Bill McElroy
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Six fishermen plead guilty for excessive fishing of smallmouth bass: Outdoors NotebookBy D'Arcy Egan, The Plain Dealer May 07, 2010, 7:30AMPORT CLINTON, Ohio --
Six southern fishermen had a banner week of smallmouth bass fishing on Lake Erie last week, and it could cost them their boats, bass and plenty of cash after being cited for overbagging 141 smallmouth bass.
The men, from Tennessee and Georgia, were under surveillance for a few days before Ohio wildlife officers arrested them last Friday.
"It was the largest case of overbagging Lake Erie bass I'd ever seen," said Gino Barna, head of Lake Erie law enforcement. "Few Ohio fishermen, especially the hardcore bass anglers, keep Lake Erie smallmouth bass. We observed these six men making two or three fishing trips a day, bringing back a daily limit of bass each time."
The daily limit when they were fishing was five per day.
Cited were: Freeland Leffew, 66, of Soddy Daisy, Tenn., and his son, Michael Leffew, 38, of Hixson, Tenn.; Samual Stephens, 58, of Soddy Daisy, Tenn.; Freddie Warren, 63, of Wildwood, Ga.; and Charles Burkhart, 67, and Samuel Carroll, 65, both of Ringgold, Ga.
Ohio's closed bass season on Lake Erie began Saturday. Bass caught through June 25 must be released.
Port Clinton Municipal Court Magistrate Louis Wargo accepted guilty pleas on all 30 charges from the six men on Monday. Wildlife officials confiscated three bass boats, two chest freezers, 155 bags of frozen fish and 20 unfrozen fish. A pre-sentencing report is due Tuesday, with sentencing June 2.
In addition to court fines, the Division of Wildlife is seeking restitution of $50 per fish, or $7,050, forfeiture of boats and freezers and a three-year revocation of their fishing licenses. Ohio is one of 34 states belonging to the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact.
Oddly enough, the men said they had also caught a few walleye, which they released.
Six southern fishermen had a banner week of smallmouth bass fishing on Lake Erie last week, and it could cost them their boats, bass and plenty of cash after being cited for overbagging 141 smallmouth bass.
The men, from Tennessee and Georgia, were under surveillance for a few days before Ohio wildlife officers arrested them last Friday.
"It was the largest case of overbagging Lake Erie bass I'd ever seen," said Gino Barna, head of Lake Erie law enforcement. "Few Ohio fishermen, especially the hardcore bass anglers, keep Lake Erie smallmouth bass. We observed these six men making two or three fishing trips a day, bringing back a daily limit of bass each time."
The daily limit when they were fishing was five per day.
Cited were: Freeland Leffew, 66, of Soddy Daisy, Tenn., and his son, Michael Leffew, 38, of Hixson, Tenn.; Samual Stephens, 58, of Soddy Daisy, Tenn.; Freddie Warren, 63, of Wildwood, Ga.; and Charles Burkhart, 67, and Samuel Carroll, 65, both of Ringgold, Ga.
Ohio's closed bass season on Lake Erie began Saturday. Bass caught through June 25 must be released.
Port Clinton Municipal Court Magistrate Louis Wargo accepted guilty pleas on all 30 charges from the six men on Monday. Wildlife officials confiscated three bass boats, two chest freezers, 155 bags of frozen fish and 20 unfrozen fish. A pre-sentencing report is due Tuesday, with sentencing June 2.
In addition to court fines, the Division of Wildlife is seeking restitution of $50 per fish, or $7,050, forfeiture of boats and freezers and a three-year revocation of their fishing licenses. Ohio is one of 34 states belonging to the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact.
Oddly enough, the men said they had also caught a few walleye, which they released.
