A Texas fishing tournament ended in an arrest after a metal detector wand flagged something unusual inside a competitor’s bass.
Curtis Lee Daniels of Willow Park was arrested and charged with violating fishing tournament law after the fish he submitted in the Lake Fork Lure Company Tournament over the weekend was found full of weights.
Tournament organizers at Lake Fork alerted authorities Sunday when a metal detector made the incriminating discovery. Texas Game Wardens then performed a necropsy on the largemouth bass and discovered three weights hidden in the fish’s stomach, according to a statement posted to Facebook.
Under the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department code, it is illegal to alter a fish’s weight “for the purpose of representing that the fish entered in the tournament was that length or weight when caught,” Yahoo Sports reported.
While the offense can sometimes be charged as a misdemeanor, it becomes a felony if it occurs during a tournament in which any prize category exceeds $10,000 in money or goods.
After the fish was flagged on Sunday, Texas Game Wardens cut open the bass and found three 0.75-ounce fishing weights that showed no signs of erosion — suggesting they had been placed inside the fish recently, according to authorities. Investigators then found weights of the same size and style on Daniels’ boat.
Daniels was arrested and charged with a felony. According to an affidavit, the tournament offered $11,500 in total prizes, so because the tournament’s prize pool exceeded $10,000, the alleged offense qualifies as a third-degree felony under Texas law.
“On behalf of our tournament staff and anglers, we want to sincerely thank you for your time and professionalism in investigating the recent fish manipulation incident this past weekend during the Lake Fork Lures Co. Tournament Presented by Sealy Outdoors,” organizers said in a statement following Daniels’ arrest.
“Maintaining fairness and integrity in competitive fishing is incredibly important to us, and we greatly appreciate the diligence and attention you gave to this matter. Your efforts help protect the reputation of the sport and ensure that honest anglers can compete on a level playing field.”
Before he was arrested, Daniels had won two hourly prizes totaling $2,500 at the two-day event operated by Sealy Outdoors.
But the winner of the tournament’s grand prize ended up being William McDaniel, who presented a bass weighing 10.22 pounds, Fox4News reported.
Daniels was booked into the Wood County Jail on a $20,000 bond.
If convicted, Daniels could face two to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, as well as a possible license revocation and civil restitution, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife.
