Heavy snowfall in parts of Minnesota prompted many anglers to pull their fish houses out of the ice in late February. People who have not yet removed their shelters should keep in mind upcoming removal deadlines and make plans to meet them.

The fish house removal deadline for the inland waters of the southern two-thirds of the state is 11:59 p.m. Monday.

In addition to making sure the shelters are removed before the deadline, conservation officers from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will be watching closely to make sure people don’t leave trash behind. Commonly dropped items include bait, blocking tackle, bottles, cans, cigarette butts, and plastic bags filled with trash. As wheelhouses have proliferated across the state, there have also been increasing instances of people dumping sewage onto the ice.

“Some of the things people leave behind are downright disgusting, and anything people leave on the ice has the potential to be an eyesore at best and an environmental concern at worst,” said Garrett Thomas, conservation officer. of the DNR, who is stationed in Eagan. “The message is simple: don’t leave anything behind when you leave the rink and make sure you dispose of it properly. It’s no different from the lessons we’ve learned since we were kids.

The deadline for removing fish shacks does not mean that anglers can no longer use them. After the deadline, fish shacks can still be on the ice, but must be occupied if out between midnight and one hour before sunrise. Shelters should not be left or stored in public access. When venturing out, anglers should always remember that ice conditions can vary widely and ice is never 100% safe. For more information, see the Ice Safety page on the MNR website (mndnr.gov/icesafety).

Exceptions to the withdrawal 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 border waters -Iowa (February 20). .