Okay, so that's not exactly how things went down, but.... I was out on Lake Calhoun last night in search of a few bass and maybe, just maybe, a tiger muskie or two.  Well, got out there, fired up the trolling motor and I got a little lesson last night. Actually, I got taught a few.  First, 3/4 full on the trolling motor battery monitor means roughly 12 minutes of trolling motor power before the system gives out.  Okay, my fault. I got lazy and didn't plug in the charger the night before. So, fishing buddy Jacob and I drifted around on Calhoun and eventually made our way into Lake of the Isles. That's when we welcomed a canoe up next to the boat.  The guy in the canoe had a handgun, a patch on his shoulder and a big smile.  Conservation Officer Thor Nelson was busy paddling Calhoun, Cedar and Lake of the Isles, stopping folks to make sure they were following the rules of the lakes.   Great to see him out.  Found out he's a fellow ringneck hunter. I won't be surprised if we hunt together this fall.  Oh, and in case you are wondering, we passed our boat  inspection.  Proper fishing licenses, plenty of life vests, a floatable and a fire extinguisher WITH a full charge.  He did stop by later in the evening as we trailered the boat to tell us to get our navigational lights up a bit earlier next time we're out.  No later than sunset.   I'm happy whenever I see Department of Natural Resources officers out and about.  Frankly, I wish there were many, many more of them in this state. I remember reading a letter awhile back addressed to the state from CO Roger Lueth. He was a seasoned conservation officer close to retirement.  In his letter, I remember him stating that Minnesota was 45th out of 50 states when it came to the ratio of conservation officers per hunter/fisherman.  Crazy if you ask me. Especially when you think of the resources we're trying to protect in this state.  Earlier this spring, I was also stopped over in Wisconsin by a first year officer.  Great to see him out as well.  I chuckle a bit because he walked out of the deep woods along a fairly remote trout stream.  I remember thinking, "he came out of nowhere."  "Where the heck do they come from?" And yes, I passed that inspection as well.   Anyway, CO Nelson, consider this a "thanks" and I'll get my nav lights on before the sun hits the horizon next time.