Not this again.
Just as fishermen and tournament organizers were getting over a 2022 competition in which two anglers were arrested and convicted for stuffing weights in the walleyes they brought to the scales, another alleged cheating incident has taken the fishing world by storm.
A Texas man was arrested Sunday when he allegedly altered the weight of a medium-sized bass he entered in the Big Bass Splash at Lake Fork, a nationally known bass reservoir near Dallas.
After Curtis Lee Daniels brought a medium-sized bass to the scales, it aroused suspicion from tournament officials, and a metal-detecting wand revealed foreign substances in the fish.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) was contacted, and a game warden cut the fish open and found three 3/4-ounce sinkers in the fish. A statement released by the TPWD indicated the weights showed no signs of erosion and that “weights of the same style and size were found in the angler’s boat.”
The TPWD and Daniels have offered no further details, stating the case is still under investigation. But Daniels was arrested and charged with violating “fishing tournament law.”
“Because the tournament’s total prize value exceeded $10,000, the charge is a third-degree felony,” it said.
If convicted, Daniels could face prison time and/or $10,000 in fines.
“Obviously, this is a huge disappointment,” said Chris Bennett of Sealy Outdoors, which put on the tournament in conjunction with the Lake Fork Lure Co. “Situations like this can give tournament bass fishing a black eye. But incidents like this are rare, and we want people to know we did the right thing. Immediately after we suspected something was wrong, we contacted game wardens.”
Bennett said he couldn’t comment on the circumstances that led up to the suspicion that Daniels was cheating.
Daniels was well-known in fishing circles, having won or done well in other tournaments and having guided as well.
Response to his arrest sparked immediate response on social media.
“How dumb can people be? I understand the money and prestige involved. But at what cost? Anything and everything you done and won prior comes under scrutiny and your name is forever tied to being a cheater. Never worth it,” one user posted.
Daniels awaits trial, where he will present his side of things. He couldn’t be reached for comment by Wired2fish.
