asked if there were any more fish on board and the suspect answer "I don't think so". Further investigation revealed an additional bass located in a forward live well, making a total of 11 bass on board the boat, an additional bass still tied to the bank in the cove for a total of 13 bass in their possession. The younger subject will be charged with possessing over the limit of bass and littering. The older subject will be charged with exceeding the daily limit on bass. More severe charges will not be placed because this tournament was not for money or trophies. For more information contact Lt. Rex Hill at (276) 783-4860.
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