Question one, can you use a Berkeley bait that is no longer in there line? Question two, on the measuring of under fish can it touch 16 but not go past or is it considered a slot if it just touches 16.?

If it touches 16 it is a slot fish.

Yes to #1.

HOWEVER, depending on who is measuring the fish and how hard they press the bass's face against the bumper on the measuring board it can be 15 7/8 or 16"

Also make sure you use the exact measuring stick they use

Touching 16 inches is a legal fish. It can't be over 16 inches. If it touches 24 inches it's also legal. Make sure you use a Prorule board.

Once again, it is at the discretion of the person measuring the fish...

The Game Warden will tell if if you’re good or not.

Yep, they are always at the big events watching the guy measuring fish. Just be sure when you take a fish up to weigh that it is legal.

15 and 15/16" is good to go

Tpwd says bass 16" or less so I would think technically you could touch 16" and be legal. It sounds like they need to rewrite the rule to say under 16" to be perfectly clear.

Read the Berkley rules and if you need to ask the Bass Champs staff, 16 inches is legal.

Lake Fork is a slot lake. No bass over 16 inches or under 24 inches in length may be presented to the scales. Bass will be measured with mouth closed, tail compressed and swiped to achieve overall greatest length. The Pro-Rule is the official measuring board of Bass Champs. Any contestant who receives a citation from TPWD for presenting a "slot" fish to the scales will be disqualified from violation point forward each tournament day.

Black bass
For largemouth bass, length limit is a 16–24” slot. Bass 16 inches and less or 24 inches or greater in length may be retained. Only one largemouth bass 24 inches or greater may be retained each day. For smallmouth bass (if present), minimum length limit = 14 inches. No minimum length limit on Alabama, Guadalupe, and spotted bass (if present). Daily bag limit for all black bass species is 5 in any combination.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/action/fishregs2.php?water=0433


16 is legal according to this, I had always been told no 16" but 24" is good,

Any tournament ran by Bass Champs is about the only one that allows the fish to "touch" 16 inches. As long as it doesnt go over. About every other tournament out there it can not touch 16.

God I hope so, especially since they have killed off half the colors and sizes of their power worms…

True.

I know some of you have seen the phenomenon occur when a bass "shrinks" up to be shorter or "relaxes" to be longer by 1/4 inch while in your livewell. We fished an event at Fork and the first fish my partner catches that morning is a perfect 15 & 7/8" fish. I measure it very accurately on my official tourney board. My partner and I high-five and throw it in the box. Two hours later I measure the fish again as we idle out of the stumps, still 15 7/8. Perfect fish about 2.5 pounds.

We finish up our day with a nice limit of about 11# with five Unders. As we are bagging the fish, I decide to measure the fish once more just to be sure we don't taker a slot fish to weigh-in. I place the fish on the same board and it is now 16 and 1/8 INCHES LONG!! So we took 4 to weigh-in with 7.5#.....

I know some of you guys have seen this. That was the first time I've ever witnessed it.

It’s ridiculous that game wardens come to these events and write tickets for line draggers. All the fish are going back anyways. I can see it if the fish is substantially over.