Lilydale Park Safety

[jlw034]

Only in regards to safety, would you guys recommend shore fishing the Mississippi at Lilydale park? With no boat, that looks like one of the best places to fish a wing dam from shore.

I've read a few reports of unsavory characters hanging out there. I wouldn't be there past dark if that changes anything.

[RuKiddingMe]

I have fished Lilydale from shore a handful of times and while you see some odd going ons I have never felt unsafe or had any problems(creeped out yes) and once you get down by the river you won't see much for people anyway.

I did have an instance a couple years back where a couple was out running their dog off leash, the dog was aways ahead of them, went I met up with the dog he was growling and quite obviously on the defensive, had me stopped for a minute or two until his owners called him off. Exchanged some not so nice words with the owners and I was on my way.

I do wonder if the Lilydale park is a hot spot for creepy old man hookups, kind of like the rest stops used to be, seeing the amount of old guys that just hang out there is definitely very weird.

[bobbymalone]

I have fished down there a billion times. And yeah, creepy dudes at the back of the parking lot close to the woods just about every time. There really isn't a safety thing though. It's just a hook up spot for married dudes looking for some random consensual man on man action, it's not like you are gonna get raped.

Carry a tackle box and a fishing pole and they get the picture. Couple times I've ran into dudes milling around out in the woods or following me into the woods. I tell them to buzz off in as many words and they do. No big deal. They know what they are doing is illegal and I'm guessing most of them don't want to explain to their wives how they got arrested down there.

I do wish they would find a hotel room or somewhere else that's not a public park to hang out though. I thought that after they clear cut a bunch of forest back there it would cut down on the shenanigans, but I'm not surprised if it didn't work. Undercover cops arrested like 2 dozen people back there a couple years ago and they came back after a couple weeks.

[expl]

Yeah last time i launched there i noticed alot of old creepy guys,long as they stay away from me there will be no problems.Other then that ive seen the cops down there patrolling allmost everytime ive launched there.

[Mid-Lake Rock]

What draws the creepy people to rivers? I never see them at public accesses on lakes.

On this site, I've read about creepy guys at Lilydale, Minnehaha Falls and several places on the Minnesota River south of the metro.

[jlw034]

it's not like you are gonna get raped.

GOOD NEWS!

[jlw034]

Thanks for the tips guys. I'll give it a try (fishing, that is). Maybe bring my dog. She's a total softy, but looks like a 60lb German Shepherd.

[monger]

Whatever you do .....do not back your truck into the parking spot.

[DrJuice1980]

Gross. I'll stay away from that area.

[jlw034]

Whatever you do .....do not back your truck into the parking spot.

Why is that?

[bobbymalone]

It's a signal that you are looking for something.

After you see the strange behavior down there, you'll start seeing it all over the place. I've stumbled across several of these places looking for geocaches around the metro.

Dudes sitting in their cars, backed into parking places in secluded areas or even on the side of freakin' grocery stores. Get a room!

[RuKiddingMe]

I ran in to it in St.Francis about 5 years ago - I was working in Isanti and stopped in a shutdown restaurant parking lot right on 47, backed in to a parking spot to do some paper work, next thing I know there were 4 different vehicles with creepy old men that strolled through the lot slow with smiles on there faces. Needless to say I got the hell out as fast as I could, from that day on I pick up on the little things like bobbymalone said.

[DrJuice1980]

What is the "trigger" for lesbians?

[thatoneguy]

flannel and a Subaru?

[bobbymalone]

flannel and a Subaru?

I rock that combo on the weekends and it hasnt worked for me yet.

[polarsusd81]

flannel and a Subaru?

Now that got a chuckle out of me. Good stuff.

[NoWiser]

Very interesting and educational thread. I back my truck into parking spots 90% of the time just because it makes it so much easier to get out. It's become a habit. I also spend a lot of time in secluded areas fishing and shrooming. I'll have to keep my eye open! I guess growing up in a small town a guy just doesn't learn these kinds of things... Kind of makes a guy wonder how many times he has sent out the wrong signal.

[jlw034]

Well I went down to lillydale just to check it out. 1130am on a Wednesday. 9 cars parked. 7 with lone guys sitting in the drivers seat...just sitting there. Unbelievably creepy. I don't want to know where the drivers for the other two cars were.

I brought my German Shepherd and hiked around a bit and found the wing dams so that's good. Probably can't bring her when I fish due to the sharp riprap.

Anyways thanks for the info. I'll probably still fish there this year. That's why I carry a scowl and a 40cal ;-)

[bobbymalone]

yep, that sounds about right.

I'll tell ya though... I feel a lot safer there despite the creepy stuff than some of the other shore spots I fish where I feel like I'm going to get knifed after dark.

I've never needed more than a 200 lumens worth of blinding flashlight and a "Go home to your wife" to be left alone down there.

[BrandonJ]

Just keep your hands firmly on your own pole and you shouldn't have any problems. When I fish around there im usually more worried about my vehicle being violated. But with high concentration of man on man action in the area it should scare most thiefs off.

[AceintheHole]

Watch out for big Mike and the boys.

[gizmoguy]

You forgot the MN Lynx's sticker.