DNR returns disputed 52-inch muskie to Mound man
MOUND, Minn. (AP) -- The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has resolved a big muskie mix-up.
The agency has returned the 52-inch fish to a Mound angler who caught it through the ice of Lake Minnetonka on Jan. 13.
Tom James kept the muskie after checking the DNR's regulation booklet and finding the season was listed as closing Feb. 24. The agency actually had closed the season on Dec. 15, but James and many other anglers weren't aware of the change.
A conservation officer gave James a written warning but no fine. The DNR at first kept the fish, then gave it back earlier this week.
DNR Commissioner Mark Holsten says the agency made a mistake by making the midseason change without enough publicity.
James still plans to have the muskie mounted and displayed in his home.
