April 1st deadline for bobhouse lake removal

A man pulls his bobhouse onto Lake Potanipo before the start of the Brookline Ice Fishing Derby in Feburary. Now that the warm weather has seemingly settled upon us, it’s time to remove all bobhouses from area lakes. All bobhouses, or ice shanties, must be removed from the ice by the end of the day April 1, according to state law.

The law is designed to ensure that bobhouses and their contents don’t fall through the ice and become a hazard to boaters or get left behind on shore, said Lt. Robert Bryant of New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Law Enforcement.

Failure to remove a bobhouse from public waters, public property or private property by the deadline can result in a fine and a one-year loss of the owner’s fishing license. For more information, contact your local Conservation Officer or Fish and Game’s Law Enforcement Division in Concord at 271-3361.