Tybee Island Tournament Rigged #3

[mdo]

Email from Mr. Lipsey 10/30/09
Mr. Osborne, I have referred this matter to the County Attorney office. Any future correspondences should be sent to them.

Email to County Attorney 10/30/09
Mr. Al Lipsey has referred me to you. Can you please give me an update on our dispute?
Thank you,

Email from County Attorney 10/30/09:

Our office is reviewing the matter.

Lisa Goldwire Colbert
Assistant County Attorney
Chatham County, Georgia
P.O. Box 8161
Savannah, Georgia 31412
Telephone: (912) 652-7884
Fax: (912) 652-7887



Email to County Attorney 11/2/09
Can you give us some idea as to how long it will take your office to review
our grievance? I do believe it would be in the best interest of both
parties to resolve this quickly. The facts seem to be changing and or
evolving as time passes...

1. My brother and I were told by an attendant on the pier that we could not
crack shells on the pier because "It was causing damage to the wood". We
said ok we will just crack them with pliers. He walked away degected.
2. We were told prior to the Captains Meeting (rules meeting-there were no
written rules) and while we were dropping broken shells that "no chumming"
was allowed. (Made on the spot to prevent? catching the most or biggest
fish? I thought that was the goal of the tournament?)
3. We were then told that using shells was against the law. (False)
4. Then I was told in front of everyone by the Chatham County official, when
I went to register my fish, that "Chumming is illegal in GA" (False)
5. Then in an email from Al Lipsey I was told "chumming" is legal but
"baiting" is illegal. Shrimp baiting (luring shrimp to on spot to let
shrimp) is against the GA regulations. (Far from what we were doing)
Misapplication?
6. Then it was "Unsportsman like conduct" to do something that would give us
an advantage over the other fishermen. While our method is unusual it could
be duplicated by anyone, any time, and is within GA Fishing Regulations
according to DNR.

I'm afraid someone will surface who will swear they never saw my brother an
I on Tybee Pier and never saw us catch any fish soon.

As I shared with Mr. Lipsey, our alternative to seeking a private resolution
is to go public with our story. Because old news is not as compelling as
recent news we will need to move on our end rather quickly. An help on your
end to expedite this case would be appreciated.

Sincerely,
Mike Osborne
276-494-6219 cell


Pier and Surfers:

Can you help us choose or come up with a better headline for a little letter I am working on?
Suggested Headlines:
1. First Annual Tybee Island Fishing Tournament Rigged?
2. Tourists claim something Fishy about Tybee Island Fishing Tournament!
3. Tourists lured to Tybee Island only to be robbed by Chatham County
Official!
4. Chatham County not so "Chummy" with two Tourists
5. Woman with Parks and Rec gets too "Chummy" with two tourists!
6. Chatham County may find themselves On the Hook themselves concerning
recent treatment of tourists!
7. Big "Gaffe" by Chatham County Officials
8. Tourists still "Shell" shocked over treatment at Tybee Island!
9. Tourists still "Reeling" over treatment at Tybee Island!
10. These Tourists found Tybee a "Reel Drag"
11. Two Tourists Bitten by Chatham County Official
12. No "Cash for Chunkers"
13. Will Chatham County come up with Cash for Chunkers"
14. A Chatham County Parks and Rec Official after telling Tourists "I don't
know what's legal in your state" Has to admit she doesn't even know what's
legal in her state!

[andrews]

That will show you to pay attention next time.

[shaggy]

Drop it, learn, live and move on, life is tooo short.

[surfchunker]

dude just get over it .... seems to me your taking all the fun out of fishing .....

[RuddeDogg]

Originally Posted by shaggy

Drop it, learn, live and move on, life is tooo short.

Yep.

[ledweightII]

Run with it. There are many who do not go to tybee pier due to conditions and the way the county maintains the pier. Tybee believes that they run the county and we are lucky to be able to enjoy their company. Follow thru with anything you feel you need to. What was the prize? Free parking for the day? Maybe a Miley Cyrus signature? Were there trash cans on the pier? I know they had removed them due to a dispute between tybee and the county. I have many greivences with the pier and the way it is run.

[RuddeDogg]

Not placing any judgement on any side here but when fishing tournaments shouldn't one be familiar with all rules and regulations ad well as tournament offiicials expalin said rules?

[HStew]

Headline "Geowgia....form SPEED TRAP to FISH TRAP..tourist left on hook..will sue" by Gedd Ovait....Asst. Chatham Co. Attorney today said," Y'all jus' cain race down here smash some clams, thro 'em offen a pier an' 'spect to speed away with our money. An there will be no danglin' or hurlin' an sayin' that ain't chummin'! Seems that the famed fishing pirate Blackdrum once stopped here and left something in the local gene pool!!!

[Burner]

Suck it up dude.... You cheated..

I was there... you cheated...

Please take your petty attitude some where else.

[Mad Snooker]

from our Flamingo FFT and 10K Showdown tournaments in SoFla , I quote Rule # 1: " Any team which protests the ruling of the tournament judges shall be immediately disqualified"

This rule keeps the competition friendly, as it should be. Hard to believe anybody could get worked up over a 3 hour pier tourney....

[mdo]

I would like to thank you all for your advice. Life is short and fishing should be fun.

I am usually very easygoing and I have asked myself if I should "just let it go". If it was just another fisherman hurling insults or acusations then I would laugh it off and move on. However this was an Official (Authority) abusing their power. If we move on and let it go then that abuse will tend to grow in power and it hurts everyone in the long run. If we let the powers in Washington go unchecked then we see how they can get overbearing.

Part of the problem is that there were no written rules. None! My brother and I were acused of "cheating" and breaking the law and that is what bothered us the most. We made several phone calls to find out the rules and were not told that "chumming" was not allowed (even though what we did is not chumming-blood, flesh, or hair of mammals- and is not ilegal) until after we had already done it. And the post stating that we "cheated" confirms that we left Tybee being viewed as cheaters and law breakers.

A simple apology and return of our entry fee would have been fine. Now we are compelled to clear our names however painful and costly it may be. Thanks again for listening. It is theraputic to have this forum.

[oldsalt737]

GO FOR IT. Hope you win. Abuse of power and the mindset of some people in a position with power needs to be brought to the front and people held accountable for their actions.

[ledweightII]

Originally Posted by HStew

Headline "Geowgia....form SPEED TRAP to FISH TRAP..tourist left on hook..will sue" by Gedd Ovait....Asst. Chatham Co. Attorney today said," Y'all jus' cain race down here smash some clams, thro 'em offen a pier an' 'spect to speed away with our money. An there will be no danglin' or hurlin' an sayin' that ain't chummin'! Seems that the famed fishing pirate Blackdrum once stopped here and left something in the local gene pool!!!

too good not to be true...i'mma believer

[emanuel]

You went to Tybee and expected to beat the locals?

Soooooo, let's hear the whole story.

[surfchunker]

Whats so great about America is if you don't like a place you don't have to go there .... if people keep going and put up with it .... well you get what you ask for ..... don't like a place ... go find one you do ........ all the money leaves they smarten up real fast

[allaroundfishin]

Its a tournament grow up you lost big deal you didnt lose anything. Just be glad they didnt lock you up for shark fishing. If you where cracking up shells that means you where sheepshead fishin or black drum fishing. No need to chum up them they hang around all the time and if the locals where fishing you would not even had a chance but Most us locals would not bother being on the pier for this. It was set up as a tourist trap and it worked. It got people to the island for a day. Tybee has its downfalls the pier is under maintained. If you dont like it dont fish it!!!!!

[AL_N_VB]

not to stir the pot... but throwing clams shells, shell liquid or fresh shell fish over a pier in a moving current is considered chumming. We use this technique for spades, black drum and for bait off the boat. Most piers frown on this technique due to the fear of attracting sharks close to shore.

noun 1. cut or ground bait dumped into the water to attract fish to the area where one is fishing.
2. fish refuse or scraps discarded by a cannery.

–verb (used without object) 3. to fish by attracting fish by dumping cut or ground bait into the water.

–verb (used with object) 4. to dump chum into (a body of water) so as to attract fish.
5. to lure (fish) with chum: They chummed the fish with hamburger.

[dparri11]

Mdo,

I feel you have every right to protest in this situation. If there were no written rules and it was not explicitly stated at the captain's meeting that chumming was not allowed, then it sounds like fair game to me. And regardless of the view of other posters, my personal experience is that chumming for bd's and sheepshead does increase your total catch and chance of landing a big one. Good luck and I would be pissed if someone called me a cheater in that situation too.

[TideJones]

Holy cow! Must have hired a private jet to get to and from Tybee.

If you racked up 15 grand in expenses to participate in this tournament you should be hiring the best attorney you can find.

[NHLivefreeordie]

MDO,

GO for it, just because others lack the backbone to do what's right, or worse, are complicit in the rigging of a tourney ( isn't the first time this has happened ) doesn't mean you don't have a case, I would push it right to the end.
And as someone else said, never give them another penny, and do what you are doing and let everyone else know to avoid that place.

[S.C.HOOKER]

First of all sounds like you and your brother had a good day (first and third) congrats!! and yes push forward with what you believe in (from all the posts i have read i wont be making a trip to that pier any time soon ( i wouldnt feel rite winning or placing third knowing bigger fish were caught either!! I fish alot of piers and every one has there Quote (RULES) and not no where near state regs LOL good luck and hook um chuck

[berryc516]

Yup! There is a reason I very seldom fish tournaments...something always seems to happen...somebody cheated, somebody rigged it so someone couldn't win, somebody rigged it so their friend would win, somebody got mad or should have won but didn't...just distracts from the reason we are all here anyway--to fish.

Glad I decided to hit the kayaks and stay clear of the pier that day! I caught plenty of fish and didn't have to deal with one bit of drama!

[berryc516]

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