BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Elite Series pro Keith Poche of Cecil, Ala., will not be fishing the upcoming Marathon Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray April 20-23. B.A.S.S. officials have ruled him ineligible for the third stop of the 2023 Bassmaster Elite Series season because he violated the 28-day off-limits rule that all competitors must follow.
Poche fished in a tournament on South Carolina’s Lake Murray April 2-5, placing him in violation of the off-limits period for the Elite Series tournament at Murray.
Bassmaster Elite Rule C3. I, for Practice and Competition states: “Off-limits for Elite events begins on the Monday closest to 28 days prior to the first practice day.”
According to B.A.S.S. officials, “Keith Poche violated the 28-day off-limits rule which has deemed him ineligible to compete in the Lake Murray Elite event.”
Poche knew going into the season that he had a scheduling conflict between the two tournaments. He told B.A.S.S. tournament officials about the conflict early in the year, knowing that he would need to take a DQ for the Elite on Lake Murray.
Connect with #Bassmaster on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 515,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series, TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Series, Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Strike King Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Team Championship, Yamaha Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak Series powered by TourneyX, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Toyota.
