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District 6 - Two Harbors CO Sean Williams (Ely #1) reports angling activity dropped following the extremely cold beginning of the week. Snowmobile activity ramped up and hundreds of snowmobiles were seen over the weekend. Violations included angling without a license and failure to display snowmobile registration.
CO Brent Ihnen (Ely #2) patrolled his station this week checking anglers and snowmobile riders. Additional time was spent checking ATV operators.
CO Anthony Bermel (Babbitt) worked snowmobile and angling enforcement throughout the week. Snowmobile trails that were groomed were in pretty good shape. Enforcement action was taken for no trout stamp, unmarked fish house, expired snowmobile registration, snowmobile speed, and no ski pass. A fish house was seized from a local lake that had no ID or shelter tag.
CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Grand Marais) spent the week patrolling on his snowmobile checking anglers and snowmobilers. The trails are shaping up nicely and the traffic is picking up. Anglers were checked on remote trout lakes, with some nice fish in the bag.
CO Hudson Ledeen (Hovland) patrolled angling and snowmobiling activities. Multiple violations were encountered, and enforcement action was taken. Ledeen discovered multiple nice-sized burbot killed and abandoned on the ice on Gunflint Lake. If any information about this is available, please contact the TIP hotline.
CO Trent Anderson (Tofte) focused on ice fishing and snowmobile enforcement during the week. Many people were out enjoying the nicer weather on the lakes and trails. Enforcement action was taken for various snowmobiling and angling related violations.
CO Megan Franzen (Silver Bay) spent time monitoring angling and snowmobiling activity. Warmer weather and a new round of snow brought more people to the outdoors, and trout anglers were reporting success. Enforcement action was taken for various angling violations.
District 5 - Eveleth area CO Darrin Kittelson (International Falls #1) reports ice fishing and snowmobile activity continue to be the main emphasis of the workload. The snowmobile conditions have improved as recent snowfall has helped the trail-grooming efforts in the area. Bobcat and otter fur registration was attended as well. Snowmobilers are advised to use caution on the lakes because of many pressure ridges.
CO Curtis Simonson (International Falls #2) reports working area lakes and rivers the past week. Area snowmobile trails appeared to be in good shape with recent snowfall. Trapping activity was monitored again with tending violations encountered.
CO John Slatinski IV (Ray) reports the latest snow events provided some opportunity for snowmobilers, and there was in influx of snowmobile activity in the area. Some of the first violations noted were illegal exhaust. If you buy a used snowmobile, make sure the exhaust system is legal to operate. Trying to buy the factory exhaust system after the fact is not a cheap endeavor. Anglers were reporting a slowdown in success rates although they were seeing fish on their electronic equipment.
CO Troy Fondie (Orr) reports continued monitoring of area lakes for fishing activity. Public water access sites were visited. Area forest roads continue to be checked. Snowmobile trail activity monitoring is ongoing. Other time was spent working on administrative tasks and computer problems.
CO Sean Cannon (Cook) spent most of the week on snowmobile, checking anglers and monitoring snowmobile trails. Fishing continued to be slow this week. Snowmobile activity picked up through the week into the weekend, with most trails in the area being in decent condition.
CO Aaron Larson (Tower) worked primarily angling and snowmobile enforcement. Time was spent on trails and lakes in the area checking for snowmobile registration, speeding, and loud and illegal exhaust. Trail conditions were surprisingly good, and a decent number of people took advantage of the warmer weather. Time was also spent on equipment maintenance and assisting other agencies.
CO Marc Johnson (Hibbing) primarily worked angling and snowmobile enforcement. In addition, time was spent attending the second fur registration date in Hibbing. Snowfall throughout the week improved snowmobile trail conditions, but various stretches remain in poor condition. Violations encountered included snowmobile speed, expired registration, and license/shelter tag violations.
CO Shane Zavodnik (Virginia) spent time working on CO Academy training material and preparing for upcoming snowmobile Academy training. Much-needed snowfall has helped bring area snowmobile trails back to life. Angling activity picked up at the end of the week, seeing as more tolerable weather stayed around.
CO Duke Broughten (Aurora) spent the week monitoring fishing, spearing, and snowmobiling activity. Anglers continued to report limited success. Area snowmobile trails are still in need of more snow.
