I can say this because a fish that I brought thru was measured by "wiping the tail" instead of pinching and swiping. I did not say anything, but you certainly could get a 3/4" discrepency by simply wiping the tail staraight versus pinching the tail.

This. As long as everybody had the same measuring process then all is fair. We have all been in tournaments that were obviously weighing heavy and obviously weighing light, but as long as it is not adjusted mid tourney then it doesn't matter.

Huummmm, interesting, does he fish on your team coach?

On the couple of fish I weighed in, they would "wipe" it down flat, then pinch the tail and swipe.

It sounds like they did not measure every fish the same.

I don't fish a lot of tournaments but I can honestly say I would have gone to weigh in completely unprepared in this exact situation.

There's a little more to this story, nonetheless, I hate the kid didn't get to win $1500 with his fish.

He claims he got the fish out of his live well, and it stayed in his bag for 15 minutes. I've never personally had to stand in their line for 15 minutes, but that's what he said. When the fish got to the board, it was short. The fish was put in a tank for some time then measured by the game warden where it measured over 24". It obviously had relaxed once it was put in the tank. I'm not sure what tank they are referring to, but it was put somewhere in a less stressful environment.

Sealy has always stood by his rules. They don't allow a fish to be measured or weighed more than once. If he did, it would open up a huge can of worms. You gotta realize, once the weigh master puts his hands on the fish, it then becomes property of the tournament director. The fish couldn't be released back to the angler nor could it be put somewhere "to be measured later". There are a lot of logistics in a tournament to keep it fair for everyone that people don't consider. This is obviously one of them.

If I was standing there watching them measure my fish knowing it measures, And I noticed it was NOT measuring the correct length because of improper way of measuring, then I would let it be known right then and there it was not the correct way. I just could not stand there not saying a word while witnessing it being done incorrect.

Yeah, that'd be awesome. People like you disgust me. Rather than deal with it man to man, you wanna find a 2 bit attorney and sue them. And defamation? What the hell did Sealy do hurt this kid's character. No one would even know about it if the kid hadn't put it all over social media. Sounds to me like he defamed himself.

And oh yeah, "do it for the contestants" you say. Another genius statement. Guess what, the contestants are glad to have the opportunity to fish for the kind of money Sealy Outdoors offers. Sue 'em. Put 'em outta business. That's a great idea.

That's too bad. It's not the first time I have heard complaints about the Sealy tournament and how inconsistent they can be at measuring a fish. One might pinch the tail another might not. One might turn the fish over and measure another might refuse. One says if it touches the line it is good another says it has to be over. The game wardens from what I have seen will measure and if short will flip it. If it still is short they'll tell you to go get your stick and they'll measure with yours.

You'd think that they'd atleast be consistent on the measuring since that and weighing are the 2 primary jobs during the tournament but unfortunately they aren't. Sometimes you get one that is a lot like a Walmart checker. They seem to be unhappy with their job and don't really care then you have the rest that are great.

however, that is the incorrect way to measure a fish. These tourneys need to follow the TPWD directions for measuring a fish. Period. The law is inforced by TPWD, so the TPWD standards should be followed.

If I was driving 20 mph in a school zone and the crosswalk guard said I was speeding I'd sure hope a police officer was present to accurately measure my speed.

And not have an unofficial person, however "official" they might think they are, being the be-all end-all of wether I was within the law.

This is my opinion. And that's all these comments are worth.

I love posts talking negatively about something that have the words "I heard" in them.

Tough call. It's hard to pass judgement on either side without being there.

Could be that he smashed the fish against the front of the board, happened to me one time but it was not a money fish, So I took a chance on a line burner and I got disqualified. That fish measured correctly if the mouth touched the front of the board, but not when you apply pressure and pushed the fish against the front of the board. It happens.

Lol...well I was there and know the story. But to keep it short: 1. He probably was there for 15mins. But that was his decision because he wanted to wait for the next hour. Once they clear out and reset for next hour it's about 7mins. 2. The weigh master has weighed 1000's of fish, it's the same guy and he has integrity. He is held to a standard and legality also with the game warden. 3. Once the fish is presented to the weigh master it becomes property of the tournament, that's why you can weigh in more than one over in a day. 4. The game wardens have a tank off to the side with their board, the fish is placed there until you retrieve your board if you choose to and the remeasure is done. That's why folks get warnings vs. tickets everytime. Working these tournaments for years I hate to see good folks get dragged through the mud with only one side of the story. It was just unfortunate for the young man, but he should have been a little smarter in a tournament on a slot lake or just ask the question and get clarity.