A senior citizen from Illinois has been jailed for catching too many fish in Florida.
Gene Neal Pipher, 77, of Smithton, Ill., was booked earlier this week at the Marion County Jail for failure to appear in court on Feb. 21 to answer to a citation that he caught too many Black Bass.
Pipher, a grandfather who lives in southern Illinois, was fishing at Sellers Lake, which spans Marion and Lake counties, on Jan. 25 when he was caught with nine Black Bass, according to an arrest report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The report noted the Pipher threw two of the Black Bass back into the water as conservation officers approached him.
Fishermen are only allowed to catch five Black Bass per day in the Sunshine State.
He was released from the jail after posting $1,000 bond. Had he paid the $325 fine by the Feb. 16 due date, he would have avoided arrest.
