Catch of Possible World Record Trout Leads to Fine

CRANE LAKE, Minn. (AP) — A contrite Minnesota angler has pleaded guilty and paid nearly $500 for violating Canadian fishing laws by exceeding his daily catch limit and keeping what otherwise might have been a world record lake trout.

Rob Scott, of Crane Lake, admits he knew he violated Canadian law when he kept the big fish, which he caught on the Ontario side of Lac la Croix Feb. 8. It weighed an unofficial 52 pounds, 3 ounces, well over the record.

Scott's problem was that he had already kept a 4-pound lake trout earlier in the day, but gave it to his nephew after he caught the enormous fish. Under Canadian rules, he was allowed to kill only one per day. Eventually Canadian authorities figured it out and had the big fish confiscated.