A North Texas man faces a felony charge after Texas Game Wardens say he stuffed lead weights into a largemouth bass to inflate its weight during a fishing tournament on Lake Fork Sunday - and was caught when the fish triggered a metal detector at the weigh-in.
Curtis Lee Daniels, 45, of Willow Park, was arrested Sunday after Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) said he altered the weight of a largemouth bass he entered in the inaugural Lake Fork Lures Fishing Tournament. He was released Monday from the Wood County Jail on a $20,000 bond on a charge of violating fishing tournament law.
A metal-detecting wand used by tournament staff alerted officials to the potential presence of a foreign object in the fish, prompting organizers to contact Texas Game Wardens. Wardens then performed a necropsy on the bass and discovered three three-quarter-ounce fishing weights in its stomach that showed no signs of erosion - indicating they had been recently placed inside the fish. The same style and size of weights were also found in Daniels' boat.
The arrest occurred on the second and final day of the Lake Fork Lure Co. Tournament, presented by Sealy Outdoors. Daniels was one of 564 anglers competing for a top cash prize of up to $11,500. Prior to his arrest, Daniels had already collected two hourly prizes totaling $2,500.
Because the tournament's total prize value exceeded $10,000, the charge is a third-degree felony. Daniels faces two to ten years in state prison and fines of up to $10,000 if convicted.
The tournament's legitimate winner was William McDaniel of Festus, Missouri, who presented a bass weighing 10.22 pounds.
Daniels, who works as a fishing guide on Lake Fork and regularly competes in bass tournaments, told Outdoor Life he would not comment on his arrest until speaking with his attorney. A criminal records search reveals Daniels was previously convicted of a misdemeanor in Wood County in 2019 for possession of slot-limit black bass.
Tournament organizers thanked the game wardens on Facebook, saying that maintaining fairness and integrity in competitive fishing is critically important to them and that the wardens' efforts help protect the reputation of the sport and ensure honest anglers compete on a level playing field.
Lake Fork, located in Wood County east of Dallas, is widely regarded as one of the premier largemouth bass fisheries in the United States, regularly attracting competitive anglers from across the country.
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