KVD DQed from satee cooper event

[fishon1219]

I just read on Bassmaster.com the Kevin Vandam was DQed for allowing his practise partner in the event drive the boat while kevin was on the front deck looking for spawning flats.
Check it out on the web site.

[Cheetam]

I was really surprised to read this...especially considering it was during practice.  I had no idea you could get DQ'd during practice 

[McCarter]

WOW!

this is going to screw up a lot of peoples fantasy picks.  But not mine.  I am the only idiot who decides to go against the sure thing.

Does anyone else see a pattern here with BASS.  Seems like a lot of people still arent clear on the rules.  I mean if a guy like KVD is unsure after all the tournaments he has fished, perhaps they need to make things a little clearer ( i dont know if clearer is a real word ).

Thats a real bummer tho, especially after the start he has had again this year.  Can you rebound from something like this?

PoorBoy himself

[Revtro]

Man, I don't know about this one.  I understand it's a rule violation technically, but one question I'd ask if I were KVD is "were there any anglers without co-anglers?"  (The rule is there to protect anglers who don't have co-anglers.)  If not, since it's the first day fo the practice period, perhaps just let him off with a warning or allow the rest of the field to search for beds this way for the rest of practice.  KVD has a repuation for being an upstanding and class guy.  I'm not sure I agree with this ruling.  Either way, I guess you can't say they're just picking on Iaconnelli.  Too bad for VanDam. 

I wonder who the other pro was who turned him in?  Seems like the guy could have just went to KVD and let him know about the rule instead of running to the TD.  Or maybe just said something to him out on the water so KVD would stop right away.  Seems like a cheap shot to me. 

[MBell]

If that rule exists, it's a dumb rule.  I don't think anyone is really sure on the rules anymore, Bass went back and forth on Clausen fishing next years classic.  Bass has been weak in this area the last few years, changing the point system during the season a few years ago.  As I see it KVD and a few other guys are all Bass has going for them, especially if they hold more classics during the spawn.  You should be able to practice howerver you want unless your moving fish.   
-Matt

[5alive]

All this is going to do is stop the Pros letting the co-anglers pre-fish with them. What a dumb rule, it's practice, not competition. Would like to know who reported the violation. I feel more for the co-angler, he is DQ'ed also.

[joshimoto son]

People make mistakes, it happens to the best of them (KVD this time)

None the less rules are rules and they are attached to the entry form that they have to sign, agreeing to these rules, before entering the tournament.
I'm sure KVD is kicking himself right now.

I have to believe that this is a rule that has been in place for quite some time, I think it was just a mental error on Kevin's part.

From the official rules:

12. BOAT OPERATION AND EXPENSE: In Pro-Am type events, pros will fish from the front deck, non-boaters from the rear deck, no exceptions. Non-boaters are only allowed to drive the boat in emergency situations in both practice and competition with the exception of loading and unloading from trailers. Any pro who, in the judgment of the officials, operates the boat in such a manner as to unfairly handicap his non-boater partner shall be disqualified. At no time may a pro competitor request that the non-boater competitor not fish. In view of the large expense involved in operating and maintaining a tournament bass boat, it is suggested that the non-boater partner share, at minimum, the cost of gas and oil for the competition day. In BASS events where observers replace non-boaters as the official rider, observers cannot assist the Pro in any way. Observers are not required to pay for gas and oil expenses.


As far as someone turning him in... BASS makes it so you almost have to report a violation. If not, you could be disqualified for not reporting it.
Think of it this way... Who really wants to be known as the guy that DQ'd Kevin VanDam?
I wouldn't wanna be that guy, but I also don't want to lose my five grand and a chance to win 100K.

I haven't read the article on Bassmaster yet, but hopefully it was an error that KVD realized and he did the right thing.



(vii) Each competitor agrees to report to the Tournament Director any violation or infraction of any Tournament Rules. Failure to report violations, or suggestions to another competitor that he or she violate these Rules, or false verification of weigh-in forms will be cause for disqualification.


Josh

[Revtro]

Yeah, that's very true and hard to argue with.  The only comment I'd make about reporting vioations, is it would be impossible to prove that you saw something and didn't report it.  An angler could just say that he wasn't paying attention to the other anglers and how could they prove otherwise?  So I still think it's a cheap shot to report KVD and get him DQ'd.  I agree with Matt also, it's a stupid rule.  You should be able to practice however you wish as long as you aren't moving fish or fishing in an illegal fashion.  They should remove the word "practice" from that rule.  Just my $.02

[yukonjack2]

I agree - BASS colors frying high on this one.  I wouldn't rule out taking KVD in fantasy the rest of the season - very close analogy to TIger Woods - don't pee them off too bad, cause they'll put twice the whoopin on you at teh next one - even being dq'd, watch for kvd to take it all.

MY $0.02 worth

[smbassman]

One thing BASS has tried to do in the pro ranks is keep level playing fields.  They have set practice days, no information buying, and since they cannot always provide co-anglers for every pro in the tournaments and practice periods, they have a rule that the co-anglers cannot operate the boat because that would be an unfair advantage over someone without a co-angler.  I think the rule is a fair one.  But I also think the consequences too extreme.  I think that the appropriate action would be to take away a practice day or the remaining practice days, but DQ'd for the whole tournament before it ever starts is rediculous.

[Bulletproof]

Rules are rules, however to get dq'ed for something like that is absurd.

[MBell]

Does bass provide co-anlgers for practice?  I always thought most guys fished with someone they knew, not an assigned partner.  On the level playing field, if Bass doesn't provide everyone with a co-anlger that could be an advantage too.  I for one prefer to practice alone for the most part, especially if I have a few days to practice.
-Matt

[fishon1219]

Does bass provide co-anlgers for practice?? I always thought most guys fished with someone they knew, not an assigned partner.? On the level playing field, if Bass doesn't provide everyone with a co-anlger that could be an advantage too.? I for one prefer to practice alone for the most part, especially if I have a few days to practice.
-Matt

When I fished the top 150's as a co-angler the pros wer given a roster with all of the coanglers contact information so they could get somebody to fish with them if they choosed to do so. I have even seen people that were coanglers sitting at the launch ramps on practice days holding signs saying "I am a coangler and I will pay for gas". Most pros choose to fish alone because of the chance the co they were fishing with might slip up and share info on tournament days. When I di pactice with the pro it was made very clear to me by them to stay off of the front deck and to never sit in the driver seat. They also made sure before they turned the key that my life jacket was fastened. He knew the rules, I think he just had a mental lapz being in the zone.

[djkimmel]

I thought I saw somewhere that the practice part of the rule is a recent change (?maybe this year). KVD has never been dq'd before.

This is definitely a situation where the interpretation of the actual punishment was completely up to the tournament director. It just seems brutal to me to dq him from the entire multi-day event before it even started for a non-cheating violation. Seems like a more creative handicap could have been thought of that fit the violation.

I can't even imagine driving home from that... sorry Kevin. Just brutal.