ND ice fish regs/ice tips

[Lee Borgersen]

         N.D. ice fishing regulations... Early ice tips :fishing2:

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department reminds ice anglers about regulations designed to reduce the spread of aquatic nuisance species this winter. It also offers an extensive list of fishing-related questions and answers and a winter fishing preview on its website.
By: N.D. Game and Fish Department,



ANS prevention in winter
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department reminds ice anglers about regulations designed to reduce the spread of aquatic nuisance species this winter.

Live bait only can be transported in water in a container up to 5 gallons. Game and nongame species can’t be transported in water, but a daily catch can be packed in snow.

Other rules and recommendations:

 Do not use illegally imported baits.

 Do not empty a bait bucket into any body of water body.

 Do not drop plant fragments into the water.

 Dispose any unused bait into the trash.

N.D. ice fishing regulations

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department offers an extensive list of fishing-related questions and answers and a winter fishing preview on its website at gf.nd.gov.

Winter fishing regulations include:

 A maximum of four poles is legal for ice fishing. When fishing a lake or river where both open water and ice occur at the same time, no more than two poles can be used in open water.

 Tip-ups are legal, and each tip-up is considered a single pole.

 There is no restriction on the size of the hole for ice fishing in North Dakota, but holes larger than 10 inches in diameter must be marked with a natural object when no longer in use.

 It is only legal to release fish immediately after they are caught. Once a fish is held in a bucket or on a stringer, it no longer can be legally released.

 It is illegal to catch fish and transport them in water.

 It is illegal to leave fish, including bait, behind on the ice.

 Any dressed fish to be transported, if frozen, must be packaged individually. Anglers are not allowed to freeze fillets together in one large block. Two fillets count as one fish.

Early ice tips

A few safety tips for anglers venturing onto early ice:

 Snow insulates ice, hampering solid ice formation and making it difficult to check thickness. Snow also hides blemishes, such as cracked, weak and open-water areas.

 Avoid cracks, pressure ridges, slushy or darker areas that signal thinner ice. The same goes for ice that forms around partially submerged trees, brush, embankments or other structures.

 Ice thickness is not consistent and can vary significantly even in a small area. Anglers should drill test holes as they make their way out on the lake, and an ice chisel should be used to check ice thickness while moving around.

 Minimum ice thicknesses for safe travel are 4 inches for a group walking single file, 6 inches for a snowmobile or ATV, 8 to 12 inches for an automobile and 12 to 15 inches for a pickup or truck.

 Wear a personal flotation device and carry a cell phone.

 Carry ice picks or a set of screwdrivers to pull yourself back on the ice if you fall through.

 If someone breaks through the ice, call 911 immediately. Rescue attempts should employ a long pole, board, rope, blanket or snowmobile suit. If that’s not possible, throw the victim a life jacket, empty water jug or other buoyant object. Go to the victim as a last resort, but do this by forming a human chain where rescuers lie on the ice with each person holding the feet of the person in front.

 To treat hypothermia, replace wet clothing with dry clothing and immediately transport the victim to a hospital.

— N.D. Game and Fish Department