Did you see a fish go by?
As the saying goes, give a man a fish, you can feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish will feed him for a lifetime. But another benefit of teaching a man to fish is that he won’t be tempted to stroll into a Bass Pro Shop and steal a giant fish for kicks, like what happened in Fort Meyers, Florida… For the sake of this story – “Dave” and another young man went to the fish tank Wednesday evening and spotted their prey. Dave then got a fisherman’s net from the rack and scooped a 50-pound Tarpon out of the tank. He was caught grinning by security footage as the fish squirmed in the net. Dave was also caught on camera walking out of the building with a self-satisfied grin on his face.
“Somebody came up to me holding a scale of a tarpon and said, ‘Look, somebody just stole a tarpon,” Chance Floyd, a Bass Pro employee said. According to Florida Wildlife Conservation, Tarpon are protected in the State of Florida. “I couldn’t believe it, honestly, like I don’t understand why they’d do that, and it was just so shocking to me that somebody would stoop low enough to do that,” Floyd said. Local law enforcement is collaborating with its Animal Cruelty Task Force, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers to apprehend the piscatorial pilferer. Lee County Sheriff’s Office said the suspect had a woman and another man with him, who took video of the theft with a GoPro camera.
Tarpon are native to Florida and can weigh up to 280 pounds. Due to their majestic appearance of size, color, strength, stamina, and fighting ability, the marine animal is one of Florida’s premier game fish. They can grow up to eight feet long and weigh over 280 pounds. Unlike most other types of fish, they possess the ability to gulp air directly, which allows them to survive in oxygen-poor environments. However, their bony structure doesn’t exactly make for good eating, which makes the theft even stranger. What exactly does this guy plan to do with the fish? The SWFL Crime Stoppers have released a picture of the suspect, Captioned ‘FISHING FOR A TRIP TO JAIL’. See the video below. “If your tip leads to his ID or arrest, we’ll pay a cash reward!’ The suspect is seen wearing dark-colored pants, a navy-blue T-shirt and a fishing- or safari-style hat carrying the tarpon in the image shared by officials.”
Fish Stories
Give a Man a Fish and You Will Feed Him for a Day.
Teach a man to fish and he will spend a fortune on gear he will only use twice a year.
Irving was boasting to a fellow fishermen about a 20 pound salmon he had caught. “20 pounds?” remarked the other guy, with skepticism. “Were there any witnesses?” “Of course,” said Irving. “Otherwise it would’ve weighed 30 pounds.”
A fisherman was lugging a fish about as big as him down the pier to the wonder of the other guys standing around. Along the way he met a buddy who had a stringer with several fish on it. The proud fisherman dropped his oversized catch with a plop and said, “Howdy, Al” and waited for a comment. The fisher buddy looked over the beast and thought and thought then said, “Only caught one, eh?”
As we were preparing for a fishing trip, my husband looked at me lovingly. “What’s on your mind”? I asked. “Oh”, he replied, “I was just thinking what great lures your earrings would make.”
December 26th Birthdays
1986 – Beth Behrs, 1961 – Tahnee Welch, 1988 – Eden Sher, 1991 – Gabriella Smith
1945 – John Walsh, 1987 – Kit Harrington, 1972 – Jared Leto, 1956 – David Sedaris