Six fishermen from Georgia and Tennessee caught plundering Lake Erie's smallmouth bass on a week-long fishing trip in late April paid a high price for taking 141 bass over the Ohio limit. The total in fines, restitution and forfeiture of three bass boats cost them $48,290.
Six fishermen from Georgia and Tennessee caught plundering Lake Erie's smallmouth bass on a week-long fishing trip in late April paid a high price for taking 141 bass over the Ohio limit. The total in fines, restitution and forfeiture of three bass boats cost them $48,290.
Magistrate Lou Wargo of Ottawa County Municipal Court on Wednesday suspended a collective 900 days of jail time, but fined the men the maximum of $250 and $58 in court costs for each of 30 counts, a total of $9,240. They were ordered to pay $7,050 in restitution to the Ohio Division of Wildlife, $50 for each bass. One boat was valued at $16,000, the other two at $8,000 each.
The six men are: Freelan C. Leffew, 66, of Soddy Daisy, Tenn.; his son, Michael Todd Leffew, 38, of Hixson, Tenn.; Freddie Warren, 63, of Wildwood, Ga.; Charles H. Burkhart, 67, and Samuel J. Carroll, 65, of Ringgold, Ga.; and Herbert Samuel Stephens, 58, of Soddy Daisy, Tenn. They lost their Ohio fishing privileges for three years. Ohio is a member of the 34-state Violators Compact, so the men can't legally buy a license in those states, either, including their home states of Tennessee and Georgia.
"Their attorney argued the men felt they could take a trip limit," said Lake Erie law enforcement supervisor Gino Barna of the ODOW. "If that were the case, there would be no need for daily bag limits.
"They said they faced the wrath of bass fishermen from around the country after the story got out," Barna said. "One guy was apprehensive about parking his truck at the court house in Port Clinton, worried his tires might be slashed."
The ODOW received a tip in late April that the men, who were staying on South Bass Island, were making multiple fishing trips each day to catch bass before the season closed on May 1. They released the walleye they caught, but kept and filleted the bass, filling two freezers. They forfeited the bass and freezers.
Boating Fest on weekend: The 11th annual North Coast Harbor Boating & Fishing Fest drops anchor in Cleveland on Saturday and Sunday, with free power boat and sail boat rides, kids' perch fishing from the Holiday party fishing boat and free life jackets and fishing gear for youngsters.
"The event gets bigger every year, and everyone loves it," said Jamey Graham, an information specialist with the Ohio Division of Wildlife. "There's so much to see and do, and it's a free event with lots of parking."
Visitors can climb aboard the 65-foot schooner Journey, operated by B-About Sail Ministries, and a 20-person dragon boat canoe piloted by the Cleveland Rowing Association. There are giveaways, food concessions, live music and educational exhibits. The Boating & Fishing Fest is open from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday.
Perch biting shallow: Bringing home a bucket of Lake Erie yellow perch is always a bonus in the Cleveland area. This week, the perch bite was a little friendlier, reported Marlene Kijauskas at Wildwood Marina at Wildwood State Park, as schools of perch moved closer to shore. Wildwood Marina hosts its 9th annual Battle of Lake Erie Perch Tournament on June 12-13. Entry is $20, $10 for kids 15 and under. There are prizes for the top five perch - three perch in the kids division - and for the biggest perch caught from shore or boat.
Dog training seminar: The Wayne Coon Hunters Association and bird dog trainer Bruce Minard of Wisconsin's Hifive Kennels are teaming for a two-day pointing dog training seminar June 12-13 at the Wooster club grounds. Call Chris DeMattio (330-287-1755). Registration deadline is Saturday. The fee is $150, which includes birds and lunch.
Fly Fishers celebrate: Celebrating its fifth year, Firelands Fly Fishers is taking a break for the summer. An affiliate of the Federation of Fly Fishers, the club has developed into a champion of fly fishing in the area. It hosts free fly tying sessions at Gander Mountain in Sheffield, plans fishing trips for members, features experts at its monthly meetings and supports local conservation projects and river clean-up efforts. That includes Saturday's Rocky River Watershed Clean-Up beginning at 9 a.m. at the Scenic Park Picnic Area, just south of the Cleveland Metroparks boat launch.
Club meetings resume Sept. 8 at the French Creek Nature Center, 4530 Colorado Ave., Sheffield Village. To jump aboard, contact membership director Steve Bell (steve.bell@bendix.com).
Parrott punished: The five-year-old saga of trophy Ohio white-tailed deer being illegally shipped to South Carolina has finally been wrapped up in federal court. Danny Parrott, 62, of Kimbolton, in southeast Ohio's Guernsey County, was sentenced recently for sending 54 deer to a Bamberg County, S.C. hunting preserve owned by James Schaffer, 61, of Charleston, S.C. The domestically-raised deer had not been tested, violating a regulation to prevent the spread of diseases, including the brain malady Chronic Wasting Disease.
Ohio and South Carolina have never had a positive test for CWD in either wild or domestic populations of deer or elk.
Parrott was sentenced to 21 months in prison in Ohio federal court in Columbus. Schaffer was fined $235,000 in 2009. A week ago, he was sentenced to six months of monitored house arrest and 500 hours of community service in the South Carolina park system.
Foxworthy a Sentry: Comedian Jeff Foxworthy, an avid deer hunter, is the latest celebrity to sign up for the Sentry Program, a volunteer program to promote hunting and the shooting sports developed by the Columbus-based U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance.
"I am a lifelong sportsman, a hunter and fisherman and have a deep respect for conservation and the outdoors," said Foxworthy. "I am glad to be able to help an organization like the USSA defend our rights to be in the field."
For program information, visit ussportsmen.org.
Wetlands grant for Ohio: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded $1.8 million in grants for wetlands around the Great Lakes. Projects will include a Magee Marsh Wildlife Area project in northwest Ohio. The grants are part of the Great Lakes restoration initiative that includes $475 in cleanup funding.