Proper Conduct for Ice Fishing

LAKE OF THE WOODS, MN (trfnews.i234.me) If you’re new to ice fishing, here are some rules of the road from Lake of the Woods Tourism.
here’s some ice fishing etiquette from lake of the woods tourism ice fishing is one of the fastest growing segments of fishing across the midwest many people from all different walks of life and ability of levels enjoy the sport and etiquette which comes down to doing the right thing is crucial as ice fishing grows in popularity with so many newbies getting into the sport we thought it would be good to list the 10 things you should never do while ice fishing number one do not drill holes in an ice road with more and more snow on the lakes it might be easiest to fish on a nice road this however is a huge no-no and is one of the things that can get everyone fired up it will flood the road and the entire road may have to be rerouted number two do not drill holes near another fish house punching a hole too close to a permanent fish house could flood the entire area water gets on top of the ice and underneath the snow creating slush this creates a difficult difficult situation for getting to and from the house number three do not set up too close to others it might be tempting to set up near others if you heard there is a good bite in the area or if you see someone catch a fish but those with a good etiquette will not set up near others who are already there number four do not speed on ice roads the road signs on the ice say 15 miles per hour for a reason a lot of vehicles pound the ice daily that combined with driving fast will prematurely wreck the ice number five do not add to the garbage problem some people who leave garbage behind are selfish to everyone who enjoy and respect the natural resources others aren’t intending to be selfish but they may be careless and forget a garbage bag outside their fish house uh ignoring the blowing out of their pickup bed or leave plastic cubs outside to get frozen in the snow and ice please plan ahead use black or colored bags that show up against the white snow and secure the trash you take off the ice number six do not come out on the ice without a restroom plan with the popularity of ice fishing combined with reliable heaters and good fish houses anglers spend more time on the ice meanwhile sleeper fish houses and wheel houses enable people to spend the night on the ice naturally anglers will need a restroom break at some point have a plan does the resort or outfitter have bathroom facilities on the ice available to you or do you have a plan to use restrooms within your fish house number seven do not blow off others who need a helping hand driving by someone in need is bad etiquette it’s possible others do not have the knowledge experience or equipment you have if you see a fellow fellow angler who needs a hand help them out it’s called pay it forward and may come back to reward you someday number eight do your best to release fish as healthy as possible whether you caught a fish too small a fish in the projected slot that has to be released or trophy fish uh that you snap a few quick pictures of and put it back in the water there are some do’s and don’ts when it comes to releasing fish be prepared have a needle nose josh better measuring tape and camera ready to roll know the rules you can keep combined limits of six walleye and saugers on lake of the woods per day up to four of the six can be walleyes walleyes measuring uh 19.5 to 28 inches must be returned to the water immediately number nine respect the small businesses on the lake and spots they have plowed for their customers we hear the stories way too often they do something like they go something like this a sleeper fish house business resort plans to move some of its uh houses to a different area to do so they need to plow a new road or extend an existing one when they are on the ice plowing spots for their fish houses a pickup truck with a wheelhouse comes along the newly plowed trail after explaining to the driver the area is being plowed for the businesses paying customers and after offering to plow a spot off the main road they get the attitude from the driver who claims this is public water i can put my house wherever i want technically that is correct but ethically it’s bad behavior number 10 do not skip out on pain maybe you arrived on the ice at 1am but you get to the lake and drive out on miles of plowed ice roads set up and sleep until sunrise in the morning did you pay the resort or outfitter for that first second or third day on the ice maybe you are fishing with a resort and the friendly ice guides check on you often giving you helpful tips they are the ones who may clean your fish or drive the ice road or bomber trail late at night did you tip them please don’t skip again tips from lake of the woods tourism for ice fishing i’m Neil Berg reporting for page onepublications.com