Thank you for the clarification again this tournament is open to anyone.

Based on what is known, I think OTW did the right thing with disqualifying Brandon. Team Striper would still win because they have the points.

I'm a bit torn on the "solidarity" of the team withdrawing from the cup and I guess I'll wait until I hear why.

imo.... they all should....u cant tell me that his actions and evidence are above suspicion ???? as well a his closes friends didnt know .....if so i got a bridge to sell you cheap........otw did the propper action. thats what happen to your good name and honor ,sold out for the buck.$$$$$$$$$$ dave

Who said or implied tthey were above suspicion?

Medicate yourself properly and then read it again.

I have to agree with some of the others on this board. I know some comm, and charter captains. Whenever you talk to them they always tell you what this one is doing, what that one did etc. Those guys know more about the other comms, and charter capt than they know about their own families. IMO the rest of that team must have known all along, or at least suspected what he was doing.

IMO Team Striper should not withdraw, but they should at least distance themselves from the guilty party. Maybe make some sort of statement like a letter to be published in OTW condemning the act of poaching, and stating that they are waiting for the adjudicating of his case before commenting any further. At the same time they should support OTW decision. Those guys have a hard enough time with the whole thing the last thing OTW needs is a blackmark.

I also think that OTW should rethink the rules allowing commercial and charter captains to compete. There is too much at stake for the charter captains, and commercial guys as far as reputation related to business. Let's face it when Gary Corsetti made all those appearances on Days of a Sportsman, and was winning tourneys it bumped up his business tremendously.

Are you suggesting that members of Team S-B were passing fish? Or catching from a boat? Or are your "rumors" for others?

I remember hearing a rumor or two last year but not about our team. I recall hearing other rumors last year from disgruntled anglers from other teams about how those fishing in the shore division were losers and did not deserve any point system to level the playing field between boat and shore (forget about camping out on the reefs and ledges while commercially taking a lot of fish).

Sadly, you hear a lot of rumors and the fact that tournaments, like this one, foster people to create and start rumors is very disappointing.

I heard several "rumors" from different groups this year that were disappointing. Should I propagate those rumors? Run 'em up the flagpole at OTW? Start (continue) crap that can't be verified?

I know I have no reason to believe that S-B had any improperly reported fish. Not something I go for.

Agreed

Level the playing field - lie detector everyone!

Chris,

I agree with most of what you're saying here. Pro versus amateurs is a legit comparison. Pros to me are guys who do it for a living. Everyone else is an amateur. It’s just like golf. I don't suspect anyone on Team Striper needs any aid in the catching dept. I'd prefer to compete against pros myself as the accomplishment of beating a pro would mean much more to me, even if the odds are against. The 1980 Olympic hockey team comes to mind…

As for last year’s winners passing fish, I never heard of it or witnessed it. It sounds like an attempt at scorched earth to me or possibly an “everyone else does it so we do too” excuse. I wouldn’t have a problem if the people with truck keys were tested, either.

With either case, it doesn’t explain away the 42 fish in the guy’s possession and subsequent expulsion from the tourney. Bottom line here is OTW had to act in the best interest of the 2,000 plus contestants in addition to the tourney sponsors.
Mr. Bradshaw will have his judgment day and the system will determine his guilt or innocence in the end.

As for the team dropping out of the tourney, no way. There’s some deserving anglers on your squad. In the end, only you guys will really know if the accomplishment was legit or not. Dropping out is like kicking sand in the face of the honest guys.

I agree.But the guys poaching and selling to resteraunts don't have commercial licenses.However a recreational angler only tourney would eliminate most of the BS, not all.
I wonder if the IRS is going to be in on this case?

Agreed Fishtwo0....definitely not all the BS for sure. Where there is a will to deceive there is a way!

Maybe the rest of the team was fishing on the same boat. Umm?

Chris,
I find it hard to swallow some of your comments from atop the fence. You are a worthy monthly winner with your shore 44# for the month of May. And you offer to be willing to take a polygraph test as a one of the winners with a significant prize at stake. Clearly Team Striper should be proud to have you on their team.
Yet, you then go muddy the waters with talk of a potential team withdrawal in the name of "solidarity" with a team member 'accused' of breaching the laws, even when the charges were made after the Cup ended. And the comments relating to rumors about last year's tournament and the winners are news to me, and appear to be a smokescreen to direct attention away from the "poaching" subject.
On the Fall fishing thread, you said you were 'only able to manage a 37#' fish the previous night... Do you realize how many anglers only dream of fish in that class???
Sit back and enjoy what is to come your way. You earned it. If there is to be a statement/decision from the team, let the 'captain' make it. I would much rather see you up on stage as a humble, deserving winner rather than a lightning rod tied to the poaching incident.
Congrats to your team, and best wishes for getting the right key. I'll look forward to seeing you there.

Again, to lie detector everyone is not possible dollar wise.OTW doesn't even offer subscriptions for a weekly prize so I wouldn't hold my breath for them to spend big bucks for a lie detector test.In their defense they have offerred to reinstate Sean if he takes and passes a test.
If I had sour grapes regarding the outcome of last years tournament I guess I would have spoken up then. In the past I have discussed these allegations with S-B members but decided it was better to keep quiet. It is still my belief there should be seperate divisions for boat and shore but obviously even that type of rhetoric hits a nerve. I have alredy been told not to drink from the Cup this year because of some members less than charming antics (potty?)regarding said cup. I'm sure the boss knew nothing of that also but that doesn't mean it didn't happen.BTW, I am fishing the Back Eddy tournament in October. It is an open tournament and I feel confident I can compete vs. the boat guys without a handicap system.

Are u serious, or are you further spreading rumors?

Maybe you should keep this stuff factual, ie: stuff you saw, or were involved in. Speculation, rumors, lies, and innuendo are just that

Was arunning joke, thats all.

The few ruin it for the many.
Enough said.

is this cupgate?

Thats what I thought Tony.

It's seems like there are some real sour grapes out there....

I see no reason for the individuals on team Striper to withdraw from the Cup. Your fish in May was a great catch and deserves recognition. Keith's "performance" this year undoubtedly ( at least in my mind ) deserves a round of applause.
I go back to what I originally said " the Team should be held accountable ".
The thought of the team passing fish never entered into my mind. That team had plenty of heavy hitters very capable to catch on their own.
I look forward to talking at the Cup or the Eddy, I'll be at both. Art

This is starting to look like something my wife would watch on the "Soap Channel" :rolleyes: (I'm still waiting for a Tampax Ad to pop up in this thread)

Team Striper is in 1st Place

Someone on team Striper got caught (allegedly) doing something wrong....OTW said "See ya"...So.......Don't let the Doorknob hit ya where the good Lord Split ya.

Now Does Team Striper have a fish big enough so they still Win....yeah...So enter it and move the frig on.

This "Show of Solidarity" is doing nothing more than adding Melodrama to a simple cut and dry situation....Guy got Caught, Guy got Bounced....simple....see ya. only guy that should have an issue is the guy that got bounced.

Team Striper Goes to the Striper Cup Celebration gets the cup and Drinks from it (bring some Sani-wipes if your that paranoid) and have a great day.

When its over you can write a letter to OTW suggesting some changes for next year (lie Detectors, Seperate Surf and Boat, No Comms.....Whatever).

They can Listen to you or not listen to you...either way when the rules come out next year you can either sign up or not sign up. And if you sign up then you agree to play by the rules they put forth....not Biatch about them because you don't like them.

if you don't like them then Don't sign up....its that simple.

well said (written) TDF. The Striper Cup is an exciting competition IMO, but sadly, these types of things always result in some melodrama. I mean really, how many controverisal threads have come up since the cup started? It's just fisherman nature!

I guess now is when I confess that the part about solidarity was fabrication on my part to add melodrama and increase hits on my favorite website. Catch em up.

Bradshaw's weighted fish of 51 lbs. is disqualified therefore leaving only 9 top fish for the team. There should be no 11th place fish to replace the one that is lost.

I am sure OTW will move the next biggest fish into the top 10...they have the weigh slips!

Don't forget that Luds withdrew a 40+ fish last year because he realized that he hadn't been entered for 24 hours before catching it.

Slip and I were the guys who called his attention to the rule.

I think this is my last year for this thing. Too much finger pointing and rumors. Tip your cap to OTW for a nice try, but nothing's changed in the last 40 years. Jealousy and greed just are too ingrained in the human spirit :(

It's like the MV Derby--an off-Islander wins back to back, and he has to be cheating :rollem:

So now this thread was a troll ??

Then you are penalizing the team, which to my knowledge has nothing concrete against it, for the actions of one guy. It is were more than one...

And that error was resolved early and easily (and nothing against the law either)...

Does take out some of the fun of fishing the tourney

This may be closer than you guys think. I was just on the OTW site and the boss man's 39Lb =46.8LBS fish has not been added to the totals yet. This will be very close

I was thinking the same thing Mike......and they will not update the last week as they probably want a little mystery. Usually updates were done on Fridays!

Man I was on the fence about signing up for the Cup.Now I'm glad I didn't.

Tournies for charity like the Chris Potts or Hab's are what its all about.The only winners are the families of those who died way before their time.

Anybody who has thought about fishing a competitive tournament will think twice after reading this thread.

After seeing the responses in this thread I'll never sign up for the Striper Cup ever again.

interesting

No, it wasn't a troll. The part about the letter and subsequent DQ was information for the masses I thought would be appreciated. The solidarity part was meant as a joke. Like going potty in the cup I guess. As far as the tournament being close;I doubt it as a member of our team hung a corker from shore on the last day of the competition that wil place him in our top 5 for points.Finally, for the sake of clarity,let me reiterate that nobody on Team Striper condones poaching and I am certain there was none committed to give the team an advantage in this stupid tournament. That being said, "Where is my key."