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Posted

From Startribune.com....
"INTERNATIONAL FALLS, MINN. -- Concerned anglers thought there was something fishy about two fisherman from Illinois. They were right.

Sixty-seven walleyes were seized and the two fishermen were charged with possession of an overlimit of walleye while fishing on Rainy Lake on Friday. They were also charged with possession of walleye over the slot limit.

The actions resulted in seizure of the fish, a nearly $4,000 penalty, revocation of the men's fishing licenses and seizure of a boat, motor and trailer.

An additional 40 walleye were found at an International Falls motel where the men were staying.

It's the first local use of the state's gross overlimit law, which was approved by the Legislature a few years ago.

GREAT, more people that can't read the rules or follow by them!!! mad.gif

Posted

These stories make my blood boil.

Would stiffer peneties deter potential violaters?

I'll pay an extra buck or two for my license if they get more CO's on the water.

Sully

Posted

Right there with you Sully, at least they are taking the full extent of the law with fines and seizures. But does giving more MN residents for the licences to add CO's really the answer, I would have no problem doing it but the majority of people out there probally would. Seems more often than not these violations are from the out of stater's. To my understanding a out of State License is not much more that a resident in MN. Maybe that would be a good place to start. 2 cents
Tom

Posted

For these "gross" abusers, I think higher fines, all equipment (including boats/motors/fishing gear/vehicles) should be confiscated whether or not there are liens on them, community service, and an appearance in a booth paid for by them at the next Mpls/St. Paul Sportsman Show showing photos of them and their fish along with a booth caption stating "I'm a Poacher" would be perfect punishment!

Posted

I agree with all of the above comments. The one good thing about this is that concerned anglers were on the ball. Hats' off to those people involved and lets' keep an eye out for more of these jokers. You know it happens more than what gets caught.
Keep your line tight.

Posted

I agree with all of you. It really chaps me to hear about this kind of thing, what it does to the resource and the reputation it gives to the rest of the fishing community.
Just a thought...Maybe instead of only voicing our concerns here, we (forum users, concerned fisher people) should start contacting our representatives. Maybe if there is enough pressure, stiffer fines and penalties, higher out of state license fees, more CO's etc., could be in the works.
Just thinking about the people who think they can get away with this sort of thing really makes me mad, could be put to good use. Two cents...well, more like three.

Posted

I'd agree that stiffer fines and penalties may help, but I'm not so sure higher non-resident fees would be of much help. It's possable that the increase in fee may allow those people, who choose to exceed the limit, to rationalize even further that what they do is excusable. The ol' I'm going to get my money's worth mind set. A segment of our population will always operate on the edge of the edge of the law, and some will ignore the law. I don't think it's divided by state boundaries however.

I do believe the fear of getting caught can be a significant deterant. Ever watch traffic slow down when they see a cop car parked along the road, even if no one is in it. Maybe we can all be a part of the force in some way. Let's try to do what we can, individually, to let people know we won't tolerate fish and game theft.

Posted

There needs to be more fear of getting caught. I am guessing there are many, many
more that don't get caught for everyone that does get nabbed.

I know that no one wants to see random checking of livewells or checking at roadblocks, but there needs to be a more efficient way of catching these creeps.

Someone somewhere must have some ideas that won't stomp on civil rights.

Posted

I like the idea of confiscation. I mean everything from the Boat, trailer, and vehicle in addition to fines. Bringing these items to auction could hel generate some $$$. One thing everyone could do is make sure that TIP number is programmed in your cell phone when you hit the lake. I can't believe the number of people I have talked to that have witnessed some kind of overlimit problem or another.

Posted

I think the DNR should put up huge billboards on every major highway entering MN that says something like: "Welcome to MN - If you want to return home with your boat/truck, etc. - RESPECT OUT NATURAL RESOURCES/LIMITS!"

  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators
Posted

These gross violations are nothing new but for one reason or another they are now considered news worthy or more so now then years ago. I guess its something we need to know. The USA loves hearing bad news, to bad we can't read more about the good things that happen every day.

Little Joe I like the welcome sign idea.
I agree start hitting these gross violators hard in the pocket books and don't let them fish our waters again.
We have a very limited amount of Game Wardens, but we have you and I on the water so get involved and use the tip number 1-800-652-9093.

Posted

Here's a thought.
Perhaps the fines should include loss of boat, rods, etc. for gross violations.
If I'm correct, all fishing licenses are purchased now through the electronic machines all over the state. Perhaps instead of a nasty billboard that may scare some folks away, when you get your license, the DNR could electronically print off with your license a statement that indicates the number of folks who lost their boats, equipment, etc. in the previous year, which would show that the DNR is serious about allowing folks to legally fish, but that they will use whatever muscle they can with their existing staff.
I've heard that canadian officials have, on occasion, confiscated boats to ensure the (alleged) offenders either pay the fine, or show up for court.
I like the idea of sentencing someone to have them sit in a booth at a sportsman show with the "I'm a poacher" sign. That's a good one - almost reminiscent of the days folks would be put in stocks in the village courtyard. But I'd bet it would work.....

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • leech~~
      Goodness. I feel like I'm on some kind of site for the mentally ill sometimes.  🤨 I know he said this but look at the last board printout!  He meant smurfy on April 29th!   8 hours ago, JerkinLips said: Because I temporarily changed the rules, and smurfy was the 2nd person to wager a guess, I changed his prediction to April 25th.   I changed it to just a date numb nuts!  April 25th! DH'O  🤭
    • smurfy
      😖🙃 pretty certain everyone else here isnt guessing Edwards lake...........goofball!!!!!!!🤣
    • Wanderer
      Up until April 24th? 😉
    • leech~~
      April 25th! DH'O
    • smurfy
      🤣 WELL.......LEECH...... since its free where's your name????????🙄
    • leech~~
      Dang, this is like a free meal on Lakestreet in Mpls.  I didn't know this many folks were still on the site until someone said "Free raffle drawing"  🤣 🤣 
    • SkunkedAgain
      Nah, I'm not changing my guess. It's more fun to make early predictions and see how far off I am.   I'll turn on the hair dryer and see if it helps.
    • JerkinLips
      Because I temporarily changed the rules, and smurfy was the 2nd person to wager a guess, I changed his prediction to April 25th.  Also, since SkunkedAgain was the originator of this competition and was the 1st person to guess, I will give him until Friday to change his prediction if he wants to (although he may regret if the ice goes out on April 18th).  After him, no more "changes" will be allowed on my board.   Lots of "good" open dates available for those that have not predicted yet.  Updated board below:  
    • SkunkedAgain
      https://www.timberjay.com/stories/moccasin-point-upgrade-has-longtime-users-concerned,22802   Moccasin Point upgrade has longtime users concerned DNR hopes to get major remake of key access underway later this year Posted Thursday, March 20, 2025 10:36 am   Marshall Helmberger LAKE VERMILION— With funding finally in place, the Department of Natural Resources is planning to move forward with an estimated $2-plus million renovation of the Moccasin Point landing, and users of the site say they’re concerned about the changes. The landing has been heavily used for decades by anglers, Boundary Waters visitors, residents of nearby islands and other remote-access properties on Lake Vermilion and, perhaps most critically, by emergency responders for everything from fire to medical response. Moccasin Point has also been a protected harbor for private barges loading and unloading as they service the many water-access properties in the area. Sarah Schmidt, who spends summers with her husband Jake at their cabin on nearby Pine Island, said there’s a lot at stake for people who depend on the landing. “A lot of people have designed their dream home around having access to that landing,” she said. “People need propane, they need lumber, and if they need to install a septic system, they need lots of gravel,” she said. For the many hundreds of island or other water-access property owners on the lake, all of that material comes by barge. Moccasin Point is particularly well suited for such use, since it is arguably the most protected harbor on Lake Vermilion, with islands and mainland protecting it from wind from just about any direction. It’s also centrally located on the sprawling lake and close to concentrations of island homes and cabins. Scott Kelling, northeast regional manager for DNR Parks and Trails, said the plans for the reconstruction of the landing are still being finalized, but insisted they will take into account the unique mix of recreational and commercial use of the landing, including use by all three of the barging companies that service customers on the lake. According to Kelling, the remake of the landing will include removal of the old pier and the reconstruction of a new one in nearly the same location. “The new pier will serve the same function,” said Kelling, and will include an additional ramp that will be dedicated for barge loading and off-loading. Kelling said an engineer’s inspection of the existing pier determined it was near the end of its useful life, although Schmidt said she thinks that opinion reflects the DNR’s desire to remove the structure rather than its actual condition. Kelling acknowledges that it’s not the only reason for replacing the structure. “With our redesign it’s just not in the right location,” he said. Adequate parking is another major concern of longtime users of Moccasin Point. Tim Logan, whose family has owned island property near the landing since the 1950s, said plans the DNR had shared a few years ago seemed to show less parking than is typically used at the site. Schmidt notes that during high-traffic weekends, the parking area is frequently full and overflow parking can extend for hundreds of feet along Moccasin Point Rd. She said she counted 163 vehicles parked at the landing at one point last Memorial Day weekend and said there are routinely 90-100 vehicles during the summer season. Many of the regular users of the landing, particularly those on island properties, use the site for long-term parking of their vehicles for days, weeks, or months at a time. That’s unusual at public landings, which are typically limited to day use. Kelling said the DNR is making an exception to that rule for Moccasin Point, given the many varied uses of the unique property. “Overnight parking will be allowed,” he said. Kelling said the current plan will allow parking for a bit over 100 vehicles, which is more than some original plans for the site. “We’re doing everything we can to maximize the parking there, at some considerable expense,” he said. Longstanding issues Kelling said the DNR’s plan for reconstruction is motivated by a desire to “manage the site more responsibly on a number of fronts.” The DNR acquired the site in 2008 and had planned to undertake reconstruction of the landing back in 2013 but lacked the funds at the time to accomplish the work. The funding was approved in 2023 and the DNR has been working on design of the project ever since. According to Kelling, the site has operated essentially as a “free-for-all” for years, with uses and resource impacts that aren’t typically permitted at DNR-managed access points. “There are currently a number of transgressions out there,” said Kelling, including long-term storage of personal property and building materials. He said the site, which slopes toward the lake, also contributes large amounts of sediment into Vermilion during heavy rainfall. “We need to better manage the stormwater,” said Kelling. “Currently, a lot of sediment and other things end up in the lake when it rains.” Schmidt questions whether the change will be an improvement, since the DNR’s reconstruction of the site will convert the existing grassy hillside that currently serves as the site’s parking lot into a paved parking area. Kelling said the parking area will be leveled before being paved and that stormwater will be directed into one of two planned stormwater ponds in order to contain sediment. Schmidt claims the ponds will become a mosquito breeding ground. Kelling said he expects the final design will be completed soon and he is expecting to hold an open house in early summer so interested users can see what’s planned for the site. He expects actual construction to begin sometime in October if all goes as planned. That initial work will include blasting of some underlying bedrock in order to level the site. But most of the work will take place in 2026, he said, and during that period, it may be difficult to maintain public use of the site, although he said use of the site by barges should still be possible, with potentially some minor delays. But he said other users of the site may want to explore other access options for that summer. Kelling said he hopes to have more information on that at the open house later this year. “A goal of the open house is to really share the timeline and alternatives for users,” he said. “They might need to park somewhere else in 2026.”
    • smurfy
      i wanna change mine to the 29th of april...........i've been seeing ice reports to much up that way. 🙄
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