If he would have weighed her at 10am instead of 3:30pm she probably weighed14.

From the TPWD website, exceptions page:

"Purtis Creek State Park Lake

Catch and release only for largemouth bass except that any bass 24 inches or greater in length may be temporarily retained in a live well or other aerated holding device and immediately weighed using personal scales. Bass weighing 13 pounds or more may be donated to the ShareLunker Program; otherwise, the fish must be immediately released in the lake where caught. Anglers wishing to donate their bass must immediately cease fishing and contact TPWD at (903) 670-2230. Anglers may not remove the bass from the immediate vicinity of the reservoir unless instructed to do so by TPWD staff. Bass not accepted by TPWD must be immediately released."

Retaining the fish in the livewell for 5+ hours does not meet the intent of "temporarily retained".

Congratulations to your friend for catching the fish, but all anglers need to be aware of the regulations and abide by them, regardless of whether you're in a tournament or not.

It still is bass heaven just have to change up your approach

it's sad to say I haven't been out there in about 8 yrs, and i've lived about 10 minutes from there for the last 6 yrs

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