The top prizes in the striper and bluefishing derby on Martha’s Vineyard are a boat and a truck, each worth about $30,000. That’s rich enough to drive some guys to do crazy things to win. One guy caught a 55-pound striper, which was a guaranteed derby winner … until he tried to pad his lead by stuffing it with frozen bait. (The fisherman blamed the heroin for his boneheaded move.)
This month, Marlin magazine ranked the ten richest fishing tournaments. Leading the pack: Bisbee’s Black & Blue Marlin Jackpot, the famous Cabo San Lucas contest that once awarded a team $3.9 million. I can’t help wonder what guys would do to win that kind of loot. One of the best cheating tales I came across while reporting my book involved a catch-and-release bluewater tournament. Every boat had an observer on board to keep watch over the crew. One team got around this inconvenience by inviting a prostitute to come along and keep the observer occupied.
All of which explains why having winners sit for polygraphs is standard operating procedure at most fishing tournaments today.
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