Ice Fish House Deadline Approaches for Southern Minnesota | News

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is urging anglers to get their ice fish houses off of Minnesota lakes early.

The deadline for the southern two-thirds of the state is March 5th. However, the mild winter has DNR officers concerned that in some cases, the ice may not hold until then. Conservation Officer Aaron Kahre explained "this year I want people to realize if you're not going use it until the deadline, pull it off now because you might not be able to get it off when the deadline comes."

Hennepin County's Sheriff's Office banned vehicles from lakes last week. That means anglers will need to use ATV's or snowmobiles to remove their fish houses. However, Water Patrol is making exceptions on a case-by-case basis when ice is thick enough, and only to remove fish houses.