Ice fishing has definitely declined in my life...and it's just not the shorter season.
As I get older, I'm becoming more of a pu$$y. My tolerance for the cold and staring down a hole for hours is declining as the years go by. I still get out on the ice a few times a season...mostly to target Crappie at the cottage as the slot sizes make a Walleye meal difficult. Lake Trout is closed in winter on my lake, but occasionally I luck into a Whitefish or Burbot..
I also do a trip on Simcoe with my grandkids for Petch...that's with an operator so it's a pretty cushy affair.
However, now that I've retired I find myself (and my wife) spending more of the winter down south. We've never liked Florida (and certainly wouldn't spend our money there now, given the politics), so we rotate between renting places in Mexico, Belize, and Costa Rica...as a bonus the Cdn $ still goes relatively far in these countries.
We're down in Cancun right now...kids and grandkids came down to visit last week..my son and son-in-law got out on a charter to load up for some fish dinners..
By the time I return, it should be ice-out fishing season.