District 5 – Eveleth area

CO Troy Fondie (Orr) reports monitoring angling and boating activities on area lakes. ATV activity on area forest roads was checked. Fondie visited public access sites and checked a couple of berry patches. The deer flies were plentiful, but the berries were not. Black bears appear all over the work area and hunters continue with voicing their disappointment in not being able to draw a license given the number of bears. Equipment work continues.

CO Sean Cannon (Cook) spent most of the week and holiday weekend on the water, checking anglers and monitoring boating activity. The bite continues to be slow, but a few anglers have been able to get on decent fish. The holiday weekend was busy on the lakes. Enforcement action taken this week included fishing without a license, operating a PWC during closed hours, operating a PWC in a reckless manner, loud motorboat exhaust, no life jacket, operating without required navigation lights, and gunwale/bow riding.

CO Aaron Larson (Tower) worked primarily angling and recreational boating enforcement. Time was spent on Lake Vermilion and surrounding lakes including in the BWCAW. Enforcement action was taken over the busy holiday weekend including a walleye over-limit, a lake trout over-limit, angling license violations, boating safety equipment, recreational vehicle registration, and the possession of cans and glass in the BWCAW.

CO Shane Zavodnik (Virginia) spent time working ATV and boat and water enforcement over the week. Warm weather brought plenty of people out on the water over the busy Fourth of July weekend. Excessive boat noise, jet ski operation after hours, and alcohol enforcement were the primary focuses over the course of the weekend. Angler success remains mediocre due to bug hatches as of late.

CO Duke Broughten (Aurora) spent the week monitoring boating, ATV, and fishing activity. ATV and boating activity appeared lower than past years, especially for the Fourth of July holiday. Anglers reported limited success. Broughten worked compliance with AIS laws. Broughten also fielded calls regarding boater safety, nuisance animals, and ATV registration.

District 6 – Two Harbors area

CO Sean Williams (Ely #1) reports storms, heat, and rain made for a slow start to the Independence Day holiday. The weather improved for the weekend and ATV, boating, and angling activity was extremely high in the Ely area. Violations included no lifesaving device onboard a watercraft, angling without a license in possession, and failure to remove the boat drain plug.

CO Brent Ihnen (Ely #2) spent time working area lakes for fishing and boating activities. Over the weekend, time was spend working afternoon and evening hours as well.