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District 6 - Two Harbors CO Sean Williams (Ely #1) reports snowmobile trail conditions were improved by snowfall during and after hundreds of snowmobiles attended the annual snowmobile fun run. Trout angling reports continued a downward trend from opener and several anglers were checked having zero luck the entire weekend. Violations included snowmobile speed and failure to display valid snowmobile registration.
CO Brent Ihnen (Ely #2) patrolled his station this past week focusing on fishing and snowmobiling activity. Additional time was spent checking ATV operators.
CO Anthony Bermel (Babbitt) worked the annual snowmobile fun run. He also checked anglers and fish houses. Enforcement action for the week included possession of live minnows on a designated trout lake, unmarked fish house, loud exhaust on snowmobiles, and failure to display registration. CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Grand Marais) spent the week checking anglers and snowmobile riders. The trails were busy with sleds as people were out enjoying the fresh snow. Enforcement action was taken for snowmobile violations.
CO Hudson Ledeen (Hovland) reports snowmobile trail conditions are the best they have been all season. Folks continue to catch trout on interior lakes. Enforcement action was taken for several violations.
CO Trent Anderson (Tofte) focused on ice fishing and snowmobiling enforcement for the week. Many snowmobilers were seen out in the field enjoying the improving trail conditions.
CO Megan Franzen (Silver Bay) spent time monitoring snowmobiling activity. Franzen also attended an ice rescue training this week in Grand Marais.
District 5 - Eveleth area CO Darrin Kittelson (International Falls #1) reports most of the activity during the week involved training new conservation officers on snowmobile operations and snowmobile enforcement. A call of several motor vehicles utilizing the snowmobile trails was investigated. People are reminded that snowmobiles are the only vehicles authorized to operate on designated snowmobile trails.
CO Curtis Simonson (International Falls #2) reports spending time this past week assisting with a snowmobile training, checking anglers on area lakes and rivers, and working area snowmobile trails. Recent snowfall brought a lot of riders out to the trails over the weekend. Fishing reports were slow. Trail conditions remain good and have improved with recent snow.
CO John Slatinski IV (Ray) reports that with fresh snow showing up over the weekend, snowmobilers were out taking advantage of it. There were many comments heard on the trail about how good the trails were groomed given the less-than-normal snow depth for this time of year. For some, this was the first time out in a couple years and registration issues were observed. Snowmobiles operating with illegal exhaust were also heard and this seems to be increasing as a complaint. Along with the sharp increase in snowmobiles also came snowmobile crashes. Lack of snowmobile safety certification was also noted.
CO Troy Fondie (Orr) reports monitoring angling on area lakes. Overall angling success was very poor with little being caught. Recent snowfall brought an uptick in snowmobile activity, but it is still down significantly from previous years. Area forest roads are now snowmobile- travel-only due to snowfall and drifting.
CO Sean Cannon (Cook) spent most of the week attending training out of the area. Some time was also spent checking anglers and monitoring snowmobile activity.
CO Aaron Larson (Tower) worked primarily angling and snowmobile enforcement. Larson spent time on area trails checking snowmobile registration and for loud exhaust pipes. The Taconite trail remained good, while some other trails had rough patches and remained somewhat rocky. Larson checked trout lakes and lakes around the Eagles Nest area as well.
