Luke Clausen’s appeal of his disqualification following day 3 of last week’s Elite Series event at Wheeler Lake was denied Friday afternoon by a three-person panel, which needed just about an hour to issue a ruling.
With the appeals panel’s ruling, Clausen’s total catch of 59-09, initially good for 8th place, is erased, dropping him to 108th in the tournament. Cliff Crochet, who finished 7th with 59-10, will remain in that position, and each angler below 7th will move up one position.
Clausen, who qualified for the Elite Series in 2016 after competing on the FLW Tour for the past 12 years, appeared via conference call for today’s hearing. Afterward, the ruling stunned him.
“This is the first time I’ve ever been disqualified or protested,” he told BassFan after being informed of the panel’s decision by B.A.S.S. official Chris Bowes. “This is pretty painful out of pride and it’s embarrassing. I definitely follow the rules very closely and this is something I feel is unjust.”
Clausen said he asked for an explanation of the committee’s decision, but wasn’t given one.
“All Bowes told me was that it wasn’t an easy decision and that some of the evidence resonated more with them and that’s what they came up with,” Clausen said.
B.A.S.S. circulated a seven-paragraph press release about the ruling, but declined to comment further on the matter.
The panel consisted of two tournament anglers not competing in the Elite Series and a B.A.S.S. employee not associated with the tournament department. This is the second time in as many years that an Elite Series angler has appealed a disqualification. Last year, Mike Kernan was successful in having his DQ at the Sabine River overturned.
Clausen was disqualified for violating Elite Series Rule C3, which outlines a number of restrictions on practicing and obtaining information during off-limits periods, among others.
The violation was uncovered after Clausen failed a truth-verification test last Saturday. When pressed by B.A.S.S. officials for additional details at the time, Clausen revealed that over dinner following day 1 of the tournament, a friend who was reading blog entries as part of Bassmaster.com’s coverage of the event began asking Clausen if he had fished around other competitors who were pictured on the blog or if Clausen knew where they were fishing.
“He’s a fan of the sport,” Clausen said. “He’s from Alabama, but hadn’t fished the lake in a while. He was just curious.”
Clausen insists he did not solicit or seek any information from his friend, who appeared as a witness on Clausen’s behalf today. Clausen said in light of today’s ruling, he’s not sure how to interpret what is considered “getting information.”
“If a buddy of mine back home who’s never been to the state of Alabama calls me and says I should be throwing a ChatterBait because they’re eating it at home, is that getting information?” he asked. “I don’t know where the line is. I don’t feel like I crossed it. There was no malice or intent.”
Clausen said in preparation for the hearing, he recalled additional encounters he’d had with other people related to the Wheeler Lake event. He told the panel today that a man at Walmart the morning before a tournament day suggested he fish a specific creek because the man’s brother had caught fish there before. In addition, Clausen said he encountered a man who told him there’s a 5-pounder under his dock. In both instances, Clausen said, the information was unsolicited.
“There’s a constant stream of information,” he said. “By a literal interpretation of the rule, everybody should be DQ’d. I’m just dumbfounded.”
He also submitted to another polygraph – at his own expense – after returning home to Washington this week and passed it. He submitted those results as evidence today, but felt the panel dismissed them.
Clausen said he’s passed all of the polygraph exams he’d taken during his career before last week.
“I’ve never been concerned about (breaking) the rules,” he said.
The DQ virtually eliminates Clausen from contention for next year's Classic, as he now has three finishes of 82nd or lower in the four events that have been staged thus far.
