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.