Anglers Charged With a Shocking Crime

[Champ]

OCALA -- The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says it arrested two Ocala brothers after they caught about 40 pounds of catfish in Putnam County by "monkey fishing," an offense the pair were also charged with 25 years ago.

Leo Gerald Bright, 60, and his brother, Luther George Bright, 50, both of 6491 Northwest 65th Place, were both charged Thursday with taking freshwater fish in Bear Creek off the Ocklawaha River in Putnam County by using an illegal method called "monkey fishing."

Once highly popular, a monkeyfishing angler uses a homemade device to send an electrical charge into the water. To escape the shocks, the fish swim to the surface where fishermen scoop the stunned fish out of the water with a long-handled dip net.

The Bright brothers were each charged with taking freshwater fish by an illegal method -- an electric shocking device -- and possession of illegal gear, according to a FWC news release. Both charges are second-degree misdemeanors, with each carrying a maximum penalty of a $500 fine and 60 days in jail. The Bright brothers' court date is scheduled for June 12 in the Putnam County Courthouse.

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040529/NEWS/405290358/0/FRONTPAGE