Doug Leier: Why high-grading isn’t legal in North Dakota

Doug Leier: Why high-grading isn’t legal in North Dakota

Every winter, as pickup trucks venture onto frozen lakes and steam rises from the first pour of coffee, the world of ice fishing reminds us why it remains one of North Dakota’s cold-weather joys. Beneath the surface, though, the biology of our fisheries shifts into a slower, more fragile state. Oxygen levels dip, fish metabolism changes, and the margin for stress narrows. A few drilled holes and a handful of jigs may look simple from above the i…