Ice shanties need to be removed from lakes by March 15

To keep ice fishermen around the area safe as spring moves closer, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is requesting all ice shanties be removed from the ice by midnight on March 15.

The removal is due to the seasonal changing temperatures. Ice conditions will also soon change, potentially becoming dangerous.

“No ice is considered 100% safe,” said Cheboygan County Sheriff Dale Clarmont.

Clarmont also reminded residents and those who are normally out on the ice during this time of year for different activities, such as ice fishing and snowmobiling, to use a little more caution. When going out on the ice, it is best to make sure there is at least a minimum of eight inches of good ice before taking any recreational vehicle on the ice. This includes when removing an ice shanty.

In some locations — like Lake St. Clair, northeast of Detroit — anglers were asked to remove their shanties from the lake by sunset on Feb. 27. Shanties in many areas of the Lower Peninsula will have two more weeks to fish before they have to be removed on March 15.

These areas include Cheboygan, Charlevoix, Emmet, Otsego, Presque Isle, Antrim, Montmorency, Clare, Gladwin, Roscommon, Alcona, Crawford, Alpena, Wexford, Isabella and 20 other counties in Central and Northern Michigan. All other remaining counties have to have their shanties removed by midnight on March 1.

The DNR also asks anyone who continues to fish on the ice to be very cautious when venturing onto the ice surfaces, especially when the weather starts to warm up and ice conditions start to change. Even though there are set dates to have the structures off the ice, they may need to be removed prior to that time, depending on when the ice can no longer support them.

Anyone who owns an ice fishing shanty and does not remove the structure from the ice can be penalized by up to 30 days in jail, or a fine of up to $500, if the structure goes through the ice surface. In some cases, the shanty owner could receive both penalties for not removing their ice fishing shelters by the set date.

Governmental agencies — such as the Michigan Department of Natural Resources —  could potentially remove an ice shanty from a lake’s surface if it has fallen through. The cost to remove the structure would be required to be paid by the owner of the shanty, and the local court could order the owner to pay up to three times the cost of the removal.

Ice fishermen in the Upper Peninsula have a little more time to keep their shanties on the lake.

Anyone who is fishing on waters that serve as a boundary between Michigan and Wisconsin have to have their structures removed by midnight on March 15. However, anyone fishing on all other bodies of water in the Upper Peninsula can keep their structures on the ice until midnight on March 31.

After the shanties have been removed from the ice, until the ice can no longer support the weight of a person, pop up shanties — similar to pup tents — can be used when people are fishing on the surface. These temporary structures need to be removed from the ice when the fishermen leave.

Kortny Hahn
Cheboygan Daily Tribune