Are they Crazy or Right? (trespass laws)

Long story short:

I went and knocked on doors to try and gain permission to a private pond for minnow trapping.

The first owner wasn’t home (they own 95% of it).

The second owner (5%) was home. He was very standoffish, arms crossed and head shaking. He told me that according to the MN riparian laws that even if I got permission from the other land owner that I would be trespassing??

That doesn’t seem possible to me, and I cannot find anything online that would back it up.

Is he a crazy hermit and full of it??

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Once you gain access to the water you should be good to go. He just doesnt want you out there. I would check with a CO regardless, but once on the water, unless it is some stupid shallow lake where droughts often happen there is no way they can own the actual water.

If you access through the other property with permission then you are golden. We dealt with a guy like that when duck hunting. He was mad the neighbors allowed us to gain access to a shared property pond. But because we had permission we were golden, was told that by the sheriff

Yes –

Is he a crazy hermit and full of it??

Maybe don’t use transparent markings if you’re trying to block out things

Looks very close to almost road right of way distance too. I agree if you can legally get to the water it wont matter. Does that creek into it on the east side come from a public area?

https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/waters/watermgmt_section/pwpermits/waterlaws.html

I’d set up a trail cam to watch that trap. Sounds like that guy would mess with it.

January 23, 2024 at 2:23 pm
#2249605
Long story short:

I went and knocked on doors to try and gain permission to a private pond for minnow trapping.

The first owner wasn’t home (they own 95% of it).

The second owner (5%) was home

If it’s water no one owns it. All you need is access to it, if there is no public access to it.

Imagine being disgruntled about minnow trapping I’d tell the 5 percent guy to pound sand and have a party on the ice ha. If permission was granted from the 95 percent that is lol

Bearcat89 wrote:

If you access through the other property with permission then you are golden. We dealt with a guy like that when duck hunting. He was mad the neighbors allowed us to gain access to a shared property pond. But because we had permission we were golden, was told that by the sheriff

I encountered the same issue years ago duck hunting too. Three archery hunters came out of the woods on the other side of the pond and tried harassing me until I left. I confirmed with local law enforcement afterwards that it was ok as long as I stayed in the water and off that leased land. Never saw those guys again, went back a week later and shot a few more ducks.

I can’t keep a neighbor from accessing his own side of a pond. He can do what he wants and grant permission to others to access or use it. That being said, I wouldn’t love the idea of a guy hunting or fishing a pond that’s clearly on my side of a property line, just because “I don’t own the water.” That’s a mutual respect type deal.

It’s a pond with 2 owners, regardless of what percent each owns. I would get my minnow’s elsewhere. Not worth the drama or hard feelings ,even if the neighbors in the wrong