In This Issue
With warm weather in the forecast for much of Minnesota during the coming week, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reminds anyone who still has a fish house on the ice to start planning for its removal.
The statutory shelter removal deadline for inland waters in the southern two-thirds of the state is 11:59 p.m. on March 3. The deadline for inland lakes in the northern portion of the state is 11:59 p.m. on March 17. The DNR reminds all fish house owners to pick up and properly dispose of any trash as part of hauling their shelter off the ice.
“After this recent cold snap, we know people will want to take advantage of every day they can to use their ice shelters,” said Capt. Cory Palmer, DNR Enforcement Southern Region manager. “However, current conditions don’t change the statutory deadlines. That said, people can still use their shelters after the deadline so long as the shelter has the proper identification and licensing and, if it’s on the ice between midnight and an hour before sunrise, is occupied or attended.”
If shelters aren’t removed by the deadline, owners may be prosecuted, and structures may be confiscated and removed or destroyed by a conservation officer. Shelters may not be left at public accesses, and no trash or other materials – including wooden blocking materials – may be left on the ice.
As they venture out, anglers always should keep in mind that ice conditions vary widely, that ice is never 100% safe, and that they should check the ice thickness for themselves.
Exceptions to the removal deadlines are Minnesota-Canada border waters (March 31), Minnesota-South Dakota and North Dakota border waters (March 5), Minnesota-Wisconsin border waters (March 1) and Minnesota-Iowa border waters (Feb. 20).
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March is the month to connect with Minnesota Department of Natural Resources fisheries offices across Minnesota about 151 lakes in 40 counties that will have their fisheries lake management plans updated in 2025.
“People interested in the health and quality of Minnesota’s fisheries are a critical part of the DNR’s fisheries lake management planning process,” said Shannon Fisher, DNR fisheries populations and regulations manager. “These plans establish fisheries management goals and objectives for each lake and define the work fisheries biologists do each year. Observations and input from a lake’s stakeholders are essential to the planning effort.”
The list of lakes scheduled for plan updates in 2025 is on the Minnesota DNR website (mndnr.gov/lakemanagement). Fisheries management plans for Minnesota’s 10 largest lakes (mndnr.gov/top10lakes) follow a similar but separate update process.
The DNR encourages people with thoughts on the future management of a lake scheduled for a 2025 plan update to call or email the area fisheries office listed for that lake before March 31. Area fisheries teams will consider the observations and comments obtained during this step of the process as they begin developing updates for each lake fisheries management plan.
“We want to hear from anyone interested in these fisheries,” Fisher said. “Comments about experiences, observations, concerns and wishes for the fishery — rather than suggestions on how the DNR might accomplish a specific goal or objective — are the most helpful kinds of input.”
People might ask themselves:
- “What kind of fishing experience am I looking for?”
- “Are there fish habitat concerns I’d like to share?”
- “What kinds of fish do I like to catch?”
- “Do I like catching big fish or a lot of fish?”
- “Do I have concerns about the fishery’s draw or popularity among anglers or other social concerns?”
The DNR’s interest in comments includes those from organizations as well as individuals. Representatives of lake associations, outdoors groups, conservations organizations and local units of government are also encouraged to comment during the comment period.
Based on initial comments received, management approaches under consideration, and other considerations, area fisheries managers might determine additional public engagement is necessary later in summer or fall before completing their update to a particular plan. The DNR will publicize those opportunities for additional engagement regionally and posted them on the DNR lake management page (mndnr.gov/lakemanagement).
For additional information about why and how the DNR develops and utilizes fisheries management plans for Minnesota’s 4,500 actively managed lakes, visit the DNR’s lake management planning page (mndnr.gov/lakemanagement).
The lakes, listed by county, scheduled for lake management plan updates in 2025 include:
Aitkin: Lone, Sugar, Hay
Anoka: Crooked
Becker: Detroit, Island, Little Sugar Bush, Little Toad, Many Point, White Earth
Beltrami: Balm, Clearwater, Julia, Sandy
Big Stone: Big Stone
Blue Earth: Duck
Carlton: Moosehorn River
Cass: Baby, Hay, Inguadona, Little Bass, Sugar, Morrison, Pillager
Clearwater: Johnson, Lomond, Pine
Cook: Pike, South, Two Island, Tom, North Shady
Crow Wing: Adney, Black Bear, Kego, Partridge, Turtle, Twin
Douglas: Andrew
Hennepin: Dutch, Cornelia, Champion Mill
Hubbard: Kabekona, Lower Battle, Upper Battle
Isanti: Lake, South Stanchfield
Itasca: Erskine, Island, Little Splithand, Long, Lower Panasa, McKinney, Pokegama, Pughole, Round, Siseebakwer, Thistledew
Kandiyohi: Andrew, Florida, Games, Norway
Koochiching: Battle, Dark, Seretha, Silversack, Teufer
Lac Qui Parle: Lac Qui Parle
Lake: Beaver Hut, Cross River, Ensign, Farm, Garden, Grass, Middle McDougal, North McDougal, Section 29, South Farm, Stewart
LeSueur: Emily
Lincoln: Shaokotan
Lyon: Clear
Martin: Clear
Meeker: Dunns, Hoff, Richardson
Morrison: Alexander, Shamineau
Nobles: Kimbrae
Otter Tail: Clitheral, Dead, North Luda, Otter Tail, Pelican, South Luda, South Ten Mile, Star, West Battle
Pine: Sand, Tamarack, Upper Pine
Pope: Minnewaska
Ramsey: Turtle
Rice: Cannon, Circle, Fox, French, Hunt, Kelly-Dudley, Roberds
Scott: Lower Prior, Upper Prior
St. Louis: Angus, Arthur, Bassett, Bear Head, Brown, Deep, Echo, Elephant, Ely, Emberrass Pit, Everett, Fat, Gun, Hanson (Burntside), Janette, Kinney Mine, Miners Pit, Mott Pit, Mudro, Pike River Flowage, Ryan, Sand, Slim, White Iron, Whiteface Reservoir, Whitewater, Winchester
Stearns: Koronis, Rice
Steele: Beaver
Swift: Camp, Monson
Todd: Charolette
Washington: Lily
Wright: Granite, Little Waverly
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