Angling for winter fun

ANGLING FOR WINTER FUN give ice fishing a try

With about 300 lakes in the Douglas County area, fishing is quite a popular activity. And not just in the summertime. Winter has many anglers finding themselves out on the ice, whether in a portable fish house, a premium ice house complete with stove, refrigerator and bunks for sleeping or just simply in the elements sitting on a five-gallon bucket.

According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, ice fishing has increasingly become a popular sport but there are inherent dangers with changing ice conditions and propane heater carbon monoxide concerns, to name a couple.

If you have never ice fished before, it might be a good idea to talk to experts at a local bait shop, chat with a friend who knows a thing or two about the sport or check out the DNR’s website, dnr. state.mn.us/gofishing/learn-ice-fish. html.

One of the most important things to remember about ice fishing is to make sure the ice is safe. The ice needs to be at least 4 inches to safely be on it and ice fish. In order to drive on the ice with a small car or pickup truck, the ice should be 8-12 inches and between 12-15-inches for a medium-sized pickup truck.

Other tips provided by the DNR include the following:

Use the DNR’s LakeFinder, which has information on not only lakes in the Alexandria area, but more than 4,000 other lakes in Minnesota.

Dress in layers if you’re planning on fishing in the elements and not in a fish house. Be sure to have a couple layers of clothing, maybe some snow pants or bibs, insulated socks and boots, hat, gloves and warm coat.

Rent before you buy. There are places where anglers can rent an ice fishing house to try it out first instead of making such a large investment.

Know what the ice fishing requirements are. There are several ways to access them, including mobile apps, online or download a copy from the DNR website.

Early and late in the day – think sunrise and sunset – are great times to ice fish as the fish are often on the move. Early and late season can also be productive as oxygen levels are highest and fish adjust to changing seasons.

Ice fishing doesn’t require a large initial investment – unless you go ahead and decide to buy a fish house right away. For the most part,

all you need is a short rod designed for ice fishing, lures, bait and a hand auger, which are fairly affordable.

If you decide that ice fishing is your sport, then you might want to make some bigger purchases, such as a power auger, sonar unit and of course, a premium ice house.

For more information on ice fishing, check the DNR’s website.