LAKE ERIE—As far as the old saying goes, “catch big fish or tell big lies,” it’s okay to embellish your fishing story when no one saw the fish.

It’s quite another thing to literally make your fish weigh more to win a tournament.

Tournament Fishing is a sport that has largely remained unscathed by scandal. Last Friday at the annual Lake Erie Walleye Trail Tournament in Cleveland, that all changed.

Jacob Runyan and his teammate, Chase Cominsky, were set to win a $28,760 prize. The prize money at each tournament comes from the entry fee each angler pays to compete.

Jason Fischer, director of the tournament, expects the walleye to weigh in at about four pounds each, but the total weight of their fish indicated they would have to be at least 7 pounds each.

As Fischer more closely inspected the fish, he could feel hard objects inside. In dramatic fashion, Fischer cut the fish open:

“We got weights in fish,” Fischer shouted. The crowd lobbed insults at Runyan. Onlookers recorded as Fischer cut the fish open and pulled out filets and weights. Those videos went viral, landing him an interview on the Cable News Network.

Fischer told CNN: “I thought, there’s just no way,” he said. “I could also hear the crowd grumbling, like ‘no way, there’s no way.’ ”

But it was true. Now the fishermen are facing a criminal investigation as well as the wrath of all fishermen.

Crawford County Now spoke to one local fisherman who fishes mostly for sport but knew about the scandal:

“It takes a lot of time and money to make it out to these tournaments. We spend a lot of money on gear and put our hearts into just the thought of fishing. This is just a shame.”

When asked if these two should be prosecuted, he said: “Yes 100%. This is an insult to the sport and disrespectful to honest fishermen. It could also discourage fishermen from entering tournaments in the future because it’s not worth their effort.”

Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley is meeting today to discuss action against the competitors:

“I take all crime seriously, including attempted felony theft at a fishing tournament,” O’Malley said. “These individuals will be held accountable.”

Crawford County Now will continue to cover this developing story.