Weights In Fish Pt. 2 – Texas Fisherman Facing 10 Years In Prison After Tournament Discovers Three 0.75-Ounce Weights In Largemouth Bass
Dexerto – A Texas man has been arrested and is facing up to 10 years behind bars after weights were found in his fish during a fishing tournament.
There was something fishy in the water during the Lake Fork Lure Company Tournament on March 8.
According to reports, the authorities were contacted to investigate a fish submitted by competitor Curtis Lee Daniels. During the weigh-in, tournament organizers found three weights in the largemouth bass using a metal detector.
The same style of weights was found on Daniels’ boat after he had already won two hourly prizes worth $2,500.
Cheating in a fishing tournament is a serious crime, and in this case, because the prize pool was over $10,000, it’s a third-degree felony.
As a result, the consequences, if found guilty, are severe and come with a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.
If there's one thing I've taken away from all the weights-in-fish scandals I've seen on the internet (two in the last 4 years), it's an immense amount of respect for fishing tournament organizers. In any other sport, when someone gets caught cheating, the worst they get is a "Hey! Don't do that!", and if they're really cracking down, they'll issue the person some sort of ban from competition.
The Houston Astros got caught blatantly cheating at the highest level of baseball, and not a thing happened. I guess the MLB has "cracked down" on steroids a bit. But what's the punishment really? A brief vacation from work? Not getting to have your name in a museum? That is nothing compared to what happens when you cheat in fish.
This isn’t the first time a fishing scandal has made headlines. In 2022, professional fisherman and multi-tournament winner Jake Runyan found himself at the center of controversy after a viral video exposed him for stuffing his fish with lead weights and other filets.
(Video + blog below is from the weights in fish incident in 2022)
When you cheat in fish, the fishing tournament organizers won't simply revoke your winnings and send you packing in shame. They will promptly alert the authorities and have you prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. If there's one place the world you don't want to be caught cheating, it's at a fishing tournament.
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Investigation, metal detecting wands, Texas game wardens, necropsies, a third-degree felony. Rob Manfred could never.
Good for fishing. When you enter one of these fishing tournaments, you aren't just fishing for bragging rights. There's real money on the line. Save the bullshit for the fishing stories you tell to your grandson. If you cheat in fishing, that constitutes grand theft, and you will be treated as the criminal that you are. Curtis Lee Daniel of Willow Park (unless he's got a damn good lawyer) is about to live the rest of his life a felon. That's what happens when you cheat in fish.