Jump to content
  • GUESTS

    If You  want access  to member only forums on FM, You will need to Sign-in or  Sign-Up now .

    This box will disappear once you are signed in as a member.

Lake Elmo


Recommended Posts

Does anyone know if thye let you park by the boat landing at the county park? I was there two winters ago and they had it plowed but the road was closed. I had to park on the shoulder of the highway that runs along the east side of the lake. I called the parks manager and asked why we couldn't park by the boat landing and he told me that the people that lived on the lake didn't want the general public to be able to get 4 wheelers and sleds on the lake. Just wondering if anything had changed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tried to do the same thing a year or 2 ago when I had a park pass. Said I couldn't bring in my atv or snowmobile ...cannot remember which I had with. Planned on unloading on the ice to use ice fishing. I haven't bought a pass or used the park since.

Doubt anything has changed. Just floors me the nerve of people and how the parks or private land owners like to think they own the lake and noone else deserves access to public waters. Always someone worrying about what everyone else is doing. I know there are always some people that ruin it for the general population but who cares if someone is using a machine on the ice. Just to have your own quiet lake is not a reason to deny access. Especially if you have paid access to the park and I don't mean tearing up the park just using the landing for public access to lake.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I live in Hastings and Elmo would be such a nice option - walleyes and trout but it is actually dangerous to park where they tell you to. It really bugged me that I paid for a "annual" park pass but can only use it for a few months out of the year. What really got me though was when I asked if the homeowners on the lake "owned" the lake the parks manager said "we don't want to upset the nieghbors" and that they weren't going to change the rules so I could go ice fishing. If they are already paying someone to plow the road going down to the lake why don't they just open it to the everyone who payed for a park pass? I did walk down from the highway and I saw 4 wheelers and snowmobiles heading out from private homes - I guess they have their own private lake in the winter. Does the DNR fund the landing at all? Maybe they should here about this. It's kind of the same situation at big marine lake also. The south end of the lake has a nice access but they close that in the winter also because the neighbors don't want the traffic of the ice fishrmen. I guess the $ rules.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Does anyone know anymore about the 3M chemical contamination that was found in Elmo last summer? It did not sound to good for the fish, community or the lake.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I haven't, but sure am interested in hearing about it if someone knows anything. Ate a few fish out of there last week, and have more in the freezer!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Marc V, what kind of fish have you been eating from Elmo? I have only been able to get a northern or two, that is it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just searched Lake elmo fish 3m chemical and about a dozen articles came up. I tried posting a link but that didn't work for some reason.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm a property owner on Big Marine. From what I understand is that the southwest access (formerly Shady Birch Resort) is closed for construction of the regional park. I don't have a sled or ATV, and I can't access the lake from my property with my truck. I for one am going to be po'd if they don't allow me to get on to my own dxxx lake through the park in the winter that's going to provide access for thousands in the summer. I wasn't for the park, but now that it's here it has to be open to everyone that has a pass. Excuse the reference to my lake but my family has been there since 1919, and me all my life. Why do we have parks if they are for the convenience of the property owners? The rest of us in Washington County (I live in Hugo so I pay taxes twice in the county) lost a valuable piece of taxable property when we lost Shady Birch, so why can't we use it? I guess I've had my say.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The access on the north side of the lake has always been open on Big Marine in years past. I don't have a 4 wheeler or a sled myself and it would be nice to walk out from the south end of the lake when the ice is not thick enough to drive on. I was driving toward the access on the south side and a sherriff told me that it was closed because property owners didn't want the traffic. At least the north end is open.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Phishhead, the new Big Marine Park Reserve will be open next winter. They haven't finished it yet, that is why it isn't plowed. It was open and plowed last winter before construction began. Square lake is plowed, think of it as being like that when done.

There are a few other public access points. There is a county access off of May Ave and 177th, a winter access on the west side at 185th and a old launch on 182nd on the east arm. The best parking is the 177th access.

Are you a ph fan? Spent most of the 90's on the wrong fish tour myself blush.gif

LB

Link to comment
Share on other sites

blueroof-

Thanks for the info - I have been fishing mostly WI lately so I haven't been up that way in awhile. And yes, I went to see phish plenty of times - didn't exactly tour with them but went to see them whenever they were here, Madison, or Chicago.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.


  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • leech~~
      Nope not me.  May want to go nextdoor and ask around?  
    • smurfy
      Looks to me like Leech brought his chair home!!😅😆
    • Brianf.
      I'm not there, so I can't tell exactly what's going on but it looks like a large area of open water developed in the last day with all of the heavy snow on the east side of wake em up Narrows. These two photos are from my Ring Camera facing north towards Niles Point.  You can see what happened with all of snow that fell in the last three days, though the open water could have been wind driven. Hard to say. .  
    • SkunkedAgain
      Black Bay had great ice before but a few spots near rockpiles where there were spots of open water. It looks like the weight of the snow has created a little lake in the middle of the bay.  
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the south end...   Thanks to some cold spring weather, ice fishing continues strong for those still ice fishing.  The bite remains very good.  Most resorts have pulled their fish houses off for the year, however, some still have fish houses out and others are allowing ATV and side by sides.  Check social media or call ahead to your favorite resort for specifics. Reports this week for walleyes and saugers remain excellent.   A nice mix of jumbo perch, pike, eelpout, and an occasional crappie, tullibee or sturgeon being reported by anglers. Jigging one line and using a live minnow on the second line is the way to go.  Green, glow red, pink and gold were good colors this week.     Monster pike are on a tear!  Good number of pike, some reaching over 45 inches long, being caught using tip ups with live suckers or dead bait such as smelt and herring in 8 - 14' of water.   As always, work through a resort or outfitter for ice road conditions.  Safety first always. Fish houses are allowed on the ice through March 31st, the walleye / sauger season goes through April 14th and the pike season never ends. On the Rainy River...  The river is opened up along the Nelson Park boat ramp in Birchdale, the Frontier boat ramp and Vidas boat ramp.  This past week, much of the open water skimmed over with the single digit overnight temps.   Areas of the river have popped open again and with temps getting warmer, things are shaping up for the last stretch through the rest of the spring season, which continues through April 14th.   Very good numbers of walleyes are in the river.  Reports this week, even with fewer anglers, have been good.  When temps warm up and the sun shines, things will fire up again.   Jigs with brightly colored plastics or jigs with a frozen emerald shiner have been the desired bait on the river.  Don't overlook slow trolling crankbaits upstream as well.   Good reports of sturgeon being caught on the river as well.  Sturgeon put the feed bag on in the spring.  The bite has been very good.  Most are using a sturgeon rig with a circle hook loaded with crawlers or crawlers / frozen emerald shiners. Up at the NW Angle...  Ice fishing is winding down up at the Angle.  Walleyes, saugers, and a number of various species in the mix again this week.  The bite is still very good with good numbers of fish.  The one two punch of jigging one line and deadsticking the second line is working well.   Check with Angle resorts on transport options from Young's Bay.  Call ahead for ice road guidelines.  
    • CigarGuy
      With the drifting, kind of hard to tell for sure, but I'm guessing about a foot and still lightly snowing. Cook end!
    • PSU
      How much snow did you get on Vermilion? 
    • Mike89
      lake here refroze too...  started opening again yesterday with the wet snow and wind...  very little ice left today...
    • Hookmaster
      A friend who has a cabin between Alex and Fergus said the lake he's on refroze. He texted me a pic from March 12th when it was open and one from 23rd when it wasn't. 🤯
    • SkunkedAgain
      I don't think that there has been any ice melt in the past few weeks on Vermilion. Things looked like a record and then Mother Nature swept in again.   I'll give my revised guess of April 21st
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.