Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship urges anyone with an ice shack on a lake or river in southern Manitoba to remove the structure as soon as possible, as long as ice conditions are safe to do so.
Warm temperatures are causing ice conditions across much of southern Manitoba, from Lake of the Prairies to Dauphin Lake and as far east as Lake of the Woods, to deteriorate faster than normal this spring. A milder-than-usual winter meant the ice did not reach its usual thickness in many areas, which could lead to a faster thaw. Everyone venturing onto the ice should exercise caution and good judgment.
March 31 is normally the last day for removal of ice shacks in the south, but the recent weather means earlier removal is required. Fishers are asked to have shacks in the area south of Riding Mountain National Park, as well as those on Lake of the Prairies, Dauphin Lake, Moose Lake and Buffalo Bay in the Lake of the Woods off the ice by March 15.
Regulations require that all ice-fishing shacks be moved off the Red River by March 13.
