ST. PAUL — Little sunfish can be expensive — for anglers who keep more than their limits.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says four men recently pleaded guilty and paid fines of about $740 each for sunfish over-limits.

Conservation officers checked the men while patrolling Deer Lake near Effie in northern Minnesota. The officers later searched freezers at various locations. They found bags of mostly frozen sunfish from Deer and four other lakes. Three of the five lakes have a 10-sunfish-per-person daily limit, compared with a daily limit on most Minnesota lakes of 20.

The sunfish were seized and the men were charged with 84 sunfish over the legal limit.

Anyone witnessing a fish or wildlife violation is encouraged to contact the DNR’s 24-hour, toll-free Turn In Poachers (TIP) hotline at 800-652-9093.