Two Winnipeg men who lied to a conservation officer during an inspection on Lake of the Woods have been convicted and fined nearly $15,000.
According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, the officer interviewed the pair at a cottage at Clearwater Bay on March 19, 2016.
Court was told that there was evidence of recent ice-fishing activity in front of the cottage.
During the inspection, however, both anglers made multiple false and misleading statements to the officer.
A subsequent investigation confirmed they had both engaged in illegal fishing, including angling for lake trout in a closed area and using restricted fishing gear.
A Justice of the Peace recently fined them $5,000 each for obstructing an officer and making false statements, plus additional penalties for various infractions of fishing regulations.
Their fishing equipment was confiscated to the Crown, and both men are barred from fishing in Ontario for two years.
