Rick Cotten self-reported an FLW Tour rule violation while practicing for the Lake Okeechobee Southeastern FLW Series earlier this month, leading to his disqualification from the upcoming FLW Tour season opener at Okeechobee.
Cotten is the latest angler to be sanctioned under FLW’s rules governing practice partners in advance of the off-limits period for an FLW Tour event.
Prior to practice for the FLW Series event, Cotten had filmed television commercials for two sponsors while at Okeechobee. He said he followed the proper procedures to ensure FLW granted permission for the people associated with the commercial shoots to be in his boat.
“On the last day of practice for the Costa event, a guy who was fishing as a co-angler and someone who’s jumped in my boat plenty of times before hit me up at the hotel that morning and asked if he could fish with me,” Cotton told BassFan on Monday via phone. “I said, ‘Sure, no problem.’”
Cotten and the individual, who Cotten declined to identify, fished together that day. The man was registered as a co-angler for the FLW Series event, but not the FLW Tour tournament. It didn’t occur to Cotten until later that night that he’d violated FLW Tour Rule No. 5 that stipulates, “Beginning with practice and extending through competition, pros may not obtain information about locating or catching fish on tournament waters from co-anglers or information about locating or catching fish on tournament waters from noncontestants or follow a noncontestant’s boat or participate in the placing of markers, brush or other fish attractors by noncontestants or the practice of “hole sitting” by anyone.”
“As soon as I realized what I’d done, I reported it,” Cotten said. “I told (FLW tournament director) Bill (Taylor) I didn’t mean to do it.”
Cotten said the DQ stings because he was hoping to qualify for this year’s Forrest Wood Cup at Wheeler Lake, a short drive from his home in Alabama. In 2014, Anthony Gagliardi overcame a DQ from the FLW Tour season opener for violating the same rule and rallied to qualify for and win the Cup at Lake Murray.
“I could’ve kept my mouth shut, but it would’ve bothered me,” Cotten said. “I’d just assume lose the points and tournament than do something wrong. It’s not the way I wanted to start the year.”
