High water casts suspicion on illegal netting activity

justnorth posted on August 22, 2007 16:52 :: 1047 Views

Early on July 23, Kevin Cook, a DNR Fisheries specialist at the Crystal Springs trout hatchery near Rochester, noticed a van and group of men near the south branch of the Whitewater River. Recent rains have made the river difficult to fish. Cook contacted Rochester Conservation Officer Mitch Boyum.

"About 200 hundred yards from the road I observed four men standing on the bank of the stream," Boyum said. "None of them held or possessed a fishing pole. I watched a large net being cast into the stream by one man while three others assisted in pulling in the net and taking fish out. I watched them do this approximately six times."

Boyum asked Conservation Officer Tom Hemker of Winona to assist.

At about noon, Boyum noticed two of the men walking on the trail toward their vehicle, one carrying a bucket covered with a shirt.

"I approached them and announced myself as a conservation officer and asked to see fishing licenses," Boyum said. "When the man set the bucket down, part of the shirt moved and I could see the bucket was full of fish. I could only see brown trout. I told them to walk to their vehicle and remain with Officer Hemker."

Boyum observed the two other men standing in the stream holding the net.

"As I approached them, they saw me and dropped the net and started to walk away. I announced myself as a conservation officer and told them to stay there, but they kept walking out of sight into the woods," Boyum said. "I cut through the woods and found both of them hiding in tall grass. When I asked them where the net was, they said they did not know and that it was in the stream somewhere.

After the subjects were cited, Boyum returned to the area, searched the bottom of the stream with a pole and located the net. It was then taken as evidence, along with 79 brown trout.

Cited with an over-limit of trout were Carlos M. Bonete, 21, Angel Cardenas, 44, and Carlos Chalco, 47, all of Minneapolis, and Oscar Morocho, 30, Milwaukee, Wis.

The possession limit for stream trout from April 14-Sept. 4 in Olmsted County is five combined (not more than one over 16 inches). Each man faces a fine/restitution of at least $1,000. They were also cited for illegal use/possession of a net to take trout. Bonete was also found to have an active warrant, and was placed under arrest by the Winona County Sheriff's Department and transported to jail. A court date for the fishing violations is set for Aug. 31 in Olmsted County District Court.

"We always say the public is a valuable asset in deterring poaching, but in this instance it was a fellow DNR employee," Boyum said. "My advice is if anyone sees anything suspicious to give us a call or call the Turn-In-Poachers hotline at 1-800-652-9093."