Clarksville men charged in Houston County with having 30 fish over legal limit
Mark HicksERIN, Tenn. — Houston County authorities on Saturday charged two Clarksville men with several wildlife violations after they were found in possession of more than 40 fish, which was well beyond the legal limit.
Mark Steven Jones, 35, who gave an Edmondson Ferry Road address, was charged with three counts of over the creel limit of bass, illegal possession of wildlife, fishing on a revoked license because of failure to pay child support and not having a life jacket.
Robert Earl Wilridge, 28, who gave a Beasley Road address, also was charged with three counts of over the creel limit of bass, illegal possession of wildlife and not having a life jacket.
Bond for both men was set at $1,500
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Officer Nick Luper said the two had 35 smallmouth bass, three largemouth bass, two red-eye bass and two channel catfish in a cooler in their canoe.
“The statewide limit for black bass in (any) combination is only five per person, making the duo 30 bass over the limit,” he said.
“This is one of the biggest over-the-limit cases in game fish I have seen in my (10) years of being a game warden,” Luper said. “It’s rare that you catch people doing it. In this case and others involving creeks, all of the access is through private property.”
The arrests came after a Houston County landowner reported two men trespassing on his property after fishing on Yellow Creek, Luper said in a news release.
The landowner told responding sheriff’s deputies, that when he confronted the two men, they “mooned” him and tipped over a portable toilet.
“These two fishermen allegedly caught all of these fish on only a two-mile stretch of creek,” Luper said. “The catching and keeping of this amount of smallmouth on such a sensitive smallmouth fishery can have devastating impacts on this creek. We set creel limits for a reason, and that is so the resource can continue for our future generations to enjoy.”
He said the two also had a cast net in their canoe that was used to catch "Stoneroller" creek minnows for bait.
Additionally, Luper noted that the major creeks in Houston County – Yellow Creek, White Oak Creek and Hurricane Creek – all run through private property and permission from the owners is required to put in or take out a boat. Not doing so opens a possibility of being cited for trespassing.
He further added: “If you do float the creeks in a canoe or kayak, it is mandatory that you have a wearable floatation device for each person onboard, just as if you were in a boat on the lake.”
Mark Hicks can be reached at 931-212-7626 or on Twitter: @markhicksleaf.