# Ever Do Any Monkey Fishing



## Kozlow (Oct 25, 2002)

Ocala men arrested for harvesting shocked fish.

Two Ocala brothers were arrested Thursday for "monkey fishing," using a device to shock and harvest fish, in Bear Creek off the Ocklawaha River in Putnam County, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokeswoman said Friday.
Leo Gerald Bright, 58, and his brother, Luther George Bright, 50, both of 6491 NW 65th Place, Ocala, were each charged with taking freshwater fish by an illegal method - electric shocking device and possession of illegal gear on freshwaters of the state, said Joy Hill of the FWC.
Both charges are second-degree misdemeanors, which each carry a maximum penalty of a $500 fine and 60 days in jail, Hill said.
Hill said monkey fishing is an illegal method of fishing that was popular years ago in which the fishermen use a homemade device to send an electrical charge into the water, which causes the fish to swim to the surface to escape the charge. The fishermen then use long-handled dip nets to scoop the slightly stunned fish out of the water. 
"The charge produced by this device only affects catfish. It is not strong enough to affect scaled fish like bass or sunfish," said Lt. Bob Lee, the FWC's law enforcement supervisor in Putnam County.
Lee said he knows about monkey fishing because it was quite popular when he started his career in wildlife law enforcement. In fact, 25 years ago he arrested the same two brothers for the same violations in the same area of the Ocklawaha River.
"Two men who know what they're doing can catch 400 to 600 pounds of catfish in four hours of monkey fishing," said Lee, who noted that the unusual name for this type of fishing probably came about because the first monkey fishing machines were operated by turning a hand crank, similar to an organ grinder on a street corner with his monkey.
In Thursday's case, the men had only caught about 40 pounds of catfish and were just beginning their fishing expedition when they were surprised by FWC Officer Chad Albritton and FWC Investigator Ben Allen posing as fishermen.
Allen said he began investigating the situation on Monday after the FWC received a tip about the men monkey fishing. 
By Wednesday, he and Albritton had found the suspects, but weren't able to catch them in the act or with the illegal equipment.
That changed on Thursday when they followed them by boat from the Johnson's Field boat ramp off of State Road 19 to Bear Creek. 
As the undercover FWC officers rounded a curve in the creek, they came upon the two men with the monkey machine in their boat, long-handled dip nets, and the 24 catfish they had just shocked up, Allen said.
Lee said, "It is extremely difficult to catch monkey fishermen because they do not bring their equipment back to the ramp. They usually hide it in a swamp behind a large tree or at the junction of several creeks. This makes it imperative that the officers who desire to make this case go after them by boat."
"If it is a marked boat, the bad guys will very often see the officers coming and toss the device overboard. That's why Ben and Chad's strategy of approaching them as fishermen in an unmarked boat was so effective," he added.
After finding the Bright brothers, the officers asked them to follow them back to the boat ramp, equipment and fish intact, which they did without incident. In days past, though, things may have gone a bit differently.
"When I first started my career on the St. Johns River, we had at least one monkey fishing complaint a day during the warmer months," said Lee. 
"When a monkey fisherman was 'jumped,' there was usually a boat chase and all parties involved thought it was very sporting. That of course was until 1988, when it became a felony to flee on the water."
Although some people do continue to monkey fish, it's not as popular as it once was, according to the FWC. Allen said he's only worked one other case and that was three years ago in the same general area.
The Bright brothers' court date is scheduled for June 12 at the Putnam County Courthouse. 
Officers donated the catfish to the Rodeheaver Boys' Ranch.


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