NETTING QUESTION

[Fish Monger]

I recently returned home from a weekend trip up north. It was hot, the fish were not biting. A relative that was in our boat gets a cell phone call about the time we quit fishing. It is a friend of his that called asking if he wanted to buy some fresh Red Lake walleye. Okay, I thought, there are some entrepreneurs out there that caught a lot of fish and want to make a buck. So I ask if the fish were caught by hook and line or whatever. No, the reply came, they were netted. They had five bags of ten fillets. Each bag cost $25.

Are people netting again? If so, is it only on Lower Red Lake, or have some people been seen (or cited with a ticket for) netting on Upper Red Lake as well?

This is my question.

[upnorth]

Let's hope no one buys them, that way they have no where to sell what they catch and they will not have a reason to net.

[halad]

The DNR is looking for info on this get all info you can name, phone #, car license #, they are looking for real info not rumors. TIP-800-652-9093

[Fish Monger]

Halad, So is there an investigation currently in progress?

The information I have is hearsay at this point (second-third hand information), but probably reliable. I do not know their names, though.

I also heard that a former game warden from that area often issued citations for illegal takings, but the judicial system did not/would not prosecute (I guess for any number of reasons, but most plausible is that it would strain relations between people on the reservation, and people off the reservation).

If this is true, would reporting it do any good?

[kelly-p]

It sounds like you have a lot of 2nd and 3rd hand rumors. It is unfortuninate that you did not immediatly contact the DNR and tell them where these supposed Red Lake walleyes were for sale at. If you are this upset about this I'm sure that you have contacted the DNR and givin them your reletives name and address and the name and address of the friend that had the fish for sale so the DNR could investigate. You have contacted the DNR haven't you??????

The only times I can think of arrests being made and nothing happening in court are more then 25 years ago.

People keep coming up with rumors of fish being sold but nobody seems to be able to or are willing to proviode any hard info or proof.

[DancesWithWaves]

My friend was up at red earlier this june and answered all my questions about Red lake netting. He was out with a couple buds on a weeklong fishing trip and one afternoon saw what looked like a few milk cartons floating in the water. Sure enough they were milk cartons but what was attached to the cartons was a gill net. They pulled it up and found hundreds af dead walleye caught in the net. Apparently it had broken off of the reservation and floated across. You probably dont beleive me but i trust he wasnt lieing.

[kelly-p]

If,,,, he found that why didn't he contact the DNR???????? No cell phone in the boat?? Why didn't he tell someone when he got back to shore???

[bradyd]

Why do people make these accusations here? The DNR has a phone number.

[ozzie]

What will really be done even if he does report it? just wondering since we don't have jurisdiction over the tribe and all they would probably say is there are a few bad apples in every bunch.....All I can see it doing is making it public and nothing/nobody to stand up for it as they can hide behind the res.......now if we threaten with not helping in the flourishing of Red Lake anymore they still have the walleye they wanted and most of the lakes to control there own catch netting or not.....just a ? and a thought....Have a good day!!

[DancesWithWaves]

The net was hooked to the closest crib near West Wind. He went back to shore and told West Wind, apparently its a common occurence and is reported occassionally.

[riverrat56]

For the record, no I don't believe you. Not saying you or your buddy is a liar, but I need more factual info.

Things like this would make it out to the public if and when they happened, early June still sees alot of people on URL and something like this wouldn't be missed by everybody else.

[ozzie]

In early june alot of the pressure is on the north shore and the river...alot of water and this could easily go unnoticed!!

[halad]

cow-[PoorWordUsage]

[kelly-p]

It is not a commen occurence and I have not heard it reported in over 15 years.

We just had a Lake Assc. meeting last week and nobody (including the DNR) mentioned anything about any nets being found this summer.

This is the first West Wind has heard anything about this. NOBODY has reported any gillnets to West Wind all summer???????

Does your friend have anymore "facts"?

[DancesWithWaves]

My facts may be incorrect. His name is John and he will be posting shortly...

[logankelly]

I am so excited about this I can hardly wait to read more. Personally I do not believe it. But if by chance it is true throw a bone marker out there and find a cell phone. Once a poacher always a poacher the only way they will stop is get caught.

[Bemidjifisher]

I think netting is allowed on the Red Lake reservation just not on Upper and Lower Red Lakes. Please let me know if this is wrong.

I work a little for the DNR as a smoke chaser (firefighter) and get stationed at the Tanker Base in Bemidji with the BIA helicopter crew from Red Lake from time to time. They brought in fish for lunch to feed the whole base one day that they said was freshly gill netted (this was last spring).

[Fish Monger]

Kelly-P wrote: "You have contacted the DNR haven't you??????"

No.

A fisherman has no legal duty to report netting as described above on Upper Red Lake. This is the job of the DNR. They have far more than enough resources to enforce the law. You make it seem like the person that found the net with the dead fish is worse than the person that set the net. Even if a person reported the violation, like I posted earlier, what would be done? How can they trace a net to a specific person? The only way to catch them is to catch them in the act. I am not about to confront someone on the lake doing this. The story about the perch stuffed up the rear-end of the game warden originates from this same reservation.

The story I heard said that the people had two bags of fish and were going back to the res to get five more bags. Sounds more like netting and less like hook and line to me. Thus, the DNR should be on notice for this and actually spend some time on the water instead of spending tax dollars by drinking coffee and eating donuts and counting five-legged frogs.

[kelly-p]

If you don't report it to the DNR all you are doing is helping the poachers.

If your story is true you knew of people with five bags of illegal walleyes OFF THE Reservation lands AND,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,YOU DID NOTHING! Well nothing except to go on a fishing forum and complain.

EDIT

"The story I heard said that the people had two bags of fish and were going back to the res to get five more bags."

You must have known who bought the first two bags and that would have been off the resrvation and easy to prosecute.

[MuleShack]

Everybody should have TIP programmed in their phone to call when stuff like this is noticed.

after all it is ALL OF OUR RESOURCES we are protecting by turning in poachers. A fisherman/women or hunter should consider it their duty to make the call.

You can remain anonymous and yet still watch from the sidelines when they come and get the perps.

[Fish Monger]

"If you don't report it to the DNR all you are doing is helping the poachers.

If your story is true you knew of people with five bags of illegal walleyes OFF THE Reservation lands AND,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,YOU DID NOTHING! Well nothing except to go on a fishing forum and complain."

Like I said, I have no duty to turn in the poacher. That's all I said. One might say as the next poster does, is that it SHOULD be our duty to report violators, etc. But this does not change the LAW that does not make fishermen/women mandatory reporters of fishing abuses (to make an analogy to social services). Going on the fishing forum and opening a communication is and always has been the percursor to having laws changed. Maybe we should be mandatory reporters? Therefore I do not accept your losing argument that I did nothing after hearing about wrongdoing. If you want to, you can report what I heard to the DNR and see what happens -- it'll be a whole lot of nothing...

[Fish Monger]

"You must have known who bought the first two bags and that would have been off the resrvation and easy to prosecute."

[kelly-p]

"Going on the fishing forum and opening a communication is and always has been the percursor to having laws changed."

The laws do not need to be changed, they are already in place. The DNR needs the info so they can enforce the laws.

[BLACKJACK]

Kelly-P wrote: "You have contacted the DNR haven't you??????"

No.

A fisherman has no legal duty to report netting as described above on Upper Red Lake. This is the job of the DNR. They have far more than enough resources to enforce the law. You make it seem like the person that found the net with the dead fish is worse than the person that set the net. Even if a person reported the violation, like I posted earlier, what would be done? How can they trace a net to a specific person? The only way to catch them is to catch them in the act. I am not about to confront someone on the lake doing this. The story about the perch stuffed up the rear-end of the game warden originates from this same reservation.

The story I heard said that the people had two bags of fish and were going back to the res to get five more bags. Sounds more like netting and less like hook and line to me. Thus, the DNR should be on notice for this and actually spend some time on the water instead of spending tax dollars by drinking coffee and eating donuts and counting five-legged frogs.

"The story I heard"

Enough said. You ever play the game as a kid where you line up ten people and you whisper a phrase into the first person's and by the time it gets to the end its completely changed???

If you have some facts, call the DNR, they can't respond to the problem if they don't know about it. No its not you duty but if you care about the resource you'll make the call.

Sounds like you have some sort of agenda or ax to grind...

[ArcticCat21]

I want to know how many more fish got caught and died after the net was found and nothing was done about it. I know for a fact that if you call the DNR after finding a net on the state side of the lake, they will come out and pull it.

[Scouter]

There was NO NET !!!!

Duh!

its the same old rumor mill, "those guys across the line... " [PoorWordUsage]

Do I think "they" follow all the rules always? no.

Do I think the people on the east side of the border make up [PoorWordUsage] out of spite and hatred/jealousy? Yes.

If you don't have any facts, or first hand information, don't hit SUBMIT...

Fish Monger, your name implies your extreme amount of moral and ethics you spew onto the keyboard.

Plus if the DNR sucks so bad guys, why are you all flocking up to Red everyyear to catch the walleyes, they stocked and protect.

[kelly-p]

Scouter,

In my opinion your post is one of the best ever posted here. I bow to you and shall partake of a toast in your honer tonight.

[Shack]

I thought I would never actually use this phrase on FM, but here I go:

“Anyone have a can of troll repellant spray?”

IMO, this guys story has more holes than a pound of swiss cheese.

I will reread again to make sure my statements are accurate.

[Shack]

Yep, I still stand by my post!

[upnorth]

Yep....someone is just trying to stir a few things up.