By Sarah Stultz, staff writer

Sitting in small houses on top of the ice, hundreds of feet out from the shore on a lake, this dedicated group of people will do whatever it takes to get in a few hours of fishing.

Venturing out into the cold of winter, they cut a hole into the ice &8212; sometimes manually, sometimes electronically &8212; put up their often square-shaped houses over the top of the hole and begin to set up shop.

Inside their houses &8212; which can range in size from fitting only one person to fitting several &8212; is a display that often reflects the character of the ice fisherman who owns the house.

Some houses are decorated simply, with just bare necessities such as a heater and something to sit on, while others are decorated a little more extensively with pictures on the walls, radios, televisions, satellites and even bunkbeds.

Many are homemade from wood and insulation; others are purchased at locations such as Fleet Farm or Wal-Mart.

For most ice fishermen, however, as long as the bare necessities are met, that&8217;s all that matters. Then they could fish all day.

That is made evident by going out onto the ice of Albert Lea Lake and talking to the fishermen there.

Friends Kyle Linnett, Eli Carranza and Matt Fisher of Austin were out ice fishing on Albert Lea Lake inside of their homemade fish house a few weeks ago. The walls of the house were made out of wood and insulation. The floor was covered in Astroturf, and the house had a heater and lights in it that were hooked up to a 12-volt battery.

&8220;It keeps us busy in the wintertime,&8221; said Linnett, who owns the Austin Aquatics bait shop. &8220;There&8217;s not a lot to do.&8221;

Just a little ways down the lake, Albert Lean Andy Bangert was in his fish house.

Bangert said he has had his fish house set up since December.

&8220;It&8217;s fun to have a little house &8212; to get away,&8221; Bangert said.

His house was made with wooden boards and insulation, like the men&8217;s house from Austin. Carpet had been installed on the floor, and the walls were decorated with a Vikings flag and pictures of race cars.

Bangert also had a radio set up in the house. He said that sometimes, if the fishing gets really slow, he and whoever he is fishing with play cards.

Further down the lake, Albert Lean Curt Tuttle said to keep himself occupied he listens to the radio and checks his cell phone.

Tuttle&8217;s fish house was made out of a wooden crate he purchased from Streaters.

He said someday he hopes to paint the walls, but for now he was OK with just going with the basics.

Oakland resident Steve Schlichter agreed with sticking to the basics. He said he had no plans to decorate his fish house.

&8220;We&8217;re not real fancy out here, that&8217;s why my wife won&8217;t come out to fish,&8221; Schlichter said with a laugh. &8220;Insulation, a heater and chairs &8212; that&8217;s about it.&8221;

For him, none of the fancy stuff matters.

&8220;It&8217;s a good pastime in the winter,&8221; he said. &8220;Makes the winter go by.&8221;

While some go all out, these men keep it simple.