This letter shows that legal and illegal gill netting is going on all over the state. The DNR doesn’t pay much attention unless there is a lot of ruckus raised. Typically most everything goes under the heading “allowed in the treaties” whether or not that area is treaty-specific.
Doug
President, PERM
Letters to the Editor
Outdoor News, Vol. 52, No. 23 June 7, 2019
What’s so special about the gill nets in Boulder Lake?
Wow. So the DNR is finally going to look at gill nets in Boulder Lake? Well, what’s so special about Boulder Lake? What about the other lakes, like Leech, Cass, Portage, (south of Bena)? I could go on, but you get the point.
I live on Leech Lake, and I have seen numerous gill nets. I have taken pictures of the gut piles of walleyes (they are at least cleaned). Northerns and a few muskies are left to the eagles and bears to eat whole. I have attended DNR meetings, called the TIP hotline, been told to call the tribal department, and so far all complaints have fallen on deaf ears.
No one seems to give a hoot about the pictures of the waste and the number of walleyes netted.
I have friends who live on Cass, Winnie, and Portage. They tell me they see the same thing. I know many of the Leech Lake guides and resort owners; they see the same thing. It’s pretty much common knowledge.
I just wonder what is so special about Boulder Lake that the DNR got so worked up about it. They don’t seem too worked up about any of the other lakes in the area.
Joe A. Vandenheuvel Walker
