Reinstating Mike Kernan’s Day 1 catch at the Sabine River has created some updates to the standings of the first Elite tournament of the year, and the resulting Angler of the Year points. The final standings now have Kernan in a 12th place tie with Micah Frazier, and Dennis Tietje dropping back to 54th place.
In case you missed it, Louisiana’s murky laws covering private waters added drama to the Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River presented by STARK Cultural Venues. It began after the Day 2 weigh-in, when Dennis Tietje of Louisiana received information that a fellow competitor, Mike Kernan of Texas, had crossed through private waters to reach the Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge on the first day of competition. Louisiana doesn’t require landowners to post their waters; fishermen are expected to research online to determine where they can and can’t legally fish.
Kernan was in 12th at that point, comfortably inside the semifinal cut, and Tietje was one slot out of the money, in 54th place. Tietje reported the incident as required by Bassmaster Elite Series rules, and after investigating the matter, tournament officials disqualified Kernan’s catch of 10 pounds, 1 ounce. That dropped him to 76th in the standings and moved Tietje into 53rd.
Kernan appealed the ruling, and a three-member panel sided with him, overturning the disqualification and restoring him to 12th place overall, with the prize money and AOY points associated with that finish. That put him in a tie with Micah Frazier. Tietje, who moved up to 33rd on Day 3, was dropped back to 54th, his position prior to the DQ decision.
As a result of the Appeals Committee decision, B.A.S.S. adjusted the final standings and points for the Sabine River Elite event as follows:
1. Final standings after Day 2 for places 54 through 113 are restored as they were prior to the disqualification of Mike Kernan’s Day 1 catch Friday night.
a. Kernan moves from 76th place to 12th.
b. Dennis Tietje returns to 54th.
c. 33rd place, where Tietje would have finished had the ruling not been overturned,
becomes vacant.
d. Anglers ranked from 54th through 75th prior to the Appeals Committee ruling
drop one position.
2. Kernan and Micah Frazier both occupy 12th place, and each receives 89 points.
3. This ruling results in an additional 21 points being awarded for the Sabine River event.
You can find the full final results here.