Weekly Conservation Officer Reports
Jul 06, 2021 01:00PM ● By Editor
District 6 - Two Harbors Area - From the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources - July 6, 2021
CO John Velsvaag (Ely #2) checked boaters, anglers and ATV riders this past week. He also received numerous nuisance-animal complaints. Velsvaag took part in a work detail in the Orr area and did some AIS enforcement in the Ely area.
CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Grand Marais) spent time checking anglers and boating activity this busy holiday weekend. He responded to several nuisance-animal complaints. Enforcement action was taken for boating, angling and ATV violations.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) reports a busy holiday weekend on the North Shore. Despite extremely hot weather and the haze and smell of smoke from Canadian wildfires, some area campers still left unattended fires and lit illegal fireworks, risking the safety of themselves and others. Beautiful weather muted the slow fishing success and most folks opted to swim or float around the lakes. Several young people were sent back to cabins to retrieve life jackets for their watercraft and parents were advised. One new ATV owner was also sent home to retrieve helmets for his juvenile passengers. "Not off to a good start," he said of his first weekend of ownership.
CO Anthony Bermel (Babbitt) worked the busy Independence Day weekend and week leading up to it. Activity levels were up, and a good walleye bite was observed on several lakes. Many enforcement contacts were made with an emphasis on boating safety over the weekend. Enforcement action included no and insufficient PFDs, no navigational lights after sunset, expired registration and registration not displayed, PWC violations, fishing without licenses, fishing with extra lines, and illegal-length northern pike.
CO David Schottenbauer (Silver Bay) worked area boating and angling over the holiday weekend. Several campers and boaters were contacted, but fishing was very slow with the heat in the area.
CO Kylan Hill (Tofte) reports hitting the water throughout Cook County during the week. Fishing has hit a bit of a lull with not many fish seen in the livewell. A few anglers were lucky enough to catch a coho salmon or two on Lake Superior. With a slow walleye bite, anglers found success with smallmouth bass close to shore. No license in possession was the most common fishing violation. A few boaters were documented with insufficient life jackets. One person in particular brought a life jacket with them to the lake, but it didn?t make it out of the truck. PWCs were stopped for violating operating hours and for jumping the wake of another boat.
CO Don Murray (Two Harbors) worked boating and ATV activity over the busy holiday weekend. The heat wave brought many travelers to the North Shore to enjoy cooler lake water temperatures. Water recreation was high in the area and enforcement action was taken for licensing violations.
CO John Velsvaag (Ely #2) checked boaters, anglers and ATV riders this past week. He also received numerous nuisance-animal complaints. Velsvaag took part in a work detail in the Orr area and did some AIS enforcement in the Ely area.
CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Grand Marais) spent time checking anglers and boating activity this busy holiday weekend. He responded to several nuisance-animal complaints. Enforcement action was taken for boating, angling and ATV violations.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) reports a busy holiday weekend on the North Shore. Despite extremely hot weather and the haze and smell of smoke from Canadian wildfires, some area campers still left unattended fires and lit illegal fireworks, risking the safety of themselves and others. Beautiful weather muted the slow fishing success and most folks opted to swim or float around the lakes. Several young people were sent back to cabins to retrieve life jackets for their watercraft and parents were advised. One new ATV owner was also sent home to retrieve helmets for his juvenile passengers. "Not off to a good start," he said of his first weekend of ownership.
CO Anthony Bermel (Babbitt) worked the busy Independence Day weekend and week leading up to it. Activity levels were up, and a good walleye bite was observed on several lakes. Many enforcement contacts were made with an emphasis on boating safety over the weekend. Enforcement action included no and insufficient PFDs, no navigational lights after sunset, expired registration and registration not displayed, PWC violations, fishing without licenses, fishing with extra lines, and illegal-length northern pike.
CO David Schottenbauer (Silver Bay) worked area boating and angling over the holiday weekend. Several campers and boaters were contacted, but fishing was very slow with the heat in the area.
CO Kylan Hill (Tofte) reports hitting the water throughout Cook County during the week. Fishing has hit a bit of a lull with not many fish seen in the livewell. A few anglers were lucky enough to catch a coho salmon or two on Lake Superior. With a slow walleye bite, anglers found success with smallmouth bass close to shore. No license in possession was the most common fishing violation. A few boaters were documented with insufficient life jackets. One person in particular brought a life jacket with them to the lake, but it didn?t make it out of the truck. PWCs were stopped for violating operating hours and for jumping the wake of another boat.
CO Don Murray (Two Harbors) worked boating and ATV activity over the busy holiday weekend. The heat wave brought many travelers to the North Shore to enjoy cooler lake water temperatures. Water recreation was high in the area and enforcement action was taken for licensing violations.
