Good question. While I haven't fished professionally I have fished in several local tournaments. I always go at it with the attitude that I am coming into the weigh-in with a full sack. It's never happened.
Covering my first Bassmaster Classic in New Orleans, a press day was held the day before the actual tournament. Members of the media were paired with a pro and allowed to weigh one fish good for $500.
While the media fished, the pro was trying his luck up front hoping to find a hole or pattern for the actual tournament.
Towards the end of our allotted time, I caught a nice, healthy catfish. The pro i was with, Justin Will asked me if I wanted to weigh it. "Sure," I said.
At the time Dewey Hendricks was tournament director and a man not to be messed with. I would learn that the hard way.
Besides getting a final chance to practice, the purpose of the day was to line up all the boats, then announce each one, bringing them in, one-by-one to the stage; the same way it would be done on tournament days.
When it came our turn, Wilks was announced and we were towed in to the stage. The Bass people asked if we had anything to weigh. "Yes," I replied.
I managed to get that catfish out of the live well and into a bag then onto the stage and on the scales before Dewey realized what was happening.
"You want to weigh that," he asked with no smile on his face or in his voice. "Yeah, go ahead and weight it," I said.
The lesson here was know who you are going to spoof before the actual spoof begins.
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