Angler Fined $24K for Illegally Possessing 2,500 Panfish
OutdoorHub Reporters 01.25.17
A man in Onalaska, Wisconsin, was caught with more than 2,500 panfish and plead no contest to four citations for exceeding possession limits.
Stanley Paalksnis, 74, is facing $24,683 in fines for illegally possessing a ridiculous number of panfish of differing variety. Prosecutors apparently agreed to ask a LaCrosse County Circuit judge to impose a $10,000 fine, revoke his fishing privileges for 12 years, and order Paalksnis to forfeit his 15-foot boat that was seized by authorities. His sentencing will come at a later date.
This isn’t the first time Wisconsin DNR has had to deal with Paalksnis, either. In 2015, game wardens caught him with 47 bluegills when the daily limit was 25.
In this case, authorities found 2,066 bluegills, 418 perch and 88 crappies in Paalksnis’s boat and house, reports stated. The possession limits are 50 for each species.
If you’re wondering what in the world he’s doing with that insane number of fish, Paalksnis offered an explanation that’s just as crazy as the crime itself. Paalksnis told a warden that he would go to Chicago and sell bags of fish for $5 each.
The DNR has issued Paalksnis seven citations between the years of 1989 and 2011 for exceeding possession limits. Never say never, but it would appear that Paalksnis’s fishing days are over. At least we can hope.
