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District 6 - Two Harbors CO Sean Williams (Ely #1) reports he focused on angling activity over the week between attending annual training. Fishing pressure slowed significantly as ice conditions continued to grow more inconsistent and dangerous. Violations included angling without a license in possession and operating an ATV on a closed trail.
CO Brent Ihnen (Ely #2) patrolled his station this week continuing to check anglers on area lakes. Ihnen also patrolled for ATV activity. Additional time was spent responding to questions from the public regarding the upcoming fishing seasons.
CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Grand Marais) spent time working ATV enforcement earlier in the week. One day was spent meeting with neighboring officers and the district supervisor discussing inventory and upcoming work details in the Grand Marias area. Wahlstrom also spent time at annual in-service training.
CO Hudson Ledeen (Hovland) reports the inland lakes are holding onto more than 2 feet of solid ice. Some local anglers are still ice fishing for panfish, while most other anglers have long called it a wrap on the ice fishing season. Steelhead fishing continues its slow start as water temperatures remain in the low 30s. Time was also spent at Camp Ripley for annual training.
CO Anthony Bermel (Babbitt) attended training and worked anglers on the North Shore. Ice is pulling away from the shorelines, and most people have given up on ice fishing for the season. Enforcement action for the week included fishing without a license or trout stamp and for lighting a wildfire due to careless handling of a cigarette.
CO Megan Franzen (Silver Bay) spent time this week attending annual training at Camp Ripley. Time was also spent checking anglers across the local rivers and streams, and activity has been increasing. Anglers, however, are noting varied to little success as water temperatures remain relatively low.
CO Trent Anderson (Tofte) focused on angling enforcement for the week. Anglers were checked fishing area tributaries and Lake Superior. The steelhead bite remains slow with lingering winter-like conditions. Equipment maintenance was conducted in preparation for the upcoming warm weather season.
District 5 - Eveleth area CO Darrin Kittelson (International Falls #1) reports the spring catch-and-release walleye season on the Rainy River ended, and now people turn their attention to sturgeon catch and release. The ATV activity has also picked up in the area, along with the animal-related complaints. Enforcement action for the week mainly involved failure to have required boat safety equipment and boat registration issues.
CO Curtis Simonson (International Falls #2) reports working the Rainy River this past week and monitoring trapping activity in the area. Fishing reports were slow on the Rainy River as the water has gotten dirty and is full of debris.
CO John Slatinski IV (Ray) reports rivers have started to let loose and bring life back to some of the once frozen winter wildlife travel ways. Beavers and otters are quick to regain a presence in the open waters. Water levels are up but are expected to quickly recede to normal levels as the open water progresses to the bigger reservoirs. There’s been an uptick in ATV activity as the seasonal change draws people back outdoors. Be mindful of conditions along with seasonal trail closures and operate accordingly. Slatinski also spent some time on a litter incident, with garbage and remains of a campfire left in a public access area. Dock work continues to be monitored as damage from ice movement over the winter is revealed.
CO Troy Fondie (Orr) reports station lakes remain ice covered and have begun to deteriorate, and no angling activity was observed. Small streams and creeks have opened. Area forest roads continue to be monitored as spring road closures are in effect. Equipment work was prevalent over the week. Other time was spent answering a variety of questions on a variety of outdoor topics.
CO Sean Cannon (Cook) Spent time at Camp Ripley for training this week. Time was also spent checking ice anglers along with monitoring trapping and ATV activity.
CO Aaron Larson (Tower) worked primarily angling and trapping. Larson spent time checking crappie anglers who were targeting small open patches of water. He also checked for ATV activity in his station. Violations included a couple of anglers fishing in a closed spawning area.
CO Marc Johnson (Hibbing) primarily worked ATV and trapping activity. Much of the week was spent at Camp Ripley for in-service training. In addition, online training and administrative duties were completed.
CO Shane Zavodnik (Virginia) spent time attending spring in-service training at Camp Ripley over the week. Additional time was spent investigating several trespass complaints, which included taking enforcement action on one individual. ATV activity has steadily increased as temperatures become more favorable around the region.
CO Duke Broughten (Aurora) spent the week monitoring fishing, trapping, and ATV activity. The slow spring warmup has limited outdoor recreational activities. Lake ice is slowly deteriorating. Broughten fielded calls regarding abandoned property, boat registration, and youth safety classes.
Aviation Section
CO Pilot Jason Jensen (Brainerd) reports attending in-service training and flying TFO camera operator training flights.
CO Pilot Tim Gray (Bemidji) flew flights for the new TFO training and attended in-service training at Camp Ripley.
