Although the Cook County News-Herald knows that the majority of sportsmen and women are law-abiding folks, there are a few who run afoul of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Conservation Officers. Periodically, the DNR provides a report of some of the miscreants the Conservation Officers (CO) have encountered. The News-Herald shares these stories as a reminder to all to be safe and to follow the rules! CO Tom Wahlstrom (Tofte) worked with Officer Miller during the Salmon Classic fishing tournament on Lake Superior. The bite was slow at first, but some nice lake trout and salmon were bagged in time for the weigh-in. Enforcement action was taken for various safety equipment violations. Wahlstrom received a TIP call of an over limit of walleye at the US-Canada border.
CO Dan Thomasen (Two Harbors) investigated a complaint of someone angling with extra lines in the vacant Silver Bay station. Though the suspect was gone upon the CO’s arrival, he was pleased that true sportsmen are willing to call in violations when they see someone misusing our resources. Thomasen stopped by the Silver Bay Salmon Tournament to check on the success of the participants. Lake trout appeared to be cooperating more than the salmon, but the tournament produced a good turnout of trollers.
CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais) continues to take many nuisance bear calls. Phone calls were taken on the upcoming bear and moose seasons. The officer has taken far fewer calls in the last couple of years to dispatch sick moose. There has only been one in the last year. Hopefully this is a good sign for the future. Surface temps on Lake Superior remain around 39 degrees by Grand Marais, so the fishing on the big lake has been slow. PFD and canoe registrations are the most common violations. CO Aaron Kahre (Minnetonka) was checking fishermen on a river when he encountered two young men coming down the bank carrying poles. By the time the conservation officer got to them, one man dropped his pole in the grass and said he was not fishing. Kahre checked the license of the other man and left in his boat to go farther downstream. On the way back upstream, Kahre noted that the man who said he was not fishing, was now fishing next to his buddy along the shore. When Kahre contacted him, he stated he thought the officer was gone for good when he took off in his boat. As CO Kahre was filling out the appropriate paperwork, he explained to the man that what goes downstream in a boat, usually comes back upstream.
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