The wild story of the fishing cheating scandal that could lead to anglers being arrested

A fishing tournament in Ohio that was set to award $29,000 to two winning anglers was torn apart by a cheating scandal. A heavier-than-expected catch led to inspection by officials at the Lake Erie Walleye Trail, and they were stunned to find that weights, and loose fish fillets had been stuffed inside the fish.

Everyone was having a good time celebrating the catches being weighed, until a silence fell over the crowd when Jacob Runyan and his partner Chase Cominsky brought their fish to the scales. The best single fish up to that point was 7.23 pounds, but Runyan and Cominsky’s catches kept exceeding it — for seemingly no reason. One person recording the entirety of the awards ceremony captured the drama unfold when Runyan and Cominsky were announced as the winners.

“Ain’t no way” one fisherman says in relation to their weigh in. “Damn... 33?” another quips, seemingly stunned by the result too. For minutes you can hear lots of doubt coming from those in attendance, and while it’s difficult to make out precisely what’s being said, there are a lot of comments about how the weight looked off based on the size of the fish, and continued doubt that the 33 pound mark could have been eclipsed based on the fishing everyone saw on Saturday.

Shortly before everything exploded there’s someone caught on tape who pretty much nails what happened: “F*** that. That ain’t a seven pound fish,” he says, “check the stomach on that one.” Almost on cue, tournament director Jason Fischer calls for a knife and begins to inspect their catch, and he’s stunned.

“WE GOT WEIGHTS IN FISH!” He yells, with the crowd quickly engulfing Runyan who stands emotionless while weights are pulled from his fish.

The crowd begin jeering, obviously furious as what took place. The prize money for the tournament comes directly from entry fees, meaning in a very real way the cheaters tried to steal from their fellow competitors. “All these years ... all these years you were losers,” one angler quips, referring to prior events Runyan and Cominsky had won.

One of the most remarkable elements to this scheme is how horribly executed it was. Jacob Runyan and his partner Chase Cominsky didn’t just cheat by a little, they went all out — increasing their fish weight by over a third. Their walleye looked like 4-5 point fish judging from the eye test, so to see them weigh in at over 7 pounds defied belief.

A photo posted to Facebook on late Sunday showed exactly what officials found inside the catch.

It appears to be five 12 ounce weights, and another five in the 8 oz range. The metal alone would have increased the duo’s total catch by an estimated 6.25 pounds, with the loose fish filets likely adding another 2 pounds or so. This would have brought Runyan and Cominsky’s average catch down from 6.6 pounds, to 5.4 pounds each — putting them in third place if they competed fairly.

A statement by tournament organizers expressed regret, and apologized for missing any prior cheating — but was thankful the pair were caught in this one instance.

Now an investigation into the fishermen is being launched. A spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources told CNN that they are preparing a report for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office. It might seem silly to escalate to this level, but the duo have won over $300,000 in fishing competitions in the Ohio area, defrauding competitors and the events themselves. This could lead to very stiff penalties, should charges be pressed against the two.

It’s been a big year for cheating in sports, but it’s the world of fishing that could see someone get arrested for it. What a world.