Action Items

5 Steps You Can Take
Ice is no place for your garbage and waste. Legally contain and dispose of it.
To help stop litter and human waste from spoiling our lakes, rivers and shorelines:

1. Make a plan for trash and waste removal before you hit the ice.
   Whether you access the ice from a public or private entrance, plan to take off of the ice what you take on to it. Many access points and resorts offer garbage collection services. If your site doesn't, make a plan to transport it home for disposal.
2. Use colored garbage bags.
   In snowy conditions, white trash bags can be difficult to see. Brightly colored bags or black bags are easier to spot making it less likely trash will inadvertently be left behind.
   
3. Do not place garbage and waste on or under the ice.
   It's the law.
   
4. Make sure your garbage is secure before departing.
   This will help prevent it from blowing out of truck beds and off trailers and sleds.
   
5. Remove all materials when moving a fish house.
   This includes wood blocking, insulation and other items.
   
   It takes all of us working together to Keep It Clean! Thank you for doing your part to ensure the health of our lakes, rivers, fisheries and watershed areas.
   

The DNR does not measure ice thickness on Minnesota lakes. Your safety is your responsibility. Learn about the different ways to check ice thickness before heading out.
Temperature, snow cover, currents, springs and rough fish all affect the relative safety of ice. Ice is seldom the same thickness over a single body of water; it can be two feet thick in one place and one inch thick a few yards away.
Ice thickness guidelines for new, clear ice only.

• UNDER 4" Stay off
  
• 4" Ice fishing or other activities on foot
  
• 5" - 7" Snowmobile or small ATV
  
• 7” – 8” Side-by-side ATV
  
• 9” – 10” Small car or SUV
  
• 11” -12” Medium SUV or small truck
  
• 13” Medium truck
  
• 16” -17” Heavy-duty truck
  
• 20”+ Heavy-duty truck with wheelhouse shelter

Our recommendations are based on average equipment weight and assume solid, clear ice. You are responsible for knowing the weight of your vehicle, equipment, and bodies.

Many factors other than thickness affect ice strength, including air temperature, wind, snow, streams, narrow areas or bottlenecks, sun, shade, fish communities, plant decay, and more. When a layer of snow melts and refreezes on top of lake ice, it creates white ice, only about half as strong as new, clear ice. Double the above thickness guidelines when traveling on white ice.

Learn more about white ice and other common factors that can cause ice to be unsafe.

Learn more about how to check ice thickness.

Frozen lakes are not parking lots; several cars have fallen through ice.

Cars, pickups or SUVs should be parked at least 50 feet apart and moved every two hours to prevent sinking.

Parking near shore may seem like an okay option when there is no space to park on land, but that is not always the case. If you park along a shoreline near a launch, there is a good chance that others will do the same and that they may park too close to you. If the ice is not thick enough to drive on and park away from the shoreline, then you should not park on it at all.

Lida Lakes has slot limits for Walleye and Black Crappie and catch limits on Crappie and BlueGill that vary from Minnesota standard limits.  The Walleye regulation is that 17"- 26" are protected and are catch and release.  Only one over 26" is allowed in possession.  The Black Crappie regulation is an 11" minimum length.  Lida also has a maximum of 10 Crappies and BlueGill in possession.  All other Minnesota fishing regulations apply.  Anglers are asked to get catch and release fish out and back in the water as soon as possible.