New Web site to track fall colors unveiled by DNR (September 2, 2008)

People can now follow the changing fall colors like never before with the help of a new Web page unveiled today by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

“Minnesotans traditionally like to get out and hike, bike, camp or just take a scenic drive to enjoy the splendors of our fall colors,” said DNR Commissioner Mark Holsten. “This new site provides a variety of information that helps them do just that.”

Minnesota state park staff updates the fall color information every Thursday, just in time for the weekend.

The new site features a color-coded map that shows where the fall colors are at their peak. There is a “top picks” section, which highlights the Minnesota state parks with the best options for viewing fall colors and the best viewing areas within each of the 72 state parks and recreation areas.

People can also upload photos on the site, sharing their fall color experiences with fellow Minnesotans.

To view the DNR’s fall colors page, visit www.mndnr.gov.

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Minnesota DNR Fishing Piers

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has three added three new fishing piers to Minnesota lakes this summer. They are located on Lake Isabel in Dakota County, Lake Preston in Renville County and Clear Lake in LeSueur County.
The fishing pier grant program, created in 1984 by the State Legislature, has led to the installation of more than 300 fishing piers, platforms or shore fishing sites statewide.

“The purpose of the program is to improve fishing opportunities. We especially want to meet the needs of children, elderly, people with disabilities and those without a boat,” explained Nancy Stewart, fishing pier coordinator for the DNR.

In most cases, the DNR provides the fishing pier (built by MinnCor industries) while local governments provide the accessible walkway/path, accessible parking space and ongoing maintenance.

For example, a DNR cooperative agreement with the city of Hastings resulted in the construction of a new pier in Isabel Park at Lake Isabel in Dakota County. Besides the accessible parking and pathway, the city provided an accessible ramp and gangway to the pier.

“People were fishing from the pier, and catching fish before installation was complete,” Stewart said.

The fishing pier grant program is quite popular and local governments have submitted 65 applications seeking funding. There is not enough money to go around, Stewart added, so some communities have done fundraising to make their project a higher priority. The Buffalo Lake Rod and Gun Club raised $10,000 for a new pier on Lake Preston in Renville County. With even more donations promised after installation, they will have paid for 90 percent of the pier, which is located at the lake’s public water access.

A community can also come together to form partnerships on projects, like the
Clear Lake pier project in LeSueur County. The DNR installed the pier and the county will take care of the ongoing maintenance through a cooperative agreement. The pier was funded by donations from the Waseca Hockey Association, the New Prague Sportsmen Club, the LeCenter Isaac Walton League and the Montgomery Sportsmen Club. This pier is in Clear Lake County Park on the west shore, four miles north of LeCenter.

For more information on the grant program or to find a fishing pier, platform or developed shorefishing area, go to

Walleye Fishing Tips

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Jigs used mostly are 1/4 oz and smaller. Heavier jigs used in current like in Rainy River or early spring on the Mississippi:
We find some great deals on bulk jigs at Fishing Minnesota Tackle Shack
The color of the jig heads is not that important. The color of the rubber or bait you attach makes the difference. In the spring or at night, the walleyes are in shallow water so you would want to use a lighter jig like a 3/8 oz or even smaller. During the day or in the Summer when it's warm and sunny, the Walleyes go deeper so you may want to use a heavier jig like a 1/4 oz.

Twister Tails - 2 inch inch single and double tail

In the spring, the hot colors are white, bright yellow, bright red and black. As Spring turns into Summer, you will find that white and bright yellow slow down as the best colors. Black always works but you should try a dark smoky yellow or a transparent green as the water warms up.

Many people believe that bright colors work in the Spring because the Walleye are still in protection mode over their spawning grounds and that they hit your jig on the act of defending and not eating.
Worm Harness:

In the Summer when it gets hot out, many of the big trophy Walleyes go deep. In this case, you should try drifting really slowly in the deep water with a worm harness. To keep your worm harness off the bottom, many people use a three-way-swivel set-up which is used with Lake Trout techniques. Below is a diagram.

Rapalas or Thunder Sticks:

In the Spring, the best way to catch a big Walleye is to troll along the shoreline just before dark or at day-break with a Rapala or Thunder Stick. A 3 or 4 inch Original Floating Rapala or a Junior Thunder Stick with a little touch of liquid fish scent will bring in the big ones.

Rapalas and Thunder Sticks are also good in the summer. You can fish for those suspended deep water Walleyes or troll shallow along weed beds and drop-offs.

In the Spring the best colors are red, chartreuse, blue and most of all "Fire Tiger". As Spring turns into Summer, silver and brown pick up as the other colors die off. The one color combination that works all year is "Fire Tiger". It's probably the best color combination every created.

Clean Boating Act of 2008

July 28, 2008

Chicago, IL - The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) hailed the passage of H.R. 5949/S. 2766, the Clean Boating Act of 2008, in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Passage of this legislation, which has been the top legislative priority for NMMA during the 110th Congress, will permanently and fully restore a longstanding, commonsense regulation that excludes recreational boaters and anglers from the federal and state permitting requirements under the Clean Water Act designed for land-based industrial facilities and ocean-going commercial ships.
Introduced by Senators Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) in the Senate and by Representatives Steve LaTourette (R-Ohio) and Candice Miller (R-Mich.) in the House, the Clean Boating Act of 2008 will prevent federal and state permitting of water-based, non-polluting incidental discharges that occur in the normal operation of a recreational boat, such as weather deck run-off and engine coolant water.

“The Senate and House have acted swiftly, and we appreciate the bipartisan nature of their action to protect the recreational marine industry, the American boating public and our natural resources. This is an historic victory for our 1,700 members and for boaters across the nation who just love being out on the water unencumbered by unnecessary government red tape and significant legal jeopardy,” said Scott Gudes, NMMA vice president of government relations. “Congress has acted decisively to keep boating fun, safe and simple.”

This new regulation, set to become law on October 1, 2008 if Congress had not acted, was the result of an overbroad federal court decision in a case focused on commercial ship ballast water. The unintended consequence of the decision would have meant that recreational boaters and other vessel operators would be required to follow a multitude of new rules and regulations and been exposed to fines (up to $32,500 per day, per violation) and citizen lawsuits.

“Both the House and Senate have sent a positive message to the nation’s 73 million boaters through the passage of these critical pieces of legislation” noted NMMA president, Thom Dammrich. “After a long road on Capitol Hill, the bill is now ready for the President’s signature into law. We encourage the President to act fast in signing this bill to stave off unprecedented and unnecessary new regulations on America’s boaters and anglers.”

Passage of the Clean Boating Act, a genuine bipartisan, good-government bill, was made possible by a large number of committed legislators on both sides of the political aisle. NMMA extends its special thanks to Senators Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Mel Martinez (R-Fla.), Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and all of the 39 cosponsors of the bill in the Senate. In the House, Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee James Oberstar (D-Minn.), Ranking Member John Mica (R-Fla.), Representatives Steve LaTourette (R-Ohio), Candice Miller (R-Mich.), Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) and all the many cosponsors of the bill are to be thanked and congratulated for their hard work and skillful leadership.

At the same time it passed the Clean Boating Act, Congress also passed H.R. 6556/S. 3278, legislation to provide a moratorium on permitting for commercial vessel discharges until the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) completes a review of certain incidental discharges. This legislation was the product of extensive negotiations between Senators Murkowski, Boxer, Nelson and Murray as well as Representatives Oberstar, Taylor and others. NMMA congratulates these Members of Congress on achieving this consensus measure to provide relief for commercial craft.

Kabetogama/Namakan Fishing Report July 21, 2008

Looking For A New Boat? Check Out Minnesota Boat Store!
Summertime has arrived in splendid fashion; although we do remain on the cool side, which suits most outdoor enthusiasts.
Lake winds have been down or very tolerable, allowing anglers to travel by water to enjoy the park, or get to their favorite memorable fishing spots.
Anglers haven’t been disappointed, as the lakes still offer a good bite for a range of species. Especially noted this week was a sharp increase in pike action.
Northern pike are taking all angler offerings, much to the liking or dismay of anglers. Pike have started getting aggressive in shallow waters either amongst the weeds or reef edges.
Walleyes for the most part are stationed on the reefs or near submerged structures as the mayfly hatch is coming to an end.
Saugers and stray walleyes are being caught frequently in depths under 18’; however, the strongest walleye action is around the 24-30’ range.
Bait selection is an angler’s choice; use the bait you are the most proficient with. Reports of consistent catches are being heard about leeches, crawlers and minnows. Note the best sauger action is minnows.
Smallmouth bass are primarily hanging near rock and gravel structures looking for crayfish and baitfish. A footnote to this is don’t forget casting shorelines with surface or semi-surface lures; you’ll be surprised what you catch in addition to smallmouth.
Walleye hunters look for lake bottom structures that have depressions, humps or an outcropping of rock structures with rapid changing depths for best results.

CHEAP FUEL FOR YOUR CAR!

PRELIMINARY PLANS
TO RUN YOUR CAR ON TAP WATER!
IT ALSO WORKS ON YOUR
TRUCK / RV / MOTORCYCLE / AIRPLANE (ETC)

Jeep's For Sale
Will This Work?
The text sent from the anonymous individual was edited slightly for better reading. The following is his/her words and drawings, which has been given into the public domain.
— Spirit of Ma’at LLC
http://www.spiritofmaat.com/archive/feb2/carplans_doc.htm

These plans were sent to the Spirit of Ma'at anonymously, from someone who does not want his or her name printed (for obvious reasons).
We have had them checked by an expert who believes that they are real.
We also have talked with another individual who has patented a similar device, and we know by personal experience that the technology is sound.
So although we cannot guarantee it, we believe these plans will enable you to build a car that runs on water.
If you test it out, though, do as the writer suggests and use an old car that doesn't represent a loss of value if you can't make it work. And leave everything intact so that you can always reconnect back to gas if you have to.
But if you do get it working, please send us your experience for our readers. You could be a national hero and help save our country and our world.
We know for certain that an automobile will run on water. So this could be an interesting project for you mechanical types, with a great reward of never having to purchase gasoline for the rest of your life — and helping humanity at the same time.

Re The Need to Rustproof Your Exhaust System
It is possible to make a hybrid of both gas and water (a system that is being tested now in Mexico), which would eliminate the need to open the head and remove the exhaust system. Just a thought. It takes only a small amount of gas to keep the system dry.

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People have been fishing for thousands of years. Every person fishing has had the same problem - finding fish and getting them to bite. Although sonar can’t make the fish bite, it can solve the problem of finding fish. You can’t catch them if you’re not fishing where they are - and the Lowrance sonar will prove it

In the late 1950s, Carl Lowrance and his sons Arlen and Darrell began scuba diving to observe fish and their habits. This research, substantiated by local and federal government studies, found that about 90 percent of the fish congregated in 10 percent of the water on inland lakes. As environmental conditions changed, the fish would move to more favorable areas. Their dives confirmed that most species of fish are affected by underwater structure (such as trees, weeds, rocks, and drop-offs), temperature, current, sunlight and wind. These and other factors also influence the location of food (baitfish, algae and plankton). Together, these factors create conditions that cause frequent relocation of fish populations.
During this time, a few people were using large, cumbersome sonar units on fishing boats. Working at low frequencies, these units used vacuum tubes which required car batteries to keep them running. Although they would show a satisfactory bottom signal and large schools of fish, they couldn’t show individual fish. Carl and his sons began to conceptualize a compact, battery operated sonar that could detect individual fish. After years of research, development, struggle and simple hard work, a sonar was produced that changed the fishing world forever. Out of this simple beginning, a new industry was formed in 1957 with the sale of the first transistorized sportfishing sonar. In 1959, Lowrance introduced “The Little Green Box,” which became the most popular sonar instrument in the world. All transistorized, it was the first successful sportfishing sonar unit. More than a million were made until 1984, when it was discontinued due to high production costs. We’ve come a long way since 1957. From “little green boxes” to the latest in sonar and GPS technology, Lowrance continues to lead in the world of sportfishing sonar.

How it Works

The word "sonar" is an abbreviation for "SOund, NAvigation and Ranging." It was developed as a means of tracking enemy submarines during World War II. A sonar consists of a transmitter, transducer, receiver and display.

In the simplest terms, an electrical impulse from a transmitter is converted into a sound wave by the transducer and sent into the water. When this wave strikes an object, it rebounds. This echo strikes the transducer, which converts it back into an electric signal, which is amplified by the receiver and sent to the display. Since the speed of sound in water is constant (approximately 4800 feet per second), the time lapse between the transmitted signal and the received echo can be measured and the distance to the object determined. This process repeats itself many times per second.

The frequencies most often used by Lowrance in our sonar are 192 - 200 kHz (kilohertz); we also make some units that use 50 kHz. Although these frequencies are in the sound spectrum, they’re inaudible to both humans and fish. (You don’t have to worry about the sonar unit spooking the fish - they can’t hear it.)

As mentioned earlier, the sonar unit sends and receives signals, then “prints” the echo on the display. Since this happens many times per second, a continuous line is drawn across the display, showing the bottom signal. In addition, echoes returned from any object in the water between the surface and bottom are also displayed. By knowing the speed of sound through water (4800 feet per second) and the time it takes for the echo to be received, the unit can show the depth of the water and any fish in the water.

Fishing Minnesota Electronics-Best Prices For Fishfinders and GPS Units On The Net!




For More Info Go To:Lowrance Electronics

Lake of the Woods and the Rainy River Fishing Report

June 30, 2008

Fishing remains strong around Pine Island and the Lighthouse Gap. The Morris Point and Zippel Bay areas have been giving up nice numbers of walleye and a few sauger. Anchored and jigging in 5-10 feet of water or drifting in 28-32 feet of water pulling spinners has been working well for anglers. Leeches, chub minnows and crawlers are all working equally well. Anglers are catching a variety of fish in the Rainy River. Bait of choice lately has been crawlers and although the fish haven't been deep in the river they will go deeper as the warm weather continues. Sturgeon season opens July 1st so don’t forget to pick up your tag.

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Minnesota Conservation Officer Tales - June 2008

Fishing Minnesota Boat's For Sale Crestliner, Lund, Ranger, Skeeter

Cat Calls

CO Mark Fredin (Aurora) received a number of cat calls. One caller asked if a lion escaped from a zoo because a cat as tall as the hood on his pickup, paws the size of footballs, and a large brown head ran across the road in front of him. Another caller reported seeing a large Black Panther cross their field.

Mail call

CO Tom Sutherland (Hill City) received a call on an unidentified furry animal in an individual's mailbox. After driving to the individual's home, Officer Sutherland opened the mailbox to see a beady eyed creature looking him in the eyes. After examining the creature it appeared some young pranksters had placed a deceased woodchuck in the mailbox to gain a laugh. The owner of the mailbox didn't see it that way. They thought they were going to have a heart-attack when they casually opened their mailbox to retrieve the morning paper.

A conservation officer with another set of eyes

CO Karl Hadrits (Crosby) reports a concerned sportsman with a sharp eye noticed three deer with polished antlers being transported to the local dump. Investigation found that two people had legally taken the deer last muzzleloader season, had never processed them, let them hang in their attached garage for five months to rot, and had now taken them to the county dump for disposal.

This guy should have known better

CO Tim Collette (Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area) came across an angler that told the officer that he did not have a current license, but planned to get one when he went to work that day. When asked where he works, the man said he worked in the fishing department of a local sporting goods store! When asked how many times people had asked him when a new license was needed, the man admitted that he had answered that question many times and knew exactly when it was. Appropriate action was taken.

It was hard for these guys to give you a straight story

CO Bret Grundmeier (Hinckley) responded to a fire call at just after midnight and found two individuals watching an old, run-down house burn. The individuals tried to explain how they were trying to tear apart the house and burn it a little at a time when the burn pile got too close to their house. It was a challenge for the two to get their story straight, or even stand up, due to the case of beer and bottle they were into.

Boater education

CO Randy Hanzal (Brookston) stopped a boater just minutes before he was about to launch a boat carrying a livewell full of potentially contaminated water from a known infested waterway. The boater was educated both verbally and by written paper about the potential harmful effects of careless oversight.

A snack before I go

CO Mitch Sladek (Big Lake) had a report of a bear treed by a yellow lab in the Zimmerman area. CO Sladek advised the concerned citizen to remove all food, garbage and bird feeders, and then remove the dog from the area. The citizen complied but forgot a bag of dog food. The bear did come down from the tree, but proceeded in eating the bag of dog food before leaving the area never to be seen again.

How a misdemeanor becomes a gross misdemeanor

CO Adam Block (Prior Lake) reports an angler was arrested after giving his brother's name and date of birth to the CO. The angler did not have a fishing license but he knew his brother had recently purchased one. After the CO looked at the driver's license photo on his squad computer, of the name given to the officer, he pointed out to the angler that he had falsified his identity. The angler stated he was not aware COs could look up driver's license photos online in their patrol squads. The angler indicated someday technology is going to ruin the world. The angler became angry when he was informed he committed a gross misdemeanor crime by trying to elude a misdemeanor offense.

He came up with the same measurement

CO Alex Gutierrez (Forest Lake) checked an angler coming off the St. Croix River with two walleye, which have to be a minimum of 15 inches. CO Gutierrez had the angler measure the fish himself with one of the walleye measuring about a quarter inch short of 15 inches. The angler got upset stating, "It's just barely short." The angry angler then called a nearby angler to come measure the fish. CO Gutierrez allowed this, in attempt to diffuse the situation, with the same result, a short fish. A citation was issued.

Always ask for permission first

CO Corey Wiebusch (Mankato) assisted a Blue Earth County deputy in locating a group of teens that were trespassing and managed to get their vehicle stuck in the mud. The juveniles stated they were scouting for good catfishing areas. When asked if they knew they were trespassing one individual stated "Yes," but the group planned to find a good spot by the river, build a fort, and then find out who owned the land to ask permission. After some discussion, everyone agreed it would be more logical to get permission prior to entering the land and building a fishing fort.

Mom gives a lesson in taking responsibility for your actions

CO Gary Forsberg (Fergus Falls) received a call from a mother reporting that her 10-year-old son had shot a mallard duck with his pellet gun. The boy claimed he was trying to scare it and accidentally killed the mallard. He, along with his friends, wanted to hide the duck, but mom insisted that the proper thing to do was report it. A talk with the young boys about laws and waterfowl took care of the situation. The mother was given credit for taking responsibility and doing the right thing by calling to report the incident.

Anglers iced on opening day

CO Gary Sommers (Walker) reports a bit of a conflict with the ice on Leech Lake during the fishing opener. As the wind shifted at one point during the day, some ice shifted and blocked the main public access on the west side of Leech Lake for about 6 hours. Of course this occurred just prior to raining, leaving those who wanted to get out of the elements quite surprised, only to learn they had a bit of a walk to get back to the landing. Two resorts allowed those stranded to use the resort boat ramps for loading. At least two boat operators sustained extensive propeller damage as a result of trying to drive through the ice to the landing.

Designated driver to the rescue

CO Brad Schultz (Cook) reports working on fish run activity throughout the week. Numerous conversations were overheard about netting a bunch of these spawning fish so they could finally tell their wives that they caught fish when they went north for the fishing opener. Every time, the designated driver piped up and ordered his passengers into the truck before they did something "stupid."

Propeller helps wrap up case

While checking an angler fishing off his dock, the dark water prevented CO Don Bozovsky (Hibbing) from seeing the fabric that the angler had laid on the lake bottom to kill aquatic vegetation. However, the prop from the outboard found it. The fabric had to be cut off the prop, which was followed by enforcement action.

You owe me a million dollars!

CO Kipp Duncan (Duluth) witnessed a possible "once in a lifetime" event from an up and coming youth female bow hunter. The youth female finished a bow hunter class last month and was practicing at a local archery range with her new bow while her father and a friend watched. Officer Duncan overheard her friend say, "I'll give you a million dollars if you robin-hood an arrow today." Officer Duncan walked into the range area and watched her shoot an arrow into the bullseye. The officer said, "Now the pressure is on because I'm watching." The next arrow was a bullseye and also a robin-hood, which means the arrow stuck into the previous arrow perfectly. The girl started jumping around yelling to her friend, "You owe me a million dollars!"

Fishing for pictures

CO Brent Speldrich (McGregor) received a call of an angler that had caught and kept bass out of season. After locating the suspect vehicle on a nearby township road, and after a consent search, it was determined that, yes, they had caught and kept the bass, but only long enough to take a photo of them before returning them to the water.

You make the call

An angler told CO Bret Grundmeier (Hinckley) said he wasn't using an extra line but just trying to keep the minnow alive. The extra hook and minnow was ten feet out from the boat and suspended 8 feet deep under a bobber.

Species challenged

CO Luke Croatt (Wealthwood) handled a call where a man believed that he had found a rare yellow-billed woodpecker. The Officer informed him it was a common coot.

This is nothing to fight over

CO Todd VanderWeyst (Paynesville) had a call concerning two anglers fighting for a fishing spot on opening night. The anglers were reminded that there are 10,000 lakes in Minnesota with over 5,000 with fishing opportunities, not to mention miles and miles of river angling available.

Over the limit and behavior out of bounds

CO Mike Martin (St. Cloud) discovered an angler with 12 crappies in his bucket and still fishing (two fish over). Several of his friends saw the angler about to receive his summons and became vocal about the officer "picking on" their friend. The other anglers also said that the first guy was fishing with them so he wasn't over-limit. After investigating that they were in fact fishing together the 3 men were issued summons for the 21 crappies (un-cleaned) they had in addition to the 30 cleaned crappies in their cooler (21 fish over limit).

A short-lived celebration

CO Mitch Sladek (Big Lake) checked a gentleman for a fishing license on the Crow River. The guy said he had it up at the house so CO Sladek had him run up to get it. The gentleman returned 20+ minutes later minus a license. He said he had one but couldn't find it. CO Sladek called ELS and they informed him that the gentleman did indeed have a license. The gentleman jumped up and down in celebration. CO Sladek then asked the ELS agent when the man had purchased the license. The agent said, "About 10 minutes ago." The celebration was short-lived.

Soaked in gratitude

CO Aaron Kahre (Minnetonka) and CO Jackie Glaser (Mound) checked a boat on the eve of the fishing opener that contained two men and a very heavy black lab. As the two CO's were checking fishing licenses the black lab became curious about the CO's boat. A second later, the boats were pushed apart and CO Kahre was splashed by the dog taking an accidental midnight swim in the lake. Thanks to CO Kahre's quick actions, the dog was lifted into the CO's boat. The friendly pooch showed his gratitude for the rescue by shaking himself dry on everything in the boat, including CO Glaser. The dog was returned without incident to a very grateful and embarrassed owner.

The race was on for helpful anglers

CO Doug Lage (Marshall) was pulling into the parking area of a very popular fishing spot the eve of the fishing opener, when a sharp object punctured the squad's front tire. Five anglers came to the officer's aid, "Working in almost NASCAR speed." At 11 PM the anglers stated, "We have to have the tire changed before midnight," so the race was on. The tire was changed with pit crew efficiency, and much thanks by the officer.

The long reach of the law

CO Pilot Don Murray (Grand Rapids) assisted with a fleeing case involving an ATV operator that fled into the woods trying to avoid a State Patrol officer. After a short search the operator eventually decided to give himself up when he heard the sound of Murray's search aircraft flying overhead.

Permission denied

A landowner asked CO Greg Oldakowski (Wadena) if he could shoot a nuisance pheasant. When the officer inquired into why the pheasant was a problem, the man replied that it crows at about 4:40 AM interrupting his sleep. In addition, after hearing strange tapping noises in the basement, the landowner found the rooster in a window well tapping at the windows trying to get at bugs behind the screens, which were eventually torn off by the pesky rooster. The landowner stated that he fed the pheasants behind his house all winter, and now its time for them to go. Permission denied.

Gas prices lead to new use for boat

An angler let CO Scott Staples (Carlton) know that he was now fishing from shore because of the high gas prices. The new plan for his boat was to put it in the front yard, fill it with dirt, and plant flowers in it.

Boating and driving while intoxicated

CO Gary Forsberg (Fergus Falls) assisted the Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office with an intoxicated boater. The party had been involved in a motor vehicle rollover earlier in the evening. Upon returning to the cabin he was advised to wait for the deputy to arrive, instead he took the boat and went out into the lake. The party was found in the boat with no navigational lights on and was arrested by for Boating While Intoxicated and an outstanding warrant for Driving While Intoxicated.

Surrounded by timber wolves?

CO Greg Oldakowski (Wadena) responded to a call of a man and his dog being surrounded by timber wolves. The pair was uninjured in the attack, yet the man stated the wolves followed him down the road while he was in his car. Upon investigating the area, the only canine found was a single longhaired, shepherd type dog, which was found within feet of the area where the alleged wolf attack had occurred.

You could lose more than a boat cushion

CO Larry Francis (Remer) encountered a father who was following his 11-year-old son in a van, while his son operated his off-highway motorcycle on a state highway. When asked why, the father said they were looking for a boat cushion they had lost while towing their boat. After questioning, he agreed that his boat cushion was not worth his son's safety.

Stop tampering with the signs

CO Colleen Adam (OHV Recreation Officer - Park Rapids) reports in preparation for the Memorial Day Weekend trails and signs were checked only to find once again that several important trail closure signs had been removed. New ones were put in place Friday evening only to discover they were once again missing Saturday morning! Additional signs were put in place. All of this was done at the expense of the OHV accounts and potential for additional damage to the state forests and trails. Please stop tampering with the signs: you may be putting someone else at risk of danger or closed trail violations.

It's not broken, but you're busted

CO Aaron Kahre (Minnetonka) approached a man that told him that he was playing a "supporting role" to his friends who were fishing. CO Kahre asked the man what was on the fishing pole he had next to him. The fisherman stated, "Nothing, the pole is broken." CO Kahre offered to reel in the line for him and caught a nice bullhead with the fisherman's "broken" pole

Angler flunks spelling test

CO Tom Hemker (Winona) reports a situation where a fisherman attempted to give a false name for a fishing license but was found to be lying as he struggled with the spelling of the last name of his friend.
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