Conservation Officer Tales
WHAT’S MY LINE?
CO Mike Martin (St. Cloud) watched an angler fishing with four lines on
the Mississippi River in St. Cloud. When Martin approached, the angler
reeled in one of his lines, set the rod/reel on the ice and walked away.
Martin asked the angler how many lines he was using. The angler replied,
“Just these three, but they’re not biting anyway.” After admitting
to using the fourth line the angler was issued a summons.
UNDERWATER TECHNOLOGY LEADS TO A BUST
CO Jim Guida (Nisswa) received information about a snowmobile going
through the ice. He found the snowmobile while using an underwater
camera. Guida saw something else with his camera - three unattended
lines in the water below the fish house. Enforcement action was taken.
SOMETHING HAS GOT TO CHANGE
CO Paul Kuske (Pierz) had an individual announce the presence of a
conservation officer on the lake by going door-to-door telling people to
reel up their extra lines and hide any extra fish. Despite the warning,
an overlimit case was still made.
THIS SHOULD BE THE USUAL, NOT THE UNUSUAL
CO Karl Hadrits (Crosby) made contact with a large family that was
having a get-together on an area lake. They were using about 40 tip-ups,
and had taken about the same number of northern pike (40) and several
walleye from a small area on the lake. Even with the large number of
fish taken and lines out, they were well under their limit for both.
A STORY THIS ANGLER WILL BE TELLING FOR YEARS
CO Dustie Heaton (Willow River) reported an angler caught a northern on
one of his tip-ups. As he laid the fish on the ice, his other tip-up
went up. While he was tending to that fish, a bald eagle swooped down
and grabbed the first northern off the ice and proceeded to drag the tip
up across the lake. The angler followed the eagle in his truck until it
finally dropped the fish. The angler got his tip-up and fish back,
although the fish had a few extra puncture wounds.
