Ice fishers in Lloydminster need to be getting ready to remove their ice fishing huts.
The deadline to have the shacks removed is March 15th South of Highway 16, and March 31st on any waterway North of 16. If the ice huts are not removed, the person who’s identity information is on the shack could face fines, and the contents could be confiscated.
Lloydminster and District Fish and Game Association President Dwayne Davison says that there are risks surrounding just leaving the shack to sink.
“The main issue that I would see is if there is anything that could be a contaminant, that type of thing that may be in the shack, then you’d have to recover that, and that may be an expensive process for you. It’s a contaminant risk just like anything else from an environmental aspect, you don’t want to contaminate the land or the water.”
Davison adds that mid to late March is also the ideal time to remove the shacks, before spring warmth.
“The best way to do it is to make sure you’re in that date range, so it’s not an issue. Weather conditions can change quite quickly, but the one thing that people think as soon as there’s a warm day the ice is terrible, which is not the case. This year there’s a lot of ice out there, so the ice will be longer on the lakes then normal.”
Ice fishing officially closes South of 16 on March 31st, and North of 16 April 15th.
Correction: Ice Huts must be removed March 15th South of Highway 16, and March 31st on any waterway North of 16.