Anglers caught with 59 walleyes over their limit -- Also forfeit boat, motor and trailer under gross overlimits law (2004-06-15)

A phone call from an alert sportsman helped DNR conservation officers nab two anglers from Illinois on June 11 who were found to have 59 walleyes over their limit, with 30 of those over the slot size on Rainy Lake.

"The credit goes to the set of extra set of eyes that helped us out," said Conservation Officer Lloyd Steen, who responded to the call. "They knew something was wrong, were very concerned about the illegal activity, and gave us a call."

Charged with gross misdemeanors for overlimit of walleye and possession of walleye over the legal slot limit were Todd Gross, 39, Springfield, Ill., and Robert Rogers, 36, Carlinville, Ill. They each face a fine of up to $3,000, one year in jail or both.

In addition to being fined and paying restitution charges of $3,950, the men also forfeited their 16-foot boat, 25 horsepower motor and trailer under the enhanced gross overlimits law passed by the Minnesota Legislature in 2003.

"It's a classic intentional violations case and we had no choice to but to hand out the maximum penalty," Steen said. "I'm glad were we able apprehend these anglers, but it's sad to know how much of this is going on that we are not catching."

Conservation Officer Dave Rorem assisted Steen. They responded to a call from a citizen who had observed the suspects filleting fish for 45 minutes on Deer Island. The officers stayed in phone contact with the tipster until they located the anglers, who were about to leave the island.

The officers proceeded to the public access to investigate. Upon arrival, they learned the anglers, who were in Minnesota for a week, had 19 walleyes over their limit and 10 over the slot size. The suspects later admitted to having more fish back at a local motel. There it was discovered they had 40 more walleyes, including 20 over the slot size.

Anyone observing illegal fishing activity should contact the local conservation officer, local DNR office or the Turn-In-Poacher hotline at 1-800-652-9093.

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