Fishing Tournament Ends in Arrest After Weights Discovered in Large Mouth Bass

March 11, 2026

During a bass fishing tournament in Texas on March 8, officials discovered weights inside a competitor’s largemouth bass, leading to an arrest.

Angler Curtis Lee Daniels, who had won $2,500 in hourly prizes, was flagged when a metal detector revealed foreign objects in his fish. Texas Game Wardens performed a necropsy, finding three 0.75-pound weights in the bass’s stomach, adding 2.25 pounds to its weight, with matching weights later found in Daniels’ boat.

Daniels faces a third-degree felony charge for violating fishing tournament laws, given the event’s prize pool over $10,000, potentially resulting in 2-10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine; his bond is $20,000. William McDaniel won the tournament with a 10.22-pound bass, and organizers praised the wardens for upholding integrity. Gear Junkie