Lake Murray DQs Highlight an Integrity Crisis in Competitive Bass Fishing

Rules define the sport, but integrity defines the angler. What happened at Lake Murray proves both are being tested.

With Aspen Martin and Matt O’Connell disqualified from the MLF BFL Regional at Lake Murray, the bass fishing world may face a larger question: has the sport’s moral compass drifted in the digital age? | Major League Fishing

Integrity on the Line

One protest. Two anglers disqualified. A failed polygraph test and a refusal to take one. Unfortunately, the headlines out of Lake Murray weren’t about a last minute big catch, or a record setting big bass, they were about integrity…or rather, a lack of integrity.

As a writer, reporting on fishing, I can assure you that the sport of tournament bass fishing can seem almost sleepy compared to the daily controversy and endless stories of players misbehaving on and off the field in all other professional sports. My colleagues covering everything besides fishing here at Sports Illustrated are required to publish dozens of juicy stories every day to keep up with the action. And I don’t envy them.

The sport of tournament bass fishing has its struggles, but overwhelmingly, the participants are solid, hard working, trustworthy people. But we are living through a point in history, where messaging overload and social networks fuel a “me first”, “whatever it takes to win” culture that has become normalized. Modern bass tournament organizers are far too often forced to wrestle with issues much bigger than accurately weighing fish—trust, personal responsibility and integrity.

What Happened at Lake Murray

Lake Murray looking peaceful and beautiful just before takeoff. | MLF | Christopher Shangle

After the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional tournament held Oct. 10-11 on Lake Murray, a protest was filed alleging that boaters Aspen Martin of White, Georgia, and Matt O’Connell of Brooks, Georgia, had violated BFL Rule No. 10. The rule states, in part, that contestants may not use mobile communication devices to communicate with anyone about locating or catching fish on tournament waters during tournament hours.

Martin failed the polygraph which resulted in his disqualification.

O’Connell declined the polygraph exam. When informed doing so would result in disqualification from the Murray regional and ineligibility to participate in the upcoming Toyota Series Championship, he withdrew from the championship. O’Connell has been suspended from future MLF competition and may reapply in 2027.

As a result, William Bates of Alpharetta, Georgia, and Chad Sims of Lancaster, South Carolina, move up to second and third place, qualifying them for the 2026 All-American. All other check winners from the Murray tournament moved up two spots and will be compensated accordingly.

The Gray Area Between Fishing Talk and Cheating

Fishermen love to talk fishing. Recently we’ve seen a string of high-level disqualifications over the gray area between fishermen talking fishing and strict no-information rules. But in this case, during tournament hours, the gray area between friendly message chatter and a strategic intel exchange really becomes black-and-white. Per BFL Rule No. 10, mobile communication regarding fishing is not permitted. Following are the portions of Rule 10 regarding mobile communication as published by Major League Fishing.

…Contestants may not use mobile communication devices, including but not limited to, cell phones, tablets, marine radios, walkie-talkies, CBs, etc., to communicate with anyone about locating or catching fish on tournament waters during tournament hours. Mobile communication devices may be used during tournament hours to communicate with lockmasters about locking, to communicate with the tournament director or to communicate with MLF editors or producers. Boaters may use smart phones and/or tablets during tournament hours for GPS, mapping, weather, power generation, barge traffic updates, tidal charts, personal fishing notes and related data. At no time during tournament hours may contestants read or discuss social media posts from other contestants. Contestants may only livestream to their personal social media accounts during tournament hours at qualifying events, super tournaments, regionals and the wild card if they are using a streaming camera that does not require them to log into the social media account on a phone, tablet or computer where they can view comments or communications on the account…

The Polygraph Paradox

Maybe not technically the best test, but the polygraph's inclusion in tournament bass fishing does stand for an agreement of personal accountability. | 143611605 © Lenar Nigmatullin | Dreamstime.com

I am torn on the use of polygraph testing as the final decider in these tournament fishing cases. It’s pretty well known that a polygraph test is generally not enforceable in a court of law, nor does it have any real scientific foundation. The results are inconclusive at best. I get that a polygraph might be the most obvious answer, but I wonder if it’s the best.

In any case, while the poly isn’t perfect science, this issue really is less about technology and more about trust. Including it in the rules does make a statement and creates an agreement that we, the bass anglers, are willing to be held accountable.

Why It Matters

Tournament bass fishing has always been one of the few sports where in addition to the published rules, there’s a shared understanding and deep reverence for a whole set of unwritten rules. We are lucky to be part of a sport where competitors have always just known inherently that the best way to keep tournament bass fishing strong is for everyone to be reasonable, respectful, personally accountable, good humans.

Even if so many other parts of the world have learned to live with less than that, lets make sure bass fishing always remembers what's right.

The Real Test

It’s simple. If you win without integrity, did you really win?