Fishing Tourney Cheat Heads To Jail

A Texas man is going to prison(!) for exaggerating the size of his bass by shoving a lead weight down its throat before the weigh-in.

Robby Rose, a professional fisherman, is going to find making a living tough without a fishing license for the next five years. He's also on probation for that long, and will spend a couple weeks in jail. His crime: attempted theft. Because, you see, he weighed down his fish at the Bud Light Trail Boss Big Bass Tournament, where the grand prize was a new boat.

We took this case very seriously," said Rockwall County Criminal District Attorney Kenda Culpepper. "As far as we were concerned, the case was about a $55,000 bass boat, not a ten-pound fish."

I find it quite enjoyable that the headline on the story indicates Rose getting caught was the result of a "game warden probe," as if it was some intense investigation. When you read on, it becomes clear that officials became suspicious when Rose's fish sank to the bottom of the holding tank. Good detective-ing, Matlock.

Game Warden probe nets guilty plea in bass tourney cheating try [San Angelo Standard-Times]