Jim Gildea's first experience fishing against a field loaded with tour pros was certainly a memorable one. He performed extremely well on the water, and then learned a valuable lesson in preparation that will serve him well in the future.

The Massachusetts resident finished 7th at last week's Champlain Eastern FLW Series, then was disqualified for having been on the venue during the off-limits period. It was a "rookie mistake" in the classic sense of the term and he self-reported the violation.

"It was my first big event, and I'd hate for someone else to make that same mistake," he said Tuesday. "The bottom line was that I really should've read the rules more carefully.



"I was pretty bummed for a day, but in the end it all worked out for the best."

Success at Both Ends

Gildea isn't a total tournament neophyte who just decided to ante up for a big-money event and went out and lucked his way into a Top-10 finish in the Series event at Champlain. He's qualified for The Bass Federation (TBF) Nationals three times, and it was his participation in a state championship event the previous weekend that caused his DQ.

He placed 2nd in the TBF derby, which went out of South Bay at the extreme southern end of the lake. In that one, he caught largemouths off of hard structure in 1 to 3 feet of water with a weightless worm.

The Series tournament launched 75 miles to the north, out of Plattsburgh, N.Y., and he fished for a different species (smallmouths) in much deeper water (20 to 22 feet) using an entirely different technique (a dropshot rig).

"They really are different fisheries from one end to the other and I might've actually been at a disadvantage in the (Series) tournament because I was tired and beat up and I didn't get a lot of practice for it," he said. "Then again, that might've been an advantage because I only had one spot for the FLW (event) and I just stayed there and milked it.

"If I'd had more than one spot, it might not have worked out so well."

Hard Fact to Face

He didn't realize he'd committed a violation until Saturday night (following day 3 of competition), when he got a call from a friend who was familiar with the Series' off-limits rule. It never dawned on him that a TBF (which is affiliated with FLW Outdoors) event would take place during the black-out period for an FLW tournament.

The Series rules are clear, though – venues go off-limits 6 days prior to the first of the 3 official practice days that immediately precede the event.

He didn't have Internet access at that moment, so he couldn't verify for himself that he'd broken the rule. But he called tournament director Chris Hoover and told him he was "99% sure" he had. Hoover quickly confirmed that such was indeed the case.

"In hindsight, it makes total sense," he said. "I'd seen the detail sheet and I'd glanced at the rules and saw the things about licenses and check-in times, but you can't take anything for granted. You've got to do your homework and make sure absolutely everything is in order."

He'd only been involved in tournaments with off-limits rules a few times in the past, and those were high-level TBF events.

"At those, the rules were in big, bright red letters. They really try to keep us amateurs from making that kind of mistake."

All is Reconciled

Gildea is a 47-year-old father of three who operated an information and technology services businesses for 20 years before selling it in 2008. He now fishes full-time and has been very successful in local and regional events, and he entertains the thought of someday stepping up to the tour level – but not right away.

His DQ at Champlain cost him a paycheck worth nearly $8,000. That's a big hunk of cash, but he's fully aware that the situation is as it must be.

"In the end, it was a real positive experience," he said. "I had a great tournament, but I made a mistake and came clean about it. And I think it shows that FLW's new policy of being more open about this kind of thing is working, and that's a good thing.

"I really wanted that Top-10 finish and it was tough for a day, but like I said before, it was the easiest call I ever made. My integrity is worth a lot more to me than 8 grand."

Notable

> Peter DeMoya, who finished 70th on the co-angler side in the Series event, was also DQd for having participated in the TBF tournament. DeMoya is Gildea's travel partner.