JAMESTOWN, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – Before hitting the ice, anglers are encouraged to refer to the North Dakota 2020-22 Fishing Guide or North Dakota Game & Fish Department’s website for updated regulations.

Wildlife Biologist Doug Leier says there are some key updates to read up on.

Other regulations include:

• It is only legal to release fish back into the water immediately after they are caught. Once a fish is held in a bucket or on a stringer, they can no longer be legally released in any water.
• It is illegal to catch fish and transport them in water.
• It is illegal to leave fish, including bait, behind on the ice.
• All live aquatic bait, such as fathead minnows, must be purchased or trapped in North Dakota.
• Aquatic bait that is frozen, salted, preserved or cut into pieces is legal.
• Depositing or leaving any litter or other waste material on the ice or shore is illegal.
• The daily limit is a limit of fish taken from midnight to midnight. No person may possess more than one day’s limit of fish while on the ice or actively engaged in fishing. If a situation occurs when an angler fishes overnight, the first daily limit must be removed from the ice by midnight prior to continuing to harvest fish.
• The possession limit is the maximum number of fish that an angler may have in possession during a fishing trip of more than one day.
• It is illegal to introduce anything into the water for the purpose of attempting to attract fish (chumming, artificial light, etc.) that is not attached or applied to a lure.

Leier says they’re also excited to open up free ice fishing weekend December 25 & 26th.

For more information, visit gf.nd.gov.

Listen to Doug Leier talk the great outdoors every Thursday at 7:35 AM on Big Dog 95.5 FM with JD in the Morning.