Novelty singing fish Big Mouth Billy Bass scares off burglar at tackle shop

Police said the intruder kicked in the door to 'Hooked on Fishing' in Rochester on Sunday night but was scared off when a motion-activated Big Mouth Billy Bass broke into song. 'When I saw Billy Bass on the floor I knew something was really up,' owner Tom Allen said the morning after the bungled burglary.'And when I tried to close the door and it wouldn't close at all I just knew that Billy Bass had done his job, and let somebody know that it wasn't just empty or something.'KTTC reported Allen left his shop on Highway 63 after 4.30pm Sunday and believed someone tried to break into the business that evening.He said he noticed the door was open when he returned to work about 6.45am the next day, but thought an employee had arrived before him.Alarm bells were raised when he saw the wall-mounted novelty fish on the floor.Money that had been left in 'a very visible spot' was incredibly left untouched.Olmsted County Sheriff's Office Sergeant Tom Claymon told Star Tribune the thrashing bass was better than a burglar alarm and 'took one for the team'.'There were plenty of things to take but nothing was missing … other than Billy’s pride,' he said.None of the store's supplies were stolen, but there was $700 in damage to the door. The singing fish, designed to look like a trophy catch, was extremely popular about 10 years ago. The plastic fish turns its head towards a person and wiggles its tail on a trophy plaque and sings kitschy cover songs. The prop was originally activated by a motion sensor to startle a passerby. Later models had activation buttons.(dailymail.co.uk)ANN.Az