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Follow the Rules and Honor Your Team Mates
By djkimmel on Jun 23, 2010 | In Perspective, Ethics, Sportsmanship | Send feedback »
My cousin sent me this article about an angler on a billfish fishing team who told his team mates he had his North Carolina fishing license - a $30 expense for nonresidents. After the team weighed in the winning tournament record 883 pound marlin to win the June 11-19 Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament, officials found the member did not have his license! The fish and team was disqualified.
No record. No win.
The cost to the team? $999,453 in prize money that went to the 2nd place team instead!!! That is one expensive mistake! I'm betting this person waits a while before the next time he's asked to go fishing! Even if not done on purpose, this small mistake turned out to be one huge one. Always follow all the rules. Always consider your team mates and the sanctity of sport and sportsmanship. Original story found here http://bit.ly/cAvMpm
I get these calls
By djkimmel on May 29, 2009 | In Perspective, Ethics, Sportsmanship | 4 feedbacks »
Thank goodness this doesn't happen often, but I get these calls. They have a common theme and still happen too often. The last one went like this. "Hello Dan. Bob* here. Hey, I'm not super well known or anything and I didn't want to get a bad rep, but something happened to me during that last Big tournament and I need to talk to someone about it."
"I drew one of the top sticks in the event, but it didn't turn out quite like I hoped. Later in the day, this well-known, successful and popular boater started 'joking' with me about trading bass. He had a couple nice ones, but the rest were small. I had a couple nice bass too and he 'joked' that if I gave him my nice bass to weigh in with his, he'd get in the money. 'Hey... when you think about it, how would anyone know,' this well known popular angler says. 'Ha ha... we could split the money. Better than both of us getting nothing ha ha.' He says it like he's joking and of course we can't do it... but mentions again 'how would anyone ever know...'"
"It made me very uncomfortable because he kept bringing it up near the end of the day," continues Bob. "I didn't know what to do. I wanted to tell him to stop, but he's the well known, well liked boater, not me."
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Life or just a tournament?
By djkimmel on Sep 20, 2008 | In Perspective, Ethics, Sportsmanship | Send feedback »
I LOVE fishing. I love fishing tournaments. I remember a while back when I thought I wanted to be a full-time touring bass pro. I wanted it very bad. Bad enough to put almost everything else on the backburner.
What's not to love!?!
Getting on TV! Getting your picture and your name in magazines! People wanting to be your friend (especially right after you win a tournament). That was especially before I began to learn the reality of what it means; What it takes to be a real professional bass tournament angler. Before I really knew the true cost. Not just in money and time, which is vast, but in the cost to everything important in life.
That was also before I had a significant job. Before I had a wife. Before I had a new family. Before Godchildren. And pets. And a house payment. I sometimes think I felt more free then... In reality, part of the freedom was an illusion. An illusion supported by ignorance of what is really involved, truly in the sport and business of professional bass fishing. Although the 'job' of pro bass angler is not taken seriously by most outside of the sport, it is one of the toughest, most difficult, exhausting and long-houred vocations you can ever pursue.
