New fishing season on Minnesota's ice

New fishing season on Minnesota's ice

By DOUG SMITH, Star Tribune
Last update: December 10, 2008 - 7:20 AM

DuWayne Johnson was among a handful of diehard early-season anglers who pulled portable ice fishing shelters onto Orchard Lake in Lakeville on Sunday, launching another ice fishing season.
The scene -- power augers drilling through crystal-clear ice and blue and black nylon fishing shelters popping up like umbrellas -- was reflected on countless frozen lakes from Warroad to Winona over the weekend as another hard-water fishing season has begun.

For Johnson, an ice fishing fanatic, the season doesn't come soon enough.
"I've been going around checking ice," the 53-year-old from Lakeville said as he set up his shelter with a biting wind blowing snow sideways across the small south-metro lake, with the temperature hovering around 10 degrees. He and a half-dozen other anglers found about 6 inches of solid ice, plenty thick enough to support foot traffic and portable shelters.

"I always walk out with an ice chopper to check the ice," he said. "I've never fallen through, and I don't plan on it."
Department of Natural Resources officials say ice is good now in many areas of the state -- and angling activity heated up over the weekend -- but they still urge anglers to always use caution and check ice conditions first.
Johnson has a boat, but he said his wife doesn't like to fish, so he does most of his fishing on ice. "The winter is mine," he said with glee. "I'll try to get out here at least four times a week."
He dropped his underwater TV camera down a hole to scope out the scene below.
"Look at the structure and all the weeds," he said. "It's perfect for crappies."

Then he lowered a minnow and jig down and made himself comfortable waiting for a friend to join him.
"It's peaceful. You come out here, there's no noise, no nothing. It's relaxing," he said. "I just catch and release 'em. Just for fun."
The wind buffeted his nylon shelter and the snow fell harder.