News-Herald Editor Rhonda Silence had success on an ice fishing weekend in Baudette, Minnesota. She caught a few fish, including this 13-inch sauger, a delicious cousin to the walleye. Rhonda checks out the black spots on the top fin, which identifies the fish as a sauger.
Minnesota’s ice fishing shelter removal dates are approaching.
Dark houses, fish houses and portables must be off the ice of inland waters no later than midnight on March 4 in the southern two-thirds of the state and March 18 in the northern third. Enforcement action will be taken if shelters are left after the deadlines.
The March 4 removal deadline applies to waters south of a line starting at the Minnesota-North Dakota border near Moorhead along U.S. Highway 10, then east along Highway 34 to Minnesota Highway 200, east along Highway 200 to U.S. Highway 2, and east along Highway 2 to the Minnesota-Wisconsin border near Duluth. The March 18 deadline applies to waters north of that line.
For border waters, the shelter removal deadlines are: Minnesota – Iowa, Feb. 20; Minnesota – Wisconsin, March 1; Minnesota – North Dakota and South Dakota, March 5; Minnesota – Canada, March 31.
Anglers are advised to remove shelters earlier, if ice conditions warrant. Those not removing shelters will be prosecuted. Conservation officers may remove the structure and confiscate or destroy it. It is also unlawful to store or leave a shelter at a public access.
After removal dates, shelters may remain on the ice between midnight and one hour before sunrise only when occupied or attended. It is unlawful to improperly dispose of ice fishing shacks anywhere in the state. Anglers should check with local refuse providers or landfills for disposal.
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