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So, how's the ice going?


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I noticed the other day that a couple of the smaller lakes and ponds froze over. Looks like some bays on Minnetonka are froze. Any word on Waconia and some of the other larger lakes?

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I see uin the Mcgregor/Aitkin formum a couple of guys were out yesterday. They checked 3 lakes and eventually pushed a jon boat out and caught some crappies. They said all 3 lakes had about 2 inches of ice on them. I don't know of any lakes near Fridley that have ice cover yet, but it won't be long, I expect. They say next Tuesday the temps are supposed to fall into the teens??? I should think by next weekend we will start to see ice cover on some of the smaller lakes around the Twin Cities. My guess is that in about 10 days you might have around 5 or 6 inches. Then it will be perch time for your OLD UNCLE KES! Man I can taste those yelow boys even as I write this!!! See you on the ice!

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Minnewashta bays are locking up, and Stieger looks to be just about complete. I can't wait!!

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My favorite little lake was locked up when I stopped by last night - the geese seem to have found someplace else to play this fall! I'm hoping for next weekend with the temps that are forecast, but I'm not one for the early-early ice - I like to follow someone's tracks first. grin.gif

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I will be out this weekend for sure, but will probably play it safe and stick to 4fow or less unless the ice is looking real good. I tried to get out last weekend and failed, I just cant wait anymore!

I know most of us know what we are doing out there, but stay safe, its going to be thin and you never really know where that weak spot of 1" ice is.

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The north end of Bald Eagle was mostly frozen today. Its already froze over and broken up and refrozen a couple times so I'm thinking that a calm night and single digits will totally lock it up.

The water temp this weekend was down to under 34F.

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I walked out on one of those DNR fishing piers this afternoon on a small lake (50 acres) near my house that I don't think anyone ever uses. I didn't have anything to test it with, but just guessing by looking at the bubbles and a couple leaves in the ice, I'd say it was a max of 2 inches, but not very consistent. I didn't try walking on it yet, but at least I got "on" the ice. tongue.gif

I doubt there is going to be any other lakes in the area that have more ice. There's only about 2 feet of water where I checked and it's a very small lake. The forecast looks good, but I think unless you're a daredevil, us in the metro are going to have to wait a little longer than this weekend or go up north a ways.

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Waconia was open on my way home from work, but my neighbor looked at Turd's bay and said it is icing over. Didn't check the thickness. I am hoping to be out on smaller lakes by next weekend. (I like at least 4" of ice before I walk out!)

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Fish Lake in Maple Grove looked 99% open as far as I could see (from Weaver Lake Road). One of my favorite metro panfish hotspots is completely locked up, however. I'm guessing the smaller lakes that are locked up now will have walkable ice very soon. Good luck on the lakes that are open. I might have to buy some wax worms for this weekend.... crazy.gif

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Medicine was open in the middle. My wishing and hoping isn't working fast enough. We had fall turnover a few weeks late and it takes a lot of time to cool that water to freezing too, so it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that the lakes are making it through these cold nights. They won't last too much longer. The wind isn't helping them lock up either.

There is a little 35 acre lake I'm interested in but would never post its name on this website. Might go out there if all my chores are done.

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Drove by Waconia today and from what I could see, it was froze over. This is from the county road 92.

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I checked out BUFFALO yesterday Nov. 28th). Nothing very good yet. Lots of open water, in patches. Some frozen over with open patches and then more frozen etc.

IT will be dangerous for a while as there will be GOOD ice and BAD ice all in the same area.

I'm hoping to get out there again Friday or Sat.

Will report again then.

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Drove down to where the fishing pier is usually located near Turd's bay and as far as I could see Waconia looked iced over. I checked on Reitz and it is still wide open. Must be a spring? Should be fishing on Waconia by next weekend.

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anyone know how the smaller lakes in woodbury are doing? powers and battle creek in particular?

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • 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
    • leech~~
      As I get older it's really not just about sending bullets down range.  Some of it's just the workmanship of the gun and the wow factor. The other two guns I have really wanted which I'll never have now because of their price, is a 8mm Jap Nambu and 9mm German Luger.   Just thought they always looked cool!  
    • jim curlee
      I had a guy hit me with a lightly used 1969 BAR, he wanted $1650 with an older Leupold scope. More than I think they are worth, I made an offer, he declined end of story.   You know if you look at the old brochures, a grade II BAR sold for $250 in the late 60s, $1650 would be a good return on your investment.    Why would anybody want a 50 year old gun, they are heavy, have wood stocks, and blued metal.  I guess mainly to keep their gun safes glued to the floor. lol   You can probably buy a stainless rifle that you never have to clean, with a synthetic stock you never have to refinish, is as light as a feather, and for half as much money, perfect.   I'm too old for a youth gun, although I've shrunk enough that it would probably fit. lol   No Ruger 10/44s.   Jim      
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