By Steve Weisman
It took a while before we really started to make the kind of ice that would support the wheelhouses and permanent shelters that so often dot our area lakes during mid-winter.
For the longest time, where there was fishable ice, it was only in that 7-9” in depth. It took until the 17th of January before we finally got our daytime highs to drop below the freezing mark. Since that time, we’ve made good ice. Finally, we’re starting to see the permanent shelters show up. In many areas, the ice is now pushing up to 20” in depth. Guess what! The permanent shelters are there!
Most of the time, I fish in a single person Clam Fish Trap Legend XT Thermal. It’s quick, it’s relatively light and the thermal makes it really pleasant when the sun is out. With no wind, the sun out and even if temperatures are only in the single digits, I only have to run my heaters every so often.
At the same time, a friend of mine has an Ice Castle permanent shelter, and I have opportunity to fish in it a few times each winter. It is truly the Taj Mahal of the ice fishing world. It’s especially awesome when it’s all set up, and I get the welcome. “Steve, we’re going to be up fishing this weekend. Feel free to stop by!”
I don’t turn that down very often.
New rules for permanent shelters in Iowa
My friend is really happy about the two recently adjusted rules governing permanent shelters on Iowa public waters. The first one has to do with removal of ice shelters toward the end of the ice season. Until this year, the date was always February 20. Very seldom did that date ever change. Here is the new rule.
Finally, 571—55.1(461A) Ice fishing shelters.
55.1(2) Removal. Unattended ice fishing shelters and all material used in their construction shall be removed from on or over lands or waters under the jurisdiction of the natural resource commission before ice melt or March 1 of each year, whichever comes first. I’ve heard a lot of positive responses for this change.
A second change has to do with owner information on the outside of the shelter itself. Prior to now, the shelter had to display the owner’s full name, street address and city in clearly visible four-inch-high block letters in a color contrasting to the background. Now, there are two options:
55.1(3) Owner information, two options
- All unattended shelters left on the ice or state-owned land shall display the owner’s assigned DNR department-issued number in clearly visible three-inch-high block letters in a color contrasting to the background, or
- The owner’s full name, street address and city in clearly visible three-inch-high block letters in a color contrasting to the background.
Other rules remain the same, such as 55.1(5). Ice fishing shelters shall not be locked when in use. Also, 55.1(6) Reflectors. All shelters on the ice after sunset shall display reflectors on all external sides in such a manner to enable them to reflect light at all times between the hours of sunset and sunrise.
