DNR Report: Nice lake trout seen in the Boundary Waters

By Staff reports

March 02, 2023 at 2:00 PM

District 5 - Eveleth area

CO Darrin Kittelson (International Falls #1) spent time monitoring fishing activity at the annual Rainy Lake Sportfishing Club Family Fishing Derby. Small amounts of recent snowfall have helped keep local snowmobile trails in excellent shape. People are reminded that when the time comes for fish shelter removal from area lakes, debris and litter should also be taken.

CO Curtis Simonson (International Falls #2) reports patrolling area snowmobile trails and working area lakes and rivers. Simonson would like to remind everyone that fishing licenses expire Feb. 28.

CO John Slatinski IV (Ray) reports snowmobile riders and anglers filled most of the past week with plenty of activity. Trail conditions continue to be favorable. As the seasons begin to show signs of changing, plans should be made for removal of shelters from waterways ahead of deadlines. Part of that preparation should be recovery and removal of litter from sites. Snowmobile registration and exhaust are still common topics this late in the season.

CO Troy Fondie (Orr) reports monitoring angling and snowmobile activities. Incidental otter catches continue to be dealt with. Beaver-trapping activity was checked. Area forest roads and timber sales continue to be monitored. Other time was spent completing administrative tasks.

CO Aaron Larson (Tower) spent time checking angling and snowmobile activity. Larson worked on local trails checking snowmobile speed and registration. Larson encountered violations such as failure to display registration and ATVs on snowmobile trails. Larson is also working on a case involving abandoned property.

CO Marc Johnson (Hibbing) primarily worked angling activity and snowmobile enforcement. In addition, time was spent assisting another agency with an investigation and speaking at a snowmobile safety class in Chisholm. Violations encountered included snowmobile speed, registration issues and ATV violations.

CO Shane Zavodnik (Virginia) spent time attending a snowmobile safety talk. Zavodnik spoke to approximately 15 students regarding the rules and regulations regarding operating snowmobiles. Time was also spent working a detail around the Cook area over the weekend. A few violations observed while on lake included unattended lines, extra lines and various angling license violations. Multiple excessive-speed citations and registration violations were encountered throughout the day while patrolling area snowmobile trails. A fair number of riders were still observed traveling too fast on the trails, which seems to be the common theme.

CO Duke Broughten (Aurora) spent the week monitoring fishing and snowmobile activity. Fishing activity overall was low. Anglers who were out reported limited success. Recent snowfall helped area snowmobile trails but more snow will be needed to keep riding.

District 6 - Two Harbors area

CO Sean Williams (Ely #1) reports angling activity was average for the end of the walleye and northern pike season. Snowmobile traffic was low and trail conditions continue to be good. Violations included angling on a designated trout lake with no trout stamp, failure to display snowmobile registration and operating a snowmobile on a roadway.

CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Grand Marais) checked anglers on area lakes and in the BWCAW, with some nice lake trout seen on the ice. He spent time on snowmobile trails working speed and registration. Enforcement action was taking for snowmobile and angling violations.

CO Hudson Ledeen (Grand Marais #2) spent the week working fishing and snowmobiling activity. Trail conditions are back in great shape, but fishing remains slow. Enforcement action was taken for failing to stop at a road crossing, failure to display registration, angling without a trout stamp and driving while impaired. Equipment maintenance was also performed.

CO Anthony Bermel (Babbitt) reports snowmobile trails remain busy and fish bites remain slow. There are still plenty of problems with excessive speed on trails, creating a danger to everyone else traveling on them. Enforcement action for the week included failure to transfer snowmobile ownership, snowmobile registration violations, loud exhaust, excessive speed and no shelter tag. Media interviews were conducted.

CO Matt Miller (Silver Bay) checked snowmobile trails and riders as snow continued to pile up. Careless riding, riding too fast for the conditions and skill level, and modified mufflers continue to be issues. State parks were worked, and ice anglers were checked as walleye and northern pike seasons ended. Annual equipment inventory was completed. Enforcement action taken for snowmobile and angling violations.

District 7 - Grand Rapids area

CO Vinny Brown (Northome) checked anglers over the final week of the walleye season. Anglers saw a decent walleye bite over the weekend but perch and panfish were more plentiful. Enforcement action taken for no shelter licenses, possession of slot northern pike, expired ATV registration and refusal to submit to inspection while taking fish. Sunfish were seized from a group of anglers who were over their limit of fish.

CO Thomas Sutherland (Grand Rapids) continued work on snowmobile trail enforcement. With the latest few inches of snow, the trails are now in very good condition again. Sutherland also notes now that now that the walleye-northern pike season is over, some of the best panfish fishing action begins in the Grand Rapids area.

CO Brian Holt (Grand Rapids) checked anglers and recreational vehicles during the previous week. Time was also spent patrolling area snowmobile trails. Enforcement action was taken for snowmobile-registration violations as well as ice shelter and angling license violations.

CO Taylor Hochstein (Hill City) reports that as the weather fluctuated, so did the outdoor activity in the area. Snowmobile trails remain in good shape overall but are starting to show wear in certain areas. Anglers are reminded that a new fishing license will be needed after March 1.

District 8 - Duluth area

CO Andy Schmidt (Duluth West) worked snowmobile activity in the area. Registration violations continue to be most common issues. Complaints of dogs chasing deer were handled, as were nuisance-animal complaints. He attended training and followed up on ongoing cases.

CO Kipp Duncan (Duluth East) checked anglers and snowmobile riders throughout the week. Duncan also attended a training course with several other conservation officers that was put on by officers from the Duluth Police Department.

CO Tony Elwell (Cloquet) spent the week monitoring snowmobile and ice angling activity. Recent snowfall has improved area trails greatly. A wolf-depredation complaint was investigated, and Elwell continued to field calls involving alleged snowmobile trespassing. Snowmobile and ATV violations were handled this week.

CO Mikeena Wehr (Willow River) continued working on special projects and spent time at Camp Ripley.

CO Ben Karon (Pine City) spent time this week checking anglers and patrolling for snowmobile activity.