District 2 – Bemidji area
Last updated: 2021-05-18
CO Tom Hutchins (Crookston) reports starting work on two wildfire-related cases this past week. Time was also spent checking anglers and watercraft operators. Many anglers were contacted during the fishing opener weekend. Various watercraft and angling violations were encountered.
CO Brice Vollbrecht (Bemidji #1) worked a very busy opening weekend of the walleye and northern pike season. Anglers enjoyed the great weather and good fishing. While driving to one of the lakes, he encountered a truck that had overheated and broken down in the intersection. With assistance from a local deputy, officers pushed the vehicle out of the intersection while the operator steered so it was no longer blocking the flow of traffic. Vollbrecht assisted with arresting an individual who fled on foot after a traffic pursuit. The individual was hiding from the K9 in a partially blown-down tree. Individuals are reminded to check for boating safety equipment before going on the lakes.
CO Hannah Mishler (Bemidji #2) reports a busy fishing opener weekend, with high compliance on both angling and boat and water safety regulations. A nuisance-bear complaint was also handled over the course of the week.
CO Chris Vinton (Perham) reports the weather for the statewide fishing opener was beautiful. Vinton assisted with security for Gov. Walz during the annual Governor?s Fishing Opener. Although the weather was great, the fishing was slow. Vinton and CO Oldakowski, along with Lt. Seefeldt, assisted the Otter Tail County Sheriff?s Office and Perham Fire with a kayaker who had rolled in the Ottertail River and was wedged under a snag. The kayaker was uninjured in the swift water but needed some assistance from Perham Police Officer Stromme to get to shore. The kayak was recovered by Perham Fire. Enforcement action was taken for no angling license in possession, ATV in the ditch south of Highway 10 and watercraft-registration issues.
CO Jake Swedberg (Detroit Lakes) spent the week checking anglers and boaters around the Detroit Lakes area. Many people were seen out on the water as the weather was perfect. Fishing was hit or miss around the area with many anglers having success but others not being able to find any fish. Swedberg worked with CO Chihak over the weekend and ran into some violations, mostly related to the first weekend people were getting their boats in the water. Swedberg also assisted one group when their motor started on fire while they were trying to launch their boat. Luckily the fire didn?t have a chance to grow and no one was injured. Other time was spent assisting Becker County with calls for service and following up on a trapping complaint.
CO Al Peterson (Osage) worked fishing opener. The number of anglers was high and the walleye bite was decent in some places. The trout bite was good. Peterson also worked littering and wildlife-related calls.
CO Steve Chihak (Moorhead) spent the week working sport fishing, spring turkey hunting and ATV enforcement. Time was also spent working a busy fishing opener over the weekend. The walleye bite was slow but most people were able to catch a few crappies and northern pike.
CO Bill Landmark (Pelican Rapids) spent the week monitoring angling, AIS, and off-road vehicle activity in the Pelican Rapids station. The calm and warm weekend brought droves of anglers to area lakes over opening weekend. The weather, however, might have been too nice for the fish to cooperate. Landmark checked a few anglers who were able to find a few walleyes, but for the most part the state fish remained elusive for the first few days of the season. Several reports and contacts were made of anglers harvesting bait in infested waters. Anglers are reminded that it is illegal to harvest bait from infested waters and to refer to your local officer or regulations book with questions. One group contacted on opening day was happy to show off a livewell full of fish. Unfortunately, their livewell contained limits of bass that they had kept during the catch-and-release-only season. Anglers are reminded bass cannot be kept until May 29. Enforcement action was taken for taking bass during a catch-and-release-only season, illegal-length crappies on special regulations lakes, angling without a license in possession, insufficient PFDs, and possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia.
District 3 – Fergus Falls area
Last updated: 2021-05-18
CO Brian Holt (Osakis) worked angling and boating safety during the previous week. Time was also spent checking bowfishing and following up on wildfire investigations. Holt worked a busy fishing opener weekend in the Osakis area. Enforcement activity involved boating safety violations, lack of fishing licenses and angling with extra lines.
CO Emily Leeb (Morris) reports working fishing and boating activity throughout the week and weekend. Enforcement action taken included fishing with extra lines, expired boat registration, allowing a child under 10 years old on board moving watercraft without a PFD, insufficient number of PFDs on watercraft, no throwable floatation device, and no fishing license in personal possession. Leeb also assisted with a school field trip day in Big Stone County teaching kids how to fish and use a canoe.
CO Shane Osborne (Evansville) checked anglers, boaters and ATV riders. Great weather greeted anglers for fishing opener and people were able to enjoy the waterways in full force. No fishing license in possession and not enough life jackets were the most common violations encountered.
CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) worked a busy fishing opening weekend on many area lakes. Plautz provided assistance with the Governor?s fishing event on Otter Tail Lake. Plautz monitored AIS, boating, ATV, OHM, and personal watercraft activity. Violations included keeping bass out of season, no license in possession, illegal operation of an OHM, and insufficient PFDs.
CO Daniel Baumbarger (Glenwood) reports enforcement efforts for the week were focused on checking anglers, boaters and turkey hunters, and monitoring AIS law compliance. Great weather over the opener brought out many anglers and boaters. Most anglers had a hard time putting any walleyes in the box. Baumbarger handled several nuisance-animal complaints, and spoke to first-graders at the local elementary school about local wildlife and boating safety.
CO Troy Richards (Fergus Falls) reports walleye fishing was slow overall for most of the area lakes. Richards and other COs assisted with the Governor?s Fishing Opener on Otter Tail Lake. The law and ethics presentation was given to a local firearms safety class. Enforcement activity for the week was for violations related to fishing, boat safety, AIS, and recreational vehicles.
CO Hanna Wood (Wheaton) spent her week focused on angling and recreational vehicle enforcement. She took calls regarding an injured pelican and issued minnow permits. Violations for the week included operating an ATV without ATV safety, riders under 18 without helmets on an ATV, allowing illegal operation of an ATV by a juvenile, burning prohibited materials, failure to have a lifesaving device aboard a watercraft, possessing bass out of season, transporting watercraft without removing the drain plug, and angling without a license.
CO Mitch Lawler (Alexandria) worked all weekend on the water during a very busy fishing opener. Lots of anglers were contacted. Some were having luck and some were not. Several citations were issued to anglers for no license, no PFDs onboard, expired registration and PWC violations. A turkey hunting case was completed with multiple citations issued and multiple birds seized, and an open-line radio interview was conducted with fishing opener as the topic.
District 4 – Walker area
Last updated: 2021-05-18
CO Michael Cross (Lake George) worked trapping and fishing. Cross also responded to a wildfire and a medical emergency. Enforcement action was taken for fishing without a license, extra fishing lines, expired watercraft registration, failure to display registration, and no license in possession.
CO Nick Baum (Park Rapids) spent this past week getting ready for fishing opener. Baum responded to multiple calls early in the week about bears in the area of residences. He patrolled for recreational vehicles earlier in the week and took enforcement action for operating without headlight. Baum patrolled area lakes and took enforcement action for no license in possession, not enough life jackets, no throwable floatation device, no fire extinguisher, and keeping bass out of season. Baum wants to remind boaters to check for the required safety equipment before operating the watercraft.
CO Jacque Hughes (Longville) checked angling and boating activity. She also responded to a call of an injured fox. Enforcement action was taken for no license in possession and expired registration.
CO Calie Kunst (Remer) checked multiple anglers and ATVs over the week. Some anglers had success on various lakes in the area over the opening weekend. Enforcement action was taken for an overlimit of crappies, angling without a license, failure to have life jackets on a boat and expired watercraft registration. Kunst also went to a fire call and received calls on nuisance-beaver trapping and bear-related complaints.
CO Mark Mathy (Cass Lake) primarily checked anglers, boaters, and AIS. Anglers were having mixed success for walleyes depending on location and fishing methods. Enforcement action was taken for several angling and boating violations.
CO Jordan Anderson (Wadena) spent the majority of the week on the water working fishing and boating activity. The weather was unusually warm for the fishing opener and many people took advantage of the opportunity to get out on the water. PFD compliance was good with only a few violations of no Type 4 throwable encountered. Enforcement action taken included fishing without a license, possessing walleyes and northern pike in the protected slot and no license in possession. Several questions were fielded regarding the new combination angling license purchase process.
District 1 – Baudette area
Last updated: 2021-05-18
CO Ben Huener (Roseau) investigated an arson fire and checked anglers over the opening weekend of fishing. Fishing on Lake of the Woods produced mixed results, with most people catching a fair number of nice walleyes and saugers. Enforcement action was taken for burning without a burn permit, angling with extra lines, angling without a license and operating an unregistered motorized kayak.
CO Marc Johnson (Warroad South) primarily worked ATV enforcement and the fishing opener on Lake of the Woods. In addition, time was spent assisting with an ATV safety class in Roseau and investigating a wolf-depredation call. Violations encountered included operating an ATV in a restricted area, operating an ATV with no headlights, possession of an illegal-length walleye, fishing with extra lines, taking fish with no angling license, no angling license in possession and various watercraft registration/safety equipment violations.
CO Aaron Larson (Baudette West) worked primarily angling enforcement. Larson spent time on the Rainy River and Lake of the Woods. Warm weather and relatively calm water allowed anglers to access much of Lake of the Woods on opener. Several anglers found moderate success on the south shore. Violations found included no angling license in possession, failure to have a throwable flotation device on a boat, illegal bait and angling with an extra line.
CO Corey Sura (Baudette East) attended the annual Lake of the Woods meeting involving various area agencies, resorts and the tourism bureau. Sura also assisted with an ATV safety class in Roseau and issued nuisance-beaver permits. Fishing was fairly tough on Upper Red Lake for the opening weekend, but overall compliance rates among anglers was very good. Warnings were given for violations including excessive speed (motor vehicle), no license in personal possession, no Type 4 throwable device on board, failure to display valid registration and possession of an overlimit of walleyes. A complaint about discharging firearms was investigated.
CO Ryan Brown (Karlstad) worked Lake of the Woods and the Rainy River with CO Aaron Larson. They saw a lot of people out on the water enjoying the warm weather for this year?s fishing opener. The fishing report was good on the river and better around Four Mile Bay. Various fishing violations were addressed, along with boating violations.
CO Jeremy Woinarowicz (Thief River Falls West) worked the walleye opener on Lake of the Woods with CO Johnson. This opening day was one of the nicest in recent memory and fishing success was good. Enforcement action for the weekend included angling without a valid license, possessing illegal-length walleyes, angling with extra lines, no fire extinguisher, insufficient PFDs, and watercraft-registration violations.
CO Tony Elwell (Thief River Falls East) investigated a wolf depredation, handled nuisance-beaver and nuisance-bear issues, and had a busy weekend with many people contacted angling and boating on the Thief and Red Lake rivers, as well as Lake Bronson. Fishing success was average around the area, with a few nice walleyes and crappies being seen. This week?s violations encountered included failure to renew ATV registration, no helmets on ATV passengers under 18 year old, failure to renew watercraft registration, unlawful boat storage in a state park, personal floatation device violations, and other watercraft safety equipment violations.
CO Demosthenes Regas (Blackduck South) reports monitoring ATV trail activity, spring beaver trapping and angling activity on special regulation lakes this past week. Regas worked opening weekend for walleyes and northern pike. The wonderful weather brought out great numbers of anglers to area lakes. Regas noted anglers reported a good bite for walleyes, but success varied. Time was spent conducting follow-up investigation with ongoing cases, handling nuisance-bear reports and assisting instructors with the Blackduck and Kelliher firearms safety field day. Violations encountered and addressed this past week included taking walleyes out of season, angling license violations, watercraft-registration violations and operation of an unregistered ATV.
CO Nicholas Prachar (Blackduck North) reports high fishing activity on Upper Red Lake for the opener. Prachar worked with CO Sura and they found fishing success was slow, but the compliance rate was high among anglers. Enforcement action was taken for PFD and safety equipment violations, possession of an overlimit of walleyes and boat-registration violations.
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