Crazy stuff! At this point, wishing I would have eaten more sandwiches or Snicker bars instead of goofing off on my phone in those Tonka no-wake zones. But that is all water under the bridge at this point, Literally!
Word spread super fast about my diaqualification at the MNBFN TOC. It appears this happened for a couple reasons:
1. Some people thought it was a very severe penalty
2. Many thought it was interesting and saw as potential first of many instances where this could be a sign of the times, and a slippery slope with Smart Phones, Navioinics maps for phones, potential internet on your GPS units, etc.
Either way, the outcome quickly garnered attention from several media outlets like Dave Mercer’s Facts of Fishing FYI, Wired2Fish , Bass Parade and numerous fishing forums. The comments on all these articles and forums varied widely, which I think highlights how this may be the starting point for many rule clarifications for tournaments in the future.
Even if you don’t care about Tweet issue or Dave Mercer, nice picture and reference of Kim Kardashian in this video.
In the end, my stance is that I don’t blame the tournament director, as I put him in a terrible position with my lapse in judgment. I just got carried away with my constant drive to promote the sport of bass fishing and my sponsors. I do think there could have been potential to penalize me for the rule infraction with a complete DQ, but that is neither here nor there at this point. Based on many comments I have read, I think that is one thing that has come to light for me, is that many anglers believe that any and all rule infractions demand an automatic DQ, which I have always heard from many experienced TD’s, they reserve DQ’s for last resort. No matter your stance, it definitely has spurred some great debates among anglers.
Also, you can hear me talk about this subject on a recent Twin City Limits podcast , but probably more interesting is the interviews with Kevin Short and David Walker.
On a lighter note, there was some good video of me catching a few bass off of docks on day 2 of the tournament.
On a parting note, Careful what you “Tweet” for…. Watch for some posts on some fun fall fishing to come!
Rich