Chase Cominsky and Jake Runyon -- both locals -- were apparently caught stuffing their walleye with weights and other debris ... with things coming to a head on Friday as their fish were being weighed, and then cut open to expose the truth on Lake Erie. 

Tourney officials started pulling out these lead egg sinkers from the insides of the fish that Cominsky and Runyon had up for weigh-in -- some are saying they're made of lead, but in any case ... they seem to have been jammed in for extra poundage.

There are also slices of what some claim are fish fillets -- in other words, these guys are alleged to have cut pieces of other fish and stuffed them inside as well. Heading into the season-culminating championship event, Cominsky and Runyon had led the season standings for team of the year. They were led away by local police and face criminal charges of fraud.

Covered here, Ski

 

 

Cheating was common in fishing derbies for at least a hundred years.  This was one of the main factors that made Ray Scott's tournaments so successful.  You can read about it in Ray's book "Bass Boss".   In the early years, other people attempted to duplicate B.A.S.S. success.  I fished many of those tournaments.  One cheating scandal brought down their entire organization.  Our own bass club has been the victim of cheating when two guys put sinkers in their fish.  They were caught and prosecuted.  It's sad that someone would cheat in a club bass tournament.  If you need money that bad, you have bigger problems. 

Already have a thread on this.