 Well it's that time of the year where pop-up communities of anglers form on area lakes and tonight's Northwoods adventure our Josh Peterson speaks with the experts on what you need to know this ice fishing season. Looking out over the frozen windswept tundra fish houses of all kinds and styles are beginning to form small cities on area lakes. With the heart of the ice fishing season on the horizon experts say the early start has helped motivate anglers to drop a line. Actually people were starting to get on the ice in November right after Thanksgiving so we've had a full month and ice conditions have been so so we haven't had really thick ice but we had good ice early. Due to the comfort and convenience that has evolved over recent years in ice fishing the sport has seen sustained growth. For some it might not look like much fun sitting on a frozen lake waiting to catch a fish but according to the Minnesota DNR there's an uptick in interest in ice fishing becoming a family sport. Now you see a lot more of the family activity and a lot longer trips people are coming up staying the weekend staying right on the ice for the entire time. As we head into the competitive season of ice fishing whether you're in a wheeled fish house or a pop-up the basic gear is always needed. There's a lot of new spoons out this year that have been very popular on the glow thing is being incredibly taken advantage of. The new suits are something super cool you don't get cold. But while you may have the nicest gear on the market you still need to find the fish and lucky for most anglers the fish have been biting. You know anywhere from 14 to 18 feet right off the mud to sand transitions a lot of rattles spoons, spoons alone and dead sticks have been producing. With plenty of ice fishing tournaments right around the corner safety will be in the forefront as the ice conditions continue to change on area lakes. People should be advised to make sure they know where they're going before they drive out there and the ice isn't overly thick you know we've got a foot to 15 inches on a lot of these lakes and that's not ideal for vehicle traffic. With this week's Northwoods adventure in Bemidji Josh Peterson Lakeland News. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News please consider making a tax deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.