Weekly CO report

District 3 - Fergus Falls area

CO Hanna Wood (Fergus Falls) focused enforcement efforts on angling, and recreational vehicle enforcement. Time was also spent on follow up for turkey and public waters/ wetland violation cases. She also assisted DNR Fisheries one night with Muskie tagging.

CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) worked a busy fishing opener weekend with several enjoying the nice weather. Violations encountered were no license in possession, expired boat registration, fishing without a license, ATV violations, and keeping illegal length fish.

CO Ryan Brown (Elbow Lake) reports checking boating, ATV and angling activity during the week and into the fishing opener. Northerns were the primary fish that were found within angler bag limits. Enforcement action this week included insufficient amount of life jackets on board, northern within the slot, and failure to renew watercraft registration.

CO Shane Osborne (Evansville) checked fishermen, boats, ATVs and minnow dealers. Life jacket and license violations were prominent over the fishing opener weekend. A complaint about a dam backing up water was received and investigated.

CO Jake Homan (Alexandria) spent the week preparing for the upcoming fishing opener. Time was spent checking area lakes for angling activity. With warmth the panfish bite is starting to pick up. Enforcement action was taken on a variety of angling and ATV violations.

CO Felicia Znajda (Osakis) spent the busy fishing opener patrolling lakes in Todd and Douglas County. Numerous anglers were out on Saturday, with a few less on Sunday due to the high winds. Anglers keeping slot northerns and boating safety violations were the most encountered issue. Officer Znajda also served on Honor Guard earlier in the week posting the colors for a police conference.

CO Bobby Stringer (Wheaton) reports a successful fishing opener with no accidents noted and plenty of fish in live wells. Despite windy conditions, watercraft operators-maintained distance from neighboring vessels and instilled a neighborly approach at lake access points. Stringer wants to remind operators to review the boating guide and pay particular attention to PFD requirements. Enforcement action for the week included trespassing on agricultural lands, failure to correctly display watercraft registration, gunwale/transom riding, no type IV throwable, and burning prohibited material.

CO Emily Douvier (Morris) reports working fishing and boating activities. Enforcement action was taken for taking fish in a closed season, fishing without a license, and registration issues.

CO Daniel Baumbarger (Glenwood) reports enforcement effort for the week were concentrated on checking fishermen, boaters, and ATV operators. Additional time was spent checking turkey hunters and following up on complaints of people keeping bass out of season.

Back to top