NEAR ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) -- One fish, two fish.. red fish, blue fish?A Minnesota angler caught more than just a few fish. In fact, he's up to his neck in hot water for taking hundreds of pan fish, which is well over the legal limit.
Imagine having hundreds of fish in your possession.
"Other than the bragging rights of saying you caught so many and that you want some to consume completely, I can't think of any reason anyone would want to keep over the legal limit," said angler, Allen Rusch.
In early April, a DNR Officer found 134 sunfish and 19 crappies on Chien Van Tran's boat, while fishing at Pelican Lake in Central Minnesota. That wasn't all, there were more fish in his freezer - for a grand total of 443 fish, that's 413 fish over the state's limit. Minnesota's daily and possession limits are 10 crappies and 20 sunfish.
"Go out fishing more often, catch the ones you're going to eat and throw the rest back," stated Rusch.
Avid Outdoor enthusiasts are all about preserving mother natures natural resources for years to come.
"Mainly catch and release, I will keep a few to eat, but it's mostly the fun of catching them and putting 'em back," said David Diercks, a Minnesota angler.
In fact, if you're fishing at any of Olmsted County's Reservoirs you might have to put a lot of fish back as the legal limit is different than statewide regulations.
"You can only have 10 total pan fish in Rochester that meaning Perch, Sunfish and Crappie combined and only five of those 10 can be Crappie," explained Conservation Officer, Phil George.
So if you're going to cast a line, be sure you know the rules. If you choose to overindulge in Mother Nature's resources the penalties are stiff. In the case of Tran he faces up to 3,000 dollars in fines, a year of jail, the loss of his fishing privileges for 3-years, and more than 2,000 dollars in restitution for the fish.
