Angry Lake Erie Walleye Tournament Fishermen Confront Alleged Cheaters

A Lake Erie fishing tournament ended with event participants screaming and yelling at the two tournament winners who seem to have been caught cheating.

According to CBS News, Chase Cominsky and Jake Runyan were crowned as winners during the Lake Erie Walleye Trail (LEWT) fishing tournament in Ohio, Friday, September 30. But after contestants questioned the results, one of the winner’s fish was cut open to reveal it’d been stuffed with lead weights.  

Video footage that has been widely shared online shows chaos erupting after all of the two contestants’ fish were cut open and discovered to be stuffed with lead weights and fish fillets.

Footage shows the angry crowd accusing the contestants of cheating in previous tournaments as well and claiming that the men had stolen thousands of dollars from other honest competitors through their cheating scheme.

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In a follow-up Facebook video post, tournament director Jason Fischer apologized for his use of profanity and the unprofessionalism he showed at the moment the cheating scandal was revealed. He also promised changes to ensure this type of cheating never happens again.

“On Friday, September 30 of 2022, we witnessed one of the most disgusting, dishonest acts that the fishing world has ever seen in our lifetime,” Fischer said. “The individuals involved here appeared to put greed and ego above anything else, forever tainting our sport.”

He said this type of behavior will not be tolerated and he hopes they can learn from this and make changes that will protect the integrity of all circuits.

Fischer said all of the information from Friday has been handed over to the Ohio Division of Wildlife, which will handle the case and any potential criminal action from this point forward.

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