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Lawbreakers


Sartell Angler

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Well I got about 45 minutes of fishing in for redhorse and suckers before the rain hit this morning...as is customary this time of year there were a couple of individuals casting big rapalas and catching smallies and walleyes. Do these people think that they are special and can fish before everyone else? This was a guy and his wife or girlfriend and were at least 30 years old--how can you not know better? They were dropping smallmouth on the rocks as they were trying to get ahold of them. Is my bro and I the only ones who find this garbage unacceptable?

As the guy was climbing up the bank to leave I told him that from now on he better wait for the season to open before fishing for game species. He kind of just looked at me as I told him that there is a reason that the season closes for 2 months and that he isn't above the law. He had nothing to saw (obviously) and kind of just sleeked off smoking his cigarette. Pretty pathetic when a couple of college kids have to tell you that you're doing something illegal.

I encourage anyone who sees one of these clowns out casting crankbaits or big plastics to let 'em know the season isn't open yet--they're just abusing the resource for everyone else. I know I will not hesitate to put someone in line.

Thanks!

SA/wdw

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Complete (Contact Us Please), you see way to much of this going on. Its to bad he didn't try to say something clever to us, he would have really gotten an earfull then.

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heck with the lip flapping, call em in. Its the only way you'll stop them from abusing your resources.

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I called in last year and the dispatcher told me that they are not sending the COs out unless they are keeping the fish because according to her, the person can claim that they are fishing a non-game species and unless they admit to intentionally targeting a game species they cannot be issued a citation. I find this ridiculous and have heard from another source that it is up to the warden's discretion so from now on I will be calling in.

Seems like a no-brainer to me that the warden should have the discretion to write the ticket and then leave it up to the judge to sort things out if the person thinks he is not guilty.

SA/wdw

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Tell ya what, if they are going to fish illegaly and on purpose, they are also going to lie to the CO. Last year I commented to a couple guy's about targeting Smallies, "Oh No, we're fishing for Crappies" then they smiled at each other. I watched em go buy my house "fishing for Crappies" 2 times after that, and heard em comment about a rock down stream from me that always held a good fish or two. This is a topic that get's beat to death every year, sorry, it ain't gonna change. All you can do is say something to them, if they listen great, if not and they keep fish, take pics, email to the DNR and hope for the best. tongue.gif

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just wondering where this was at...

seems like a similar situation I had...

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My buddy and I were putting 2 lift's together for a guy in Coon Rapids the first time, watched em go by my house in Champlin the next 2 times. I also talked to another guy last year "fishing Crappies" on a good Smallie spot, he was a nice guy, we talked later and his rods were Crappie rigged. The Crappies are here if you know where to look, and will bite when they are moving through, off there normal holding spots, I've never caught one on a Smallie spot though.

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Were does year round catch and release area end on the Mississippi? Some times, I think people are seeing (possibly not in this case) other people doing something that is very legal and miss construing it as illegal. I think C&R area ends at Coon Rapids dam, or does if go up further?

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I know it doesn't extend to St. Cloud or Sartell which is where I fish and where these people were fishing for bass and walleyes--otherwise you might have a point.

SA/wdw

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Quote:

Were does year round catch and release area end on the Mississippi?


Below the Ford Dam "Pool 2" is a continuous season anything above has a closed season.

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Are you sure? I thought that is were it ended, until yesterday when I was down at Rice Creek. I was talking to a guy and he stated in this area (Fridley), you could catch and release on Mississippi River only (not in feeder creek’s). He also added in feeder creek's (I.E. Rice Creek) it was unlawful to fish for out of season species and DNR have been busting people in creek area and Lock lake fishing for walleys all week. I also noted DNR walking around (possibly checking what people were fishing for) and not bothering guy’s who were on Mississippi casting in to Mississippi with walleye rigs and lures. I will contact DNR about this. There were about 12 people down there yesterday around 11:00 a.m. and people who were casting lures into Mississippi did not seem to mind DNR officer walking around. He was in plain site. People fishing in Creek, were using bobbers or sucker rig... My lunch was over and had to back to work. May be he sited them after I left. I was there for around 45 minutes. Officer may be was on lunch break also? I was not fishing.

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Here is what the 2007 Regs book says about special regulations on the Mississippi River, I omitted the regs regarding Muskies.

Quote:

MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY (Ramsey, Washington, Hennepin,

and Dakota Counties) walleye, sauger, smallmouth bass, and

largemouth bass: Catch-and-release with a continuous season in the

following stretches: a) Minnesota River downstream from the Mendota

Bridge;
B)
Minnehaha Creek downstream from Minnehaha Falls; and

c) Pool 2 of the Mississippi River between the Hastings Dam and the

Ford Dam, including all backwater lakes and connecting waters except

Crosby Lake, Pickerel Lake, Upper Lake, Little Pigs Eye Lake, and

North Star Steel Lake.


Basically if you are fishing down river from the Ford Dam and up river from the Hastings dam you are all right.

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Call your legislators, and the DNR, tell them you'd like to see the entire Miss. C&R year round. Regular laws during seasons.

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Quote:

Quote:

Are you sure?


100 percent.


Pier is right (as usual grin.gif).

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Thanks for the info, DNR stated same thing. This is what I thought for years, untill I seen DNR not doing anything to people who were fishing for more than just pan fish or suckers. I will probobly stop down their next week and inform the guy I spoke to about laws. Hey, I am not a rat fink or anything, but I would hate to see a guy get busted for something he is doing and feels it is with in the law and find out later he was wrong from a DNR agent. Now if I see a guy with crates full of walleye's coming off of Buffalo or Clearwater, I would call "TIP".

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A CO person is kinda like a meter maid, nobody likes em and everybody feels targeted, the guy has a job to do and if they "confronted" every one that was marginal they'ld drink more than a lot of cops and firemen (I heard a rumor some tipped in excess), without the hero status, talk about burnout. Reading forums, any forums not just fishing shows that there are a lot of confrontational folks out there. If they, the CO's, think there really is a problem I think most will act accordingly.

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So they are kind of like service advisors at Ford garage. The one thing that sets people of more than an officer questioning what a person is doing is when your car breaks down. Boy, when people are with out a car and then are faced with a $1000.00, $2,000 or $3,000 repair bill on a car they spent $30,000 plus to buy. Boy they get mad and call you any name in the book and they go to church on Sun... Service advisors at a dealership are drinker’s too, I was one for many years. After years of this abuse, you kind start avoiding certain people. I see your point.

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The DNR was at the Elk River Mississippi landing on Wednesday. Saw him talking to an angler but I don't know what the outcome was. First time I have seen them there.

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Unfortunately, I forgot my cell at home last night or I probably would have made a call to TIP.

I took my 10 and 8 year old boys up to the CR Dam last night. We brought dinner along, I brought the fishing pole, they had their scooters. I bottom-rigged crawlers and we hung out on the bank of the river for a while. There was a family that was using one of the pavilion areas and later were fishing down the bank a bit. The first thing that caught my attention was a guy that came down to the river, picked up just a spool of line that he had out in the water and pulled the line in. I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure that you have to be using a pole, not just line, right? Well, at least the way he had it, he had left it while he was up eating, I guess that could be considered a "trotline" which I know isn't legal.

Well, that I didn't really think too much about, but later my kids were digging around looking for cool rocks and they were down by where the family was fishing. My 10 year old told me he saw what he thought were 3 or 4 small walleyes they had on shore (like 9-10 inches). I asked him if he was sure, that they weren't suckers or anything, and he said he was pretty sure they were walleyes. They could have also been smallies, I did catch two 10 inch smallies on the crawler. I was planning on walking down there to see what they really had, but then I realized I forgot my phone.

I didn't really feel like telling a group of 15 people that they are doing something illegal, so I never went down to check it out. If I would have had my phone I would have just wandered down, asked them if they had any luck and taken a look at the fish they kept to see if they had any eyes or bass, then I could have just made the call.

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nice night to be out fishing that is for sure. I've only fished down there once but it seems like a pretty popular location. I remember a guy catching a bunch of crappies while we were there and also there being a man-made lake a ways down from the dam and it being stocked with trout...anyone ever have any luck catching any trout outta there?

SA/wdw

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i called the tip line on sunday when i saw a walleye on someone's stringer. we stayed and fished for an hour and a half after that and they still hadn't showed up.

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it is times like these where you just have to take the initiative, walk up, cut the stringer and walk off. or kick the bucket into the water.

Corect me if Im wrong, but isnt it catch and release only for bass, pike and eyes below the CR dam?

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The season isn't open yet so yeah, your not even supposed to be fishing for them below the CR dam. But during the open season you can keep walleyes and pike all the way downstream to the ford dam...the C&R rules only apply to the ford dam downstream to the hastings dam. As far as the bass go, I believe there is a special regulation for them in that stretch of the river and I am not sure what it is, so anyone who knows it please feel free to chime in.

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There is no special bass regs from the Crow River all the way down to the CR dam.

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Quote:

it is times like these where you just have to take the initiative, walk up, cut the stringer and walk off. or kick the bucket into the water


I would only recommend this if you are 7 feet tall, 350 pounds of solid muscle and bullet proof. Why would you want to start a fight over a few fish. Just make the call and leave it at that. We don't need to be public avengers for a few illegal fish.

If you want to do something more then calling TIP, just go over and POLIETLY mention to the person that the season is closed and he might want to throw the fish back if he doesn't want a big fine. Maybe even remind him that a DNR officer has the right to confiscate his fishing gear including boat/truck if they want to. I have only heard of this on HUGE busts with someone being 200-300 fish over a limit but it might scare them enough to toss the fish back.

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If your going poaching, the CRD is not a good spot. I have been checked there many times. Thoes guy may have gotten away with it that day, but if they keep it up they will get whats coming to them.

I get checked by DNR or the Police about every other time I fish out there.

In my opinion, they should closes the area off untill walleye opener like they do with other spawning areas.

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I tell ya, I have noticed a much heavier presents of DNR officers out their this year. Boat checks at launch, licence checks on shore and the opener is not even here yet.

My boat was checked last weekend at a north metro boat launch, I passed. They were looking for more of the floatation device violation and licence (I.E. baot registration and fishing licence)than game violation. But they are out there. Make sure if your boat is over 16', you have all the proper spec's. Tickets aint cheap.

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I think a lot of people that fish the river really think it's open season, yeah, we get the reg book as we get the drivers licence handbook, follow one but not the other a lot of times. Many years ago I just asked other people, didn't read the book and at the CRD just fished for Crappies and after a 4#11oz Smallie in a former life wouldn't keep one again anyway. By the way one of my biggest Crappies came on a spinner bait. Some very good Crappie spots are right in the same spots as some of the Smallie spots in the water I fish. We fished for Crappies last Sunday, really, tiny minnows on tiny jigs and couldn't keep the Smallies off the hook, Northerns were bite offs, never did find the Crappies, I think we were in the right type of spots but not on my normal water.

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