Uncredited/Associated Press

A Minnesota ice fisherman's possible world-record catch has reportedly been taken away after he was found to have violated the law.

Ice fisherman Rob Scott caught a 52-pound, three-ounce lake trout on the Ontario side of Lac la Croix on Feb. 8. He battled with the fish for an hour before hauling it in.

That catch would have shattered the world record by more than 20 pounds.

Unfortunately for Scott, a four-pound trout that he caught earlier in the day meant that he violated the law by keeping a second fish, according to the Star Tribune's Dennis Anderson.

Anglers in Ontario are limited by law to only one trout per day. When the 65-year-old caught the massive trout, he already had one fish in his possession. He decided to give his first catch to another fisherman and keep his possible world-record trout.

That wasn't enough for him to be allowed to keep his catch. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources seized the fish and will give it to the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.

Scott spoke about the incident:

I called the Ontario officers Tuesday morning and told them I owed them an apology. It wasn’t illegal for me to keep fishing after I caught the first trout. But when I caught the bigger fish, with the adrenaline and everything I had going, and the fact that it wasn’t going to survive if I released it, I figured if I gave the smaller fish away, that would be OK.

He tried to justify his actions, but it didn't help.

It's also important to note that he was about 100 feet from the Minnesota side, where the lake trout limit is two per day.

Had Scott not kept a four-pound catch or been at a different part of the lake, he would have a world record. However, catches that violate the law don't count as world records.

The fisherman exerted a lot of time and energy to catch the 52-pounder, but now his accomplishment won't get the recognition that it deserves.

[H/t USA TODAY's FTW]