Drunken Angler Pulls a Gun while trying to Protect his Fishing Spot

Drunken Angler Pulls a gun on Family trying to fish ‘His Spot’

While his undersized fish was being taken away by the DNR, this drunken angler was being taken away in the back of the patrol car.

The Michigan State Police had their hands full last Thursday when they received an unusual call. It seems that a family of four had been fishing a stretch of water on the backwaters of the Hodenpyl Dam when a drunken angler pulled a gun, pointed it at the group, and fired.

The trigger happy angler turned out to be 54-year-old, Thomas Mast. It seems Thomas had a few too many drinks before he decided to take his boat out for a spin.

Police say that Thomas began to tell the family of boaters to stay out of “his spot”. After a short exchange of words between the two parties, the intoxicated angler decided he had enough. Next, Thomas pulled a gun and fired one shot in effort to scare the family out of his honey hole.

The family made their way to shore where they quickly called 911 and to report the incident.

The drunken angler was later apprehended by the police, and boasted a proud level of intoxication by producing test results showing he had a blood alcohol content of .17. Not only did the authorities find the 9mm semi-automatic handgun as well as the spent casing, but they also found an undersized walleye aboard the boat.

While the undersized fish was being taken away by the DNR officer at the scene, Mast was being taken away in the back of the patrol car.

He was arraigned Friday on charges of felony assault, possession of a firearm while intoxicated, reckless discharge of a firearm, and operating a watercraft while intoxicated.

Looks like fishermen on the backwaters of the Hodenpyl Dam will now have Mast’s secret spot all to themselves for a while.

by Jesse Males

Photo from: Wexford County Sheriff’s Office