Voyageurs National Park Superintendent Bob DeGross shared the following updates on park projects and programs. Natural and Cultural Resources Team - Lead, Brian Harmon: With last year’s announcement by the state that zebra mussel veligers were discovered in Black Bay on Rainy Lake we have been working diligently to minimize the risk of spread into the Namakan Basin by establishing an Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) decontamination station at the Kettle Falls portage.
Hunter-harvested, unprocessed wild game bird meat or carcasses that originate in or go through Canada will be permitted to enter the United States, per a Sept. 12 update by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Plant and Animal Health Inspection Service.
Sediment fingerprinting of a water body is a way to find where sediment pollution is coming from when the source is not exactly clear. A community update on a Littlefork River Sediment Fingerprinting Project by Itasca Soil & Water Conservation District and Koochiching County Farm Bureau will be held at the Littlefork Community Building from 4-6 p.m. Sept. 28.
STAFF REPORT Hunter-harvested, unprocessed wild game bird meat or carcasses that originate in or go through Canada will be permitted to enter the United States,… Login to continue reading Login…
Dusty Battalion, Cloquet, shows off a nice walleye caught below the dam on the river. Rainy River is a very active fishery from now until freeze up. Those who angle here regularly enjoy it because you never know what you are going to hook. Anything is possible, from sturgeon, northern pike, walleye, perch, bass, crappies and even bluegills were caught this summer.
This fishing season will be remembered as one for the books with the unprecedented water levels that removed the visual shoreline and changed the overall landscape that anglers were used to. The fish were still there, we just had to work harder to locate them. Because of the unique water conditions, we heavily relied on technology to help out this season. This included GPS, depth finders, under water cameras and side view imaging. These tools made pursuing those fish much more enjoyable. Like a lot of Rainy Lake anglers, I remember the days when anglers did not have the luxury of technology of GPS, electric trolling motors or depth finders to rely on to zero in on unsuspecting walleyes and crappies. Deep reefs went mostly unfished. Our focus was primarily shoreline reefs and weed beds. This style of fishing has remained the same but with the advent of side view sonar the fish can be visually seen as opposed to simply swimming away. This has added another dimension in the pursuit of our favorite game fish of walleye, bass and crappie. Back in the ‘70s, most anglers would fish when they were schooled up in the spring and fall. Now more anglers can enjoy the sport year around because of the technology that allows viewing what’s on the bottom of the lake and all around a watercraft. Years ago, anglers actually kept handwritten journals to notate important fishing information including weather, depth, structure, etc. Now it’s as simple as dropping a waypoint. This technology creates some concern for the fishery and its sustainability to remain the trophy destination it’s always been. Even though I, along with other anglers, struggled locating crappies this summer with the high-water conditions, walleyes and bass were great producers. The general consensus is that the seasonal fishing pattern was running a couple weeks off of the norm. With the high-water conditions, we had more area to cover and if you moved and moved and moved, the fish could be located. Because
Minnesotans are proud of our natural resources. We want to protect our water, land, and all the wildlife they support. To ensure the future of these natural treasures, we need to re-examine and modify our lawn care practices.
Monday CO Darrin Kittelson (International Falls #1) reports time was spent instructing at Camp Ripley Academy 21 for sport fishing enforcement. Bear baiting was monitored throughout the station, as was ATV activity.