Some folks cheat on their taxes, others on their final exams. One man in Texas, however, tested the outer limits of the bass fishing community’s patience recently when he attempted to cheat in a bass fishing tournament.

Yes, we know that this sounds like the plot to a really bad sitcom. (Or maybe even a good sitcom that’s having a bad week because it’s regular writer is home sick, and the “b team” isn’t nearly as talented.) At any rate, we really couldn’t make this stuff up. It actually happened.

A Texas fisherman by the name of Robby Jones was recently given a sentence of 15 days in jail plus an additional five years probation for trying to cheat in a fishing tournament.

What did Jones do to try to rig the tournament? Did he go out days before and catch the largest fish he could, and then plant it somewhere in the lake, with a friend wearing SCUBA gear at the bottom ready to attach it to his hook?

No, Jones’ plan was much more basic. He made his catch in the tournament, and then proceeded to stuff a lead weight inside the fish.

That’s right. He stuffed a lead weight. Inside of a fish. To win a tournament.

Now, to be sure, the Bud Light Trail Boss Big Bass Tournament that took place on Lake Ray Hubbard near Dallas last October wasn’t just any old tournament. The grand prize in this tournament was a brand new boat with a retail price tag of $55,000. (It isn’t known how exactly Jones was planning on paying for his boat insurance after winning the prize.)

Unfortunately for Jones, this means that his cunning ruse was more than just a silly little prank or a misdemeanor. No, stuffing lead weights inside of a fish is actually a felony, at least when there’s a prize of such a high value on the line.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department investigated the situation, and when they confronted Jones about the situation, he came clean.

In addition to the time served in jail and time on probation, Jones will also lose his fishing license during the time that he’s on probation.

Photo via Yellow.Cat