FLW announced today that a North Carolina angler who finished 3rd in a BFL at Lake Wylie on Saturday has been disqualified and banned from the organization's future events. John Hoyle (pictured) of Rutherfordton, N.C. was penalized under BFL Rule No. 9 (Sportsmanship) when one of the fish he brought to the weigh-in was found to have an 11-ounce weight in its gullet.
Hoyle forfeited a $1,082 prize check. Ironically, the 11 ounces didn't help him, as his bag without the additional weight would've registered 13-01 – an ounce more than original 4th-place finisher Rob Digh. He'd have needed another 11 ounces to reach runner-up Roger Pope's 14-07 tally (Brian Huskins won with 14-08).
Hoyle's profile at FLWOutdoors.com credits him with having won more than $8,000 during his career in the BFLs. More than half of that total was amassed last year, when he pocketed $4,394 for winning a March 19 event at Wylie with a 16-04 bag.
The tournament's co-angler standings were not affected by Hoyle's disqualification.
