Pro Fishing World Rocked By Massive Scandal After Angry Mob Confronts Duo Accused Of Cheating (Video)

If you’re like most people, the bulk of your knowledge of what’s unfolding in the world of professional fishing is likely derived from whatever you’ve managed to retain after stumbling across a tournament airing on ESPN2 on a Saturday afternoon.

As a result, you can be forgiven for not knowing it’s actually a pretty serious sport featuring competitions where millions of dollars can be awarded to whoever can reel in the biggest prize.

That means anglers have some serious incentive to win—and some serious incentive to cheat.

The world of pro fishing has been rocked by some pretty big scandals in the past, including one incident that resulted in the initial winners of the 2016 White Marlin Open being forced to forfeit $2.8 million and another that ended with two men becoming convicted felons for bringing their own bass to an event.

Now, we have some new drama on our hands thanks to what recently unfolded in Cleveland on the shore of Lake Erie.

Two men are at the center of a police investigation after being accused of putting weights inside fish to win a pro fishing tournament—and it may not have been the first time

On Friday, the Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament appeared to wrap up after a two-man team comprised of Jacob Runyan and Chase Cominsky came to shore with five fish that weighed a combined 34 pounds, which was enough to outdo the 64 other duos who hit the waters during the event.

However, according to The Washington Post, Runyan and Cominsky ended up being confronted by an angry mob after tournament director Jason Fischer—who estimated the fish should’ve weighed around 20 pounds based on their size—did some digging and discovered they contained multiple 12-ounce, egg-shaped metal sinker weights as well as pieces of fish that had been stuffed inside the entries to boost their mass.

If you don’t have 15 minutes to spare, here’s a clip showing what went down when the s—t really hit the fan.

The accused cheaters had previously been disqualified from the “Fall Brawl” on Lake Erie in 2021 after one of them failed a polygraph test, but they were in contention for the “Team of the Year” award after posting multiple wins this year,

However, all of those victories have now been called into question based on what unfolded on Friday, where they would’ve taken home close to $30,000 in prize money before being disqualified (Steve Hendricks and Brian Ulmer were ultimately named the rightful winners).

Wildlife officials were also called to the scene to conduct an investigation, and they are currently working in conjunction with law enforcement as they explore the possibility of hitting the duo with criminal charges.

UPDATE

According to TMZ, Runyan and Cominsky have each been charged with multiple felonies for “attempted grand theft and possessing criminal tools.”

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