This is on Doug Markham's FaceBook Page:
Wildlife officers commonly issue citations to people who keep more fish than legally allowed, but on Tuesday the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency charged four adult men with the possession of 90 fish above a long-established creel limit.
�That was 90 fish over and above the limit for each of them,� noted arresting Wildlife Officer Brad Bagwell. �The most they could have had in their total possession was 60�or 15 white bass per person-- but they had a total of 420 when they finally quit fishing.�
Also known by many anglers as stripe, this is the time of year when white bass prepare to spawn and school in rivers where eddying current creates ideal habitat for them. Experienced anglers take advantage of this late winter run in the tail-waters below Cumberland River dams.
�Part of the idea of establishing creel limits is to help spread out the amount of fish available to everyone,� noted Bagwell. �This was a lot of white bass that could have been enjoyed by others whether as table fare or just to catch and release.�
The four men, all with Nashville addresses, are set to appear in Cheatham County General Session Court April 24 for a preliminary hearing. Khamnovan Keomanychanh, 60, Kongkham Phenevongsa, 68, So Akhom, 70, and Phay Souksavong, 78, will each face charges of exceeding the daily creel limit six times.
�When I saw how many fish there were, I had the four suspects help separate them into piles of 10 fish each,� said Bagwell. �When we got all them separated there were 42 piles and that came out to 90 fish over the limit per man.�
Bagwell and assisting officers Major Cape Taylor and Wildlife Officer Eric Tummins�called by Bagwell to provide backup--confiscated as evidence ten fishing rods and reels, and the 360 white bass in excess of the legal limit.
�Sometimes we have problems with people illegally netting game fish, � said Bagwell, �but everyone of these white bass were caught in day with rod, reels, and artificial tackle.�
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