District 1 – Baudette area
Last updated: 2024-02-05
CO Ben Huener (Roseau) assisted with snowmobile safety classes in Greenbush and Roseau. He also checked anglers on Lake of the Woods. Fishing seems to be spotty depending on the day. Violations included angling with extra lines, illegal fillet-possession issues, and shelter license violations.
CO Tony Hams (Warroad North) spent time checking area anglers and following up on complaints. Violations encountered were expired motor vehicle registration, angling without a license, and no license in possession.
CO Coby Fontes (Warroad South) spent the week monitoring angling activity on Lake of the Woods. Violations encountered were the use of an extra line, taking fish without an angling license, leaving garbage on the ice, and careless vehicle operation. Fontes reports the unseasonably warm weather has a large number of folks fishing outside rather than in a shelter. Fontes also reports that he interacted with a family who was in the process of releasing a beautiful 30-inch walleye that had just been caught!
CO Jamus Veit (Baudette East) spent the week monitoring angling activity on Upper Red Lake and Lake of the Woods. Most anglers are reporting a slower bite, however, some anglers are having success catching crappies on Upper Red Lake. Enforcement action was taken for angling with extra lines, walleye overlimits, angling without license, and possession of fillets on the ice.
CO Sarah Jahn (Thief River Falls East) spent time handing various wildlife-related complaints, attending community events, and working ice fishing activity. Time was spent working Lake of the Woods with other COs. The Knights of Columbus ice derby was attended in Thief River Falls. There was a good turnout and anglers had moderate success.
CO Nick Bruesewitz (Karlstad) spent the week following up on big-game investigations. Time was also spent speaking at a local MDHA meeting. Bruesewitz ended the week working ice fishing and snowmobile enforcement on Lake of the Woods.
CO Demosthenes Regas (Blackduck South) reports working angling activity through this past week on special regulation lakes. Time was spent working an ongoing deer-hunting case and fielding calls from the public regarding ice conditions as the warm weather continues to take a toll on ice covering area lakes, causing a wide variation from lake to lake. Violations encountered and addressed this past week were for angling license violations.
CO Nicholas Prachar (Blackduck North) patrolled for angling and ATV activity.
Baudette West vacant.
District 2 – Bemidji area
Last updated: 2024-02-05
CO Tom Hutchins (Crookston) reports assisting neighboring officers with a big-game-related case investigation. Time was further spent checking ice anglers and ATV operators. Aeration systems were also inspected.
CO Brice Vollbrecht (Bemidji #1) monitored angling activity on area lakes. Most people pulled fish house from area lakes, as temperatures continued to stay high. Time was also spent doing follow up on a case from the firearms deer season.
CO Andrew Goodman (Perham) traded out his patrol snowmobile for the ATV this week. Once again warm weather removed snow cover from area lakes and created soft spots at heavily used access points. Anglers checked reported a slow bite and varying ice conditions. Additional time was spent educating people on ATV rules and regulations, with a focus on youth safety and roadway use.
CO Jake Swedberg (Detroit Lakes) spent the week checking ice anglers. There are mixed feelings in the area on how well the ice will hold up over the next week, but for now it seems to be holding up with some accesses beginning to deteriorate. Fishing has been hit or miss with the warm weather, but most anglers have been able to find some success.
CO Bill Landmark (Moorhead) spent the week completing a background investigation for the 2024 CO Academy and checking angling activity in the area. Main-lake ice remains good, however access points on many lakes have significantly deteriorated with the warm weather. Angling success was also fairly slow across many lakes. Enforcement action was taken for failure to register a bobcat within 48 hours after the season closure, angling without a license in possession, and failure to display ATV registration.
CO Angie Warren (Mahnomen) spent time on angling activity. Fish house removal was monitored, as anglers have started removing them due to higher temperatures. Ice conditions continue to vary and caution is advised when venturing out on area lakes. ATV activity was worked and wildlife management areas and waterfowl production areas were monitored.
CO Brady Manteufel (Bagley) conducted ice fishing checks and patrolled most of the week by ATV, with the nicer weather. He also responded to a call for assistance from the county about a truck that went through the ice. Many of the area lakes are now empty, as lots of fish houses were removed. Enforcement action was taken for no license in possession, ATV registrations, and youth with no helmets. Calls about nuisance animals were also addressed.
CO Brett Fox (Bemidji #2) spent the week patrolling for ATV an angling activity. Current weather conditions have led to thin ice in many areas. Caution is advised and it is important to remember that ice is never completely safe. Fox also spent time doing required POST training and took calls regarding injured deer.
Pelican Rapids vacant.
District 3 – Fergus Falls area
Last updated: 2024-02-05
CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) worked with area volunteer snowmobile safety instructors with rescheduling safety classes due to lack of snow. Through the week, ice anglers were monitored as well as deteriorating ice conditions. Warmer weather brought ATV traffic out, with good compliance seen. Complaints of dogs running at large were taken and assistance was given to state park officials.
CO Ryan Brown (Elbow Lake) reports checking angling activity in the area over the week. Ice thicknesses continues to decline due to warmer weather. Most fish houses have been removed off of area waters. Time was also spent with ongoing investigations and completing annual training.
CO Mitch Lawler (Alexandria) monitored ice anglers this week on areas of lakes close enough to walk out on. Ice thickness is not consistent throughout the area and even ATV users should be cautious. Deer-season cases were followed up on for using invalid bonus tags and failing to register deer.
CO Felicia Znajda (Osakis) monitored angling and ATV activity through the week. With these high temperatures, many anglers are still out, but a significant number of shelters have been pulled off the ice. There is still a lot of ATV use with minimal slush. Ice-thickness reports vary, but there have been lots of fish in the buckets. She encountered a variety of violations.
CO Emily Douvier (Morris) reports helping the district with various tasks and finishing background investigations for the Division.
CO Daniel Baumbarger (Glenwood) reports enforcement efforts for the week were concentrated on checking anglers and ATV operators. Additional time was spent attending online training. Ice conditions around the area continue to slowly deteriorate and most fish houses have been removed from area lakes.
Wheaton vacant.
District 4 – Walker area
Last updated: 2024-02-05
CO Landyn Saewert (Wadena) spent time checking ice anglers on area lakes. Enforcement action was taken for an illegal-length fish and expired snowmobile registration. Area lakes have seen an increase in fishing pressure. An incidentally caught otter was reported; the area trapper had reported a good beaver season this far. Time was also spent in the Huntersville State Forest conducting ATV enforcement.
CO Patrick McGowan (Walker) worked Cass County lakes for angling enforcement. Anglers are reporting mixed success, and ice conditions are poor. McGowan also trained on the Division airboat for ice rescue training. Enforcement action was taken for an overlimit of perch and numerous other angling violations.
CO Corey Sura (Remer) patrolled area lakes for ice fishing activity. Many folks found success for all varieties of fish over the weekend. Sura spent time assisting an outside agency with an ongoing investigation. Anglers were cited for littering, possessing illegal-length northern pike, and leaving lines unattended.
Co Jacque Johnson (Longville) checked angling activity. Enforcement action was taken on fishing without a license, no shelter license, and no license in possession.
CO Mark Mathy (Cass Lake) primarily checked anglers. Perch fishing picked up the past week and many people were out enjoying the mild weather. The lakes, with the mild weather, have not made any ice recently and the continued warm weather will weaken the ice further. There are still many problematic thin-ice locations. Enforcement action was taken for angling and ATV violations.
ATV rec officer vacant.
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