The Fishing Hall of Fame of Minnesota has named longtime fishing guide and fishing ambassador Tom Neustrom of Grand Rapids among individuals and companies to be inducted in the hall on March 28. Other inductees include Duane Peterson of Northland Fishing Tackle, angler and teacher LeRoy Ras, Vexilar and Northland Fishing Tackle.
Neustrom has been a promoter of the fishing industry for 33 years and a multi-species fishing guide in the Grand Rapids area who has written about fishing for several publications.
Neustrom is active in Minnesota’s Fishing Roundtable. He’s a member of the Red Lake Advisory Council and Minnesota’s Walleye Advisory Committee. Neustrom was inducted into the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame in 2009.
Peterson is a lure innovator, product promoter and goodwill ambassador for fishing. He founded Northland Fishing Tackle in 1975. He has sat on the Minnesota Walleye Advisory Committee and the Upper Red Lake Management Committee and is a veteran of more than 250 fishing tournaments.
DNR: Milder winter will help deer population rebound
If this winter’s mild conditions persist, those conditions combined with a conservative deer harvest last fall could help the state’s white-tailed deer populations, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wildlife officials say.
“Now past the halfway mark in a typical winter season, most areas of Minnesota are accumulating relatively few points on the winter severity index (WSI) map,” said Jeff Lightfoot, regional wildlife manager with the DNR at Grand Rapids. “Last year at this time, indices in much of northern Minnesota were already building toward a severe winter.”
The winter severity index is a general measure of winter conditions based on prolonged cold temperatures and deep snow that can restrict deer movement and access to food. The WSI in most of northern Minnesota was 79 or less as of Monday.
End-of-season values less than 100 indicate a mild winter. End-of-season values more than 180 indicate a severe winter. In general, northern Minnesota wildlife managers start seeing significant increased fawn mortality around 130 to 150; does around 180. Of the two factors, deep snow is the greater challenge for deer because of the energy expended to navigate in it and its effect on food availability as snow continues to cover food sources.
An area can accumulate points each day throughout the winter season. One point is assigned when the daily temperature reaches zero degrees or lower, and another point is assigned when snow depth is 15 inches or more. Each day can accumulate 0, 1 or 2 points.
Fishing shelters must go
Ice fishing shelters in Minnesota must be removed by midnight March 16 on lakes north of a line formed by U.S. Highway 10, east along Minnesota Highway 34 to Minnesota Highway 200, east along Highway 200 to U.S. Highway 2, and east along Highway 2 to the Minnesota-Wisconsin border.
