Do A Lot Of Fishing In Texas? Funny Looking Fish Could Pay Off.

If you're one of the many people who love to go fishing in the state of Texas, pay close attention to your catch. Texas Parks and Wildlife put out a press release yesterday saying that specific kind of catch could net you gift cards to Bass Pro Shops.

Specifically, they're looking for blotchy bass.

What The Heck Is A Blotchy Bass?

Blotchy Bass Syndrome is a condition where the bass will have spots on it. The spots look like splotches of black ink. Scientists studying the condition have determined that it's caused by a virus.

The interesting thing about it, though, is that the fish don't seem too bothered by it. According to the press release, the fish appear to be in good condition and feed regularly.

They just have these weird black spots on them.

The virus also hasn't been found in humans or pets, and the fish are safe to eat when you cook them properly.

Anglers Are Being Asked To Help Out With The Research...

Which could put some prizes in your possession. Bass Pro Shops is offering up the prizes, and there are Texas-specific prizes up for grabs.

The United States Geological Survey and West Virginia University are the ones conducting the research into what is going on with these fish that look like swimming Rorschach tests.

If you catch one of these blotchy bass, you can report it on the MyCatch app. The press release states that in order to be eligible for the Texas prizes, you'll need to submit where it was caught and the date along with the photos to cynthia.fox@tpwd.texas.gov.

You have through Dec 31 to make your submissions.

PICS: Texas 'Salvation Cabin' a Perfect Airbnb for Nature Lovers

Salvation Cabin in Wimberley lies in the Texas Hill Country between Austin and San Antonio. It's a charming 1-bedroom just next to the Blanco River, so depending on when you go, you could do some tubing and kayaking (host Adena even provides the tubes and watercraft), and there's a lot of hiking, exploring, fishing, and nature watching to do.

LOOK: Best Beers From Every State

To find the best beer in each state and Washington D.C., Stacker analyzed January 2020 data from BeerAdvocate, a website that gathers user scores for beer in real-time. BeerAdvocate makes its determinations by compiling consumer ratings for all 50 states and Washington D.C. and applying a weighted rank to each. The weighted rank pulls the beer toward the list's average based on the number of ratings it has and aims to allow lesser-known beers to increase in rank. Only beers with at least 10 rankings to be considered; we took it a step further to only include beers with at least 100 user rankings in our gallery. Keep reading to find out what the best beer is in each of the 50 states and Washington D.C.