DNR pinch, anybody else see this?

[screaminchicken]

I couldn't believe this when I saw it. This is my first post as I've mainly just kind of haunted for the last year or two. Anybody else seen this story?

Isle couple charged for gross over limit.

[RumRiverRat]

Ban old people from fishing Mille Lacs.

They obviously are the problem, not the netting natives.

[leech~~]

Ban old people from fishing Mille Lacs.

They obviously are the problem, not the netting natives.

I think it was his young lady friend that was taking advantage of a vulnerable adult!

[Ryan_V]

the link didn't work for me?!?!

[Stick in Mud]

I honestly don't mean to be snarky, but what about the story is so unbelievable? That they had a gross overlimit in the freezer? That the couple let the officer look in their house? That a 70-year old was able to snag a quinquagenarian?

[Alagnak]

Doesn't surprise me one bit. I'm sure there are freezers that look like that all over the lake. Yep- it's the nets! ;-)

[RumRiverRat]

They were foolish to let the CO in the house without a warrant.

[MuleShack]

Score one for the DNR!

Fish hoarding is an illness

[chet longfellow]

I am glad to see that the DNR has solid people like CO Tetrault on their squad. There are far too many locals pillaging the lake.

[Radway]

The penalty for the gross overlimit seems about right. But a year in jail and/or $1000 for using two hooks or a treble hook not attached to an artificial lure? I had no idea the penalty would be so severe for that.

[DTro]

Just the tip of the iceberg I bet.

[Alagnak]

Read it again- "which carries a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine"

They'll get about a $200 ticket for that.

The penalty for the gross overlimit seems about right. But a year in jail and/or $1000 for using two hooks or a treble hook not attached to an artificial lure? I had no idea the penalty would be so severe for that.

[Kyhl]

Doesn't surprise me one bit. I'm sure there are freezers that look like that all over the lake. Yep- it's the nets! ;-)

And not just that lake. I bet there are freezers like that on just about any inhabited lake.

I've known of others (neighbors of friends) doing the same thing but let it go not wanting to disrupt someone elses relationships. Easy for me to say but I expect that there would a call to TIP if it was my neighbor.

[Coldwater Crappie Guy]

I wonder how many of those fish were of legal length?

[harvey lee]

I see no issue with the penalties at all.

They choose to break the law and are now going to pay the price.

C'mon, they were not 1 over the limit by accident and I am sure they knew what they were doing.

The CO should get a bonus for catching these people. The CO wasx simply doing his job and protecting all of ours resource.

If the fine's are too high, then do not break the law and steal all these fish from others. Real easy, follow the fishing laws and one does not have to worry about how high the fines are. The DNR could double those fines and some would still break many of these laws for lines and possession limits.

As Far as the DNR entering the house, they do have laws that surpass other enforcement people but I do not know exactly to what extent. I guess one could say they had probable cause at the least.

I do not care for all the netting on ML but I am sure if we knew the exact truth, there are plenty of white's who break the law as bad as the Native's who break the netting rights.

Plenty of blame to go around.

If this was thier 1st offense, they more than likely will not recieve the max or even close to that.

[Gordie]

Doesn't surprise me one bit. I'm sure there are freezers that look like that all over the lake. Yep- it's the nets! ;-)

+1

Yea it was his first offence ,but he was 70 yrs old so how many years do you think he got away with it?

[Stick in Mud]

Like others have said, I am not at all surprised that someone had that much fish in his freezer. Heck, there's a story in the Outdoor News just about every week of some (usually old) guy filling up his freezer with hundreds and hundreds of sunfish.

And I have no idea of the rates of noncompliance elsewhere, but it's pretty bad on Mille Lacs. Just look at the number of tickets that've been given out on the lake this year for illegal-length fish. I had been stopped one time in the previous ten years, and I'm up to five on-the-water meetings with CO's this year alone. One day in early July I asked if they had given out any tickets, and they said one in six boats that day had illegal length fish in the livewell.

Thankfully, I haven't even been tempted this year because I haven't been able to catch any fish!

[leech~~]

[harvey lee]

He could go to the food shelf.

[leech~~]

He could go to the food shelf.

I did put a at the end of it Harvey!

[harvey lee]

I saw that Leech

[smackem33]

I got popped for a walleye that was just shy of 20 inches when I threw her I'm the box, when I got to shore there was dnr waiting measuring fish. Let's just say that dnr was a [PoorWordUsage]! He smushed that fish so hard down on his board and some how managed to get that tail past 20 inches....just barley 160 bucks, now I won't keep one over 19 7/8

[MuleShack]

Just a thought, but maybe they need to have "Whisky plates" for boats and fish houses.

If a person has been busted for major infractions, then they would have an easily identified registration on the boat or vehicle or fish house so the DNR can pick out the previous offenders.

[Stick in Mud]

I got popped for a walleye that was just shy of 20 inches when I threw her I'm the box, when I got to shore there was dnr waiting measuring fish. Let's just say that dnr was a [PoorWordUsage]! He smushed that fish so hard down on his board and some how managed to get that tail past 20 inches....just barley 160 bucks, now I won't keep one over 19 7/8

I've heard of similar experiences from others, too. Look at it this way: maybe you can keep those ones right at 17 15/16ths.

[skee0025]

As Far as the DNR entering the house, they do have laws that surpass other enforcement people but I do not know exactly to what extent. I guess one could say they had probable cause at the least.

The laws for search and seizure are the same for everyone in law enforcement as outlined in the Constitution. There are exceptions but they are limited to preventing the loss of life or if there is reasonable belief that evidence is being destroyed and if they do go that route they had better be able to atriculate it to a judges satifaction. Had he said no you cannot search, the CO would have had to present his probable cause and get a warrant.

[maxpower117]

Meh...

[walleyeseeker]

I realize this situation is limited to fishing in Minnesota only, but if this gentleman had a current North Dakota license with a possession limit of 10 per person and a South Dakota license with a possession limit of 8 per person, would this change anything? If they could prove they were in these two states fishing, they would be very close to legal. It doesn't change this situation but it does add an interesting twist to this. I can't find anything in the law book that would make this scenario illegal. Many would argue it should be wrong. If you did this with hunting, it is legal. I am just curious if this would be any different.

[Alagnak]

I realize this situation is limited to fishing in Minnesota only, but if this gentleman had a current North Dakota license with a possession limit of 10 per person and a South Dakota license with a possession limit of 8 per person, would this change anything? If they could prove they were in these two states fishing, they would be very close to legal. It doesn't change this situation but it does add an interesting twist to this. I can't find anything in the law book that would make this scenario illegal. Many would argue it should be wrong. If you did this with hunting, it is legal. I am just curious if this would be any different.

This brings up a great point. There's a lot of people with licenses from many different states that's for sure. LEGALLY you could have way more fish in the freezer than I'd ever imagine any family needing. But I guess it could explain a pile of them.

Harvey- "The DNR could double those fines and some would still break many of these laws for lines and possession limits."

Just wondering how you view these even close to the same thing or same sentence. So a guy fishing 2 lines and no fish in the box/no plan to keep any is just as harmful to the resource as someone with over the possession limit?

[skee0025]

Look up hooking mortality rates. The last study I saw stats for (2008) had a 10% mortality rate with estimates as high as 23% depending on what depth the fish were taken at. Depending on how often that person fishes and how many they catch and at what depth they fish, yes they can be just as damaging.

[Alagnak]

Look up hooking mortality rates. The last study I saw stats for (2008) had a 10% mortality rate with estimates as high as 23% depending on what depth the fish were taken at. Depending on how often that person fishes and how many they catch and at what depth they fish, yes they can be just as damaging.

For bobbers and live bait, for spinner rigs and power bait, for trolling two rods with cranks?? Really? Come on. Even a high hooking mortality rate isn't 100% mortality rate that a over-the-limit harvest is no matter how you tweak the numbers. I just don't see it as the same that's all, because it's not even close.