FishRook
TAHLEQUAH – The better part of the Cherokee Nation’s monthly Resource Committee meeting was spent tackling rumors surrounding promised payouts from the tribe’s fall bass tournament.
According to Tribal Council Speaker Mike Shambaugh, doubt was cast on how prize winnings were doled out at the inaugural Cherokee National Holiday Bass Fishing Tournament held Sept. 10 on Lake Tenkiller.
“Several meetings back, there were basically allegations made that we had a bass tournament we didn’t pay all the money back. I’ve read a bit about that on Facebook, how, you know, we basically defrauded people out of money,” Shambaugh said during the Nov. 14 meeting, adding that the claims were “absolutely” untrue.
CN Secretary of Natural Resources Chad Harsha said more prize money was paid out than the tribe recovered from entry fees.
“All told, we had 105 paid entry fees at $60, so that was roughly $6,300,” he said. “We did reduce that amount by…
