After being charged with fraud in a fishing tournament (link to original story) and possession of marijuana (less than two ounces), Brent Taylor has been sentenced to jail time and restitution of nearly $3,000. His fishing license has also been suspended for a year and he has been banish from fishing in tournaments. The court decision comes after an extensive investigation after suspected fishing tournament fraud on Decker Lake in Texas. The amount of jail time has not yet been disclosed.
Because kayaks do not have livewells, these tournaments are typically won by an angler amassing a greater total catch length than other participants. When an angler catches a bass, he or she takes a photo of the bass on an approved bump board and sends it to tournament officials. This process allows the bass to be released immediately after recording the length.
TPWD claims that Brent Taylor used the cut tail of a bass and placed it further back on his actual catch, covering the cut with his hand, making the bass appear longer than it actually was.
This sentencing concludes the Travis County, Texas case against Taylor. There is a second related case in Bastrop County that is still pending; we will have more details on that particular case very soon.
