Does anyone know how many bass tournaments they are on Lake Fork every year?

Just wondering how many fish die at each tournament year after year.

And a lot of people wonder why they don't catch as many anymore!

Nice fish and congrats.

If you would have just filleted her we wouldn't be having this conversation right now.

Should have just remained ignorant to the beebs!

Congrats on a great fish!

Congrats on catching a fish of three lifetimes bud!!

I would have done the same exact thing, brought her into LFM and had her certified then released her to swim away. It is not your fault if she died later out of your care.

As I said before, there are Way Too Many Internet Pros on here judging someone they don't know that have never even seen a bass that big let alone caught one.

What a man does with his fish is his own dad gummed business!

Nice fish, Congrats

Congratulations on a fish of a lifetime.

Well said Ken.

I did take care of her. I put chem in the live well and took her straight to marine . and when I releast her she was fine. the one said he found the fish 48hrs later and took it to the same place I took it he should of weight it and measure it before saying it was the same fish.i see dead fish out there all the time. this is going to be the last time I will talk about this. it was my biggest bass and wanted official weight. thanks to all swood

Thats a great fish man, I keep hoping and trying to catch a fish like that. And regardless of what people say, I would have done the same thing. If the fish are taken care of, then you wouldn't think it would kill them to go to the marina and then go back in the water. If it died from stress or some other complications, then who's to say it wouldn't have died from those same causes if it would have been released after some measurements and photos while out on the water? I hope I can catch one like that one of these days.

I did take care of her. I put chem in the live well and took her straight to marine . and when I releast her she was fine. the one said he found the fish 48hrs later and took it to the same place I took it he should of weight it and measure it before saying it was the same fish.i see dead fish out there all the time. this is going to be the last time I will talk about this. it was my biggest bass and wanted official weight. thanks to all swood

I did take care of her. I put chem in the live well and took her straight to marine . and when I releast her she was fine. the one said he found the fish 48hrs later and took it to the same place I took it he should of weight it and measure it before saying it was the same fish.i see dead fish out there all the time. this is going to be the last time I will talk about this. it was my biggest bass and wanted official weight. thanks to all swood

Mr Wood,
Congratulations on your big fish.
For the others, this was a "harvestable" fish by TPWD guidelines.
This fish has probably spawned for several years, and actually may be past spawning age.
Mr. Wood tried to "live release" this fish, but (assuming it's the same fish), it died.
I have been fortunate enough to catch 4 fish over 13 lbs out of Fork, and put 3 of them in the ShareLunker program, and released those 3 after TPWD returned them to me.
Another 13.75 lb. fish I caught in August, that I took to LFM to be weighed, didn't make it.
As far as "serious" tournaments are concerned, on Fork, those fish are 16 inches or less, (other than the "overs"), and quite a few of these fish die.
Under 16 inch fish that die, never benefit Lake Fork.
It takes app. 4 years for a fingerling to get to 16 inches.
Targeting "unders", and hauling them into weigh-in, does a lot more damage to Fork, than one dead 12+ lb fish.
We're coming up on the McDonalds tournament, with +/- 3,000 fisherpeople, and they're gonna bring +/- 1,000 fish to the scales, and 800 +/- will be under 16 inches.
I wonder how many of these fish won't live to get to 12+ lbs.
Again, Congratulations on you fish Mr. Woods

What a beautiful fish - congratulations! And good for you for releasing her!

Well said, Richard.