Two fishermen are finding out the hard way that if you get caught trying to keep more walleye than you're allowed to, you'll pay a high price.
A release from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry says Johan Enns of Drayton and Isaac Enns of St. Clements both pleaded guilty earlier this week to possessing more than the allowable number of walleye caught in Lake Erie.
As a result, they were fined $5,000 each and forced to hand over four fishing rods, two tackle boxes, two coolers, and 50 walleye.
Ministry officials say the men were caught at the Leamington Municipal Marina back on July 29, 2017 after they were returning from a fishing trip on Lake Erie.
Officers from the Southern Marine Enforcement Unit in Wheatley spoke to the men while they were in the parking lot at the marina in Leamington and later inspected their two vehicles and their boat. During that time, the officers found 50 walleye in two coolers, which is 38 walleye over their possession limit of six walleye each.
Conservation Officer Kevin Sprague is calling it "one of the most significant investigations of its kind in recent memory in Southern Ontario."
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is also reminding anglers that it is illegal to catch and keep an over-limit of fish.
Possession includes storing fish at home in freezers or other locations, transporting fish, holding them in live wells or coolers, and even eating them as part of a day's meal.