Minnesota ice anglers who fish inland waters south of a line connecting Detroit Lakes, Walker, the Floodwood area and Proctor must remove fish houses, dark houses and all portable shelters by the end of Monday, March 7, the state Department of Natural Resources announced Tuesday.
The line follows Minnesota Highway 34 in the west, Minnesota Highway 200 in the middle of the state and U.S. Highway 2 in the east. North of that line, all inland ice fishing houses must be removed by the end of March 21, the DNR said.
Exceptions include a March 31 deadline for Lake of the Woods and all other Minnesota-Canada border waters. The deadline for shelter removal on Minnesota-Wisconsin border waters is March 1, while anglers on waters that border North Dakota and South Dakota have until the end of March 5.
"Anglers with permanent houses on the lakes should be reminded that the removal date for those shelters is approaching along with warmer temperatures," said DNR Conservation Officer Tony Salzer of Ham Lake. "Please remove your ice shelters early if ice conditions begin to deteriorate."
After removal dates, shelters may remain on the ice between midnight and one hour before sunrise only when occupied. Storing or leaving shelters on a public access is prohibited.
For inland Wisconsin waters south of Highway 64, ice fishing shelters must be removed daily and when not occupied at the end of March 6. North of Highway 64, the deadline is one week later.
Tony Kennedy • 612-673-4213
