Ice-Fishing Houses in Most Areas Must be Moved by Feb. 25

PIERRE, S.D.—Anglers who have been ice fishing in South Dakota had better mark Feb. 25 on their calendars. On midnight of that day, ice-fishing houses must be removed from most public waters in the state.

Ice houses on Deerfield Lake in Pennington County and on public waters in Grant, Roberts, Day and Marshall counties are exceptions to the Feb. 25 deadline. The deadline in those areas is midnight on March 5.

“The deadline is set for the safety of anglers,” explained Dave Wicks, law enforcement specialist with the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department. “Ice conditions and the weather are both unpredictable at this time of year. Thinning ice and heavy snow can make removal of an ice house hazardous this late in the winter.”

Wicks reminds anglers that getting ice houses off of public waters also means getting them off public land like shorelines, public beaches or any other public water access facility. “Written permission from an authorized GFP representative is required before you can leave an ice-fishing house or any other property on land that is owned or leased by the department for more than five days,” Wicks said.

After the deadline, ice on some public waters in South Dakota may still be strong enough to support an ice-fishing house. Anglers may use portable ice-fishing houses in those areas but they must be removed from the ice each day.