Texas Angler Arrested After Officials Find Weights Inside His Tournament Bass

A Texas man has been arrested and charged with a felony after officials said he allegedly placed weights inside a fish during a fishing tournament in an attempt to secure a $10,000 prize, as reported by The New York Post.

Curtis Lee Daniels of Willow Park, Texas, was arrested Sunday after officials discovered suspicious items inside a bass he entered in the Lake Fork Lure Company Tournament, according to reporting from Fox 4 and confirmation from Texas Game Wardens.

The incident occurred during the Big Bass Splash event at Lake Fork Reservoir, a location widely known among anglers for producing large bass.

Angler Arrested at Fishing Tournament for Allegedly Stuffing Bass with weights

An angler was arrested during a bass tournament in Texas on Sunday and charged with violating fishing tournament rules. Officials with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department say they arrested Curtis… pic.twitter.com/S7qU6m1MV9

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Officials said suspicions were raised about Daniels’ catch, prompting tournament staff to examine the fish more closely.

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A metal detector was used during the inspection, which reportedly indicated the presence of metal inside the bass Daniels submitted as his competition entry.

Authorities said three weights were discovered inside the fish. Additional weights were also located on Daniels’ boat, officials said.

Daniels had already received two hourly prizes during the tournament, totaling $2,500, before the discovery was made.

Texas Game Wardens said Daniels was arrested and charged with violating the fishing tournament law. Because the tournament’s grand prize exceeded $10,000, the charge is classified as a third-degree felony under Texas law.

Tournament organizers said maintaining fairness in competitive fishing is critical and thanked authorities for investigating the situation.

“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,” tournament organizers Big Bass Splash said in a statement posted on Facebook.

“Your efforts help protect the reputation of the sport and ensure that honest anglers can compete on a level playing field,” the statement continued.

Following the disqualification, the tournament’s grand prize was awarded to William McDaniel of Festus, Missouri.

Officials said McDaniel won the event with a largemouth bass weighing 10.22 pounds.

Lake Fork Reservoir, where the tournament was held, is located about 70 miles east of the Dallas–Fort Worth area and is widely regarded as one of the premier largemouth bass fishing lakes in the United States.

According to fishing records, 15 of the top 20 Texas state record largemouth bass have been caught at Lake Fork.

Competitive fishing tournaments frequently offer large cash prizes, and organizers and wildlife officials have increasingly taken steps to prevent cheating during events.

In recent years, several high-profile cheating cases have resulted in criminal charges and jail sentences for anglers who attempted to manipulate the weight of their catches.

One of the most widely known incidents occurred in Ohio in 2022 during the Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament.

In that case, anglers Jacob Runyan of Ashtabula, Ohio, and Chase Cominsky of Hermitage, Pennsylvania, were caught stuffing fish with lead weights and fish fillets in an attempt to increase their catch weight and secure thousands of dollars in prize money.

Both men later admitted to the scheme and, in May 2023, were sentenced to 10 days in jail and probation.

Officials involved in the Lake Fork investigation said the recent arrest underscores the seriousness with which authorities treat cheating allegations in competitive fishing tournaments.

The case against Daniels remains pending as authorities continue the legal process.

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