Out on the Ice

How it plays

1. Drill. A power auger runs down through 14 inches of ice, throwing shavings. Water floods up the hole full of slush, and three taps with a skimmer clear it.
2. Lower the lure. Pick under the ice, mid-water or the bottom. Jig it to bring fish in.
3. Watch the flasher. A fish shows only when it swims inside the cone of the transducer. Hold still while one rises, because jigging spooks it.
4. Set the hook. When the spring bobber dunks, set the hook inside the window. Too soon and it spits the lure, too late and it has stolen the bait.
5. Land it. A fish flies out of the hole onto the pile, and the game stops on a card with the DNR’s note on it. A line on the bottom can bring up something that is not a fish.

The clock runs two game minutes a second. Moving to another spot costs 15 minutes and a new hole. At 10 at night the lines come up and the day is tallied.

The lake chart

Four spots on the paper chart, each with its own bottom.

The tip-up

A second line sits on a tip-up, a flag on a spring. Every half minute or so the flag flies. Run to it, or press F, before the fish drops the minnow, and you may land a pike or a walleye. Sometimes the minnow is already gone. The timings are the game’s own tuning.

Minnesota allows two lines through the ice, except on designated trout lakes and streams, where one line is allowed. The lake in the game is not a designated trout lake. Check the rules for the water you fish. Minnesota DNR: how can I fish?, and Minnesota Statutes 97C.315.

The ice

Where the ice is new and clear, the DNR says it needs at least 4 inches to walk on. The game drills through 14 inches and counts every one, so you meet that number on the way down. Ice is never the same everywhere, so check it yourself on a real lake.

What bites, and what the DNR says

Where each fish holds, when it feeds and what the rules are. The game’s bites follow these lists. How long you wait, and what the bottom gives up, are the game’s own tuning and not the DNR’s.

• 

  Walleye

  The state fish, and the reason for the fish fry.

  Holds on points, humps, narrows and drop-offs, most often within a few feet of the bottom, and bites most in the low light of dawn and dusk.

  The 90 minutes before and after sunset are prime time.

  Limits and size rules vary by lake. Check the DNR regulations before you keep one. Minnesota DNR: ice fishing for walleye

• 

  Northern pike

  Mind the teeth. Pickled pike, anyone?

  Waits to ambush prey on points, narrows and weedlines, mostly in six to 15 feet of water.

  The Minnesota record weighed 45 pounds, 12 ounces.

  Minnesota has three pike zones with different rules. Check the DNR regulations. Minnesota DNR: ice fishing for northern pike

• 

  Crappie

  A slab. Good eating.

  Suspends between the surface and the bottom, often over the deepest holes, and bites best at dawn and dusk.

  Its soft mouth tears if you set the hook too hard.

  Crappie brought up from deeper than 20 feet often die if released, so keep what you catch there (within the limit). Minnesota DNR: ice fishing for crappie

• 

  Sunfish

  A little small. Throw it back.

  Holds just above or along the edges of green weedbeds, and bites best near dawn and dusk.

  The average bluegill is four to eight inches long and about half a pound.

  The DNR suggests releasing large sunfish so the lake does not fill with stunted ones. Minnesota DNR: ice fishing for sunfish

• 

  Muskie

  The fish of ten thousand casts.

  Not on the ice: the statewide muskie season closes in early December, so no muskie is caught through the ice.

  The catch-and-release record is a 58¼-inch fish from Mille Lacs, in 2022.

  The statewide minimum to keep one is 54 inches, so most are released. Minnesota DNR: how to catch a muskellunge

• 

  Perch

  Small and tasty.

  Is shallow by green weeds early in winter, moves to deeper water and drop-offs as winter goes on, and bites best at dawn and dusk.

  The Minnesota record weighed 3 pounds, 4 ounces.

  Limits and size rules vary by lake. Check the DNR regulations. Minnesota DNR: ice fishing for perch

• 

  Eelpout

  Ugly as sin, and known as the poor man’s lobster.

  Also called burbot. It is especially active in winter and in low light, and takes bait held within inches of a deep, muddy bottom.

  The tough skin was once used in the windows of Siberia as a substitute for glass.

  Most are under 28 inches and under 8 pounds. The state record is 19 pounds, 3 ounces. Minnesota DNR: burbot species profile

Where is the muskie? Minnesota’s muskie season closes in early December, so none is caught through the ice. Minnesota DNR: how to catch a muskellunge

Controls

• One main button changes with the moment: Start, Hold to drill, Skim, Jig, Hold still, Set the hook.
• Space works the main button, and tapping the scene does the same. Up and Down change the lure depth. Escape closes a card.
• Sound is off until you turn it on. If your device asks for less movement, the ambient motion stops and the game stays playable.

Sources

• Minnesota DNR: ice safety
• Minnesota DNR: how can I fish? and Minnesota Statutes 97C.315, for the two lines.
• Each fish’s own DNR page is linked on its card above.