SE MN - Area Ice

[Tyler Holm]

No ice is ever safe!

The information is not guaranteed accurate so do not use it when making decisions that may affect your safety!

When you have an update on ice conditions for SE MN, please post here. Please include the date, body of water, location, and current ice conditions. Also include any additional details pertaining to the condition and safeness of the ice.

Ice updates only. No fishing reports or small talk in this thread please.

This thread will be stickied to the top of this forum once we have walkable ice and removed when all ice has been melted for the season.

Thanks to everybody for your ice condition update.

Here is a link to the Minnesota Ice Conditions Map

No ice is ever safe!

The information is not guaranteed accurate so do not use it when making decisions that may affect your safety!

[Tyler Holm]

12/1/07 – 5" on the SE corner of KR7.

Willow Creek has been completely frozen over and is covered with snow, but nobody has ventured out there yet.

I found as much as 3" of ice in the MS River backwaters in areas like West Newton and Wilcox. Pioneer had 2" tops. None of the backwater areas are 100% safe, so use a spud bar.

[dufek]

Checked out Foster this morning....appears to be either ice or snow covered except for the shoreline of the beach...was wearing tennies so i didnt venture down to check thickness...

[sodajerk]

As of 12/3/07 in the afternoon, Bay Point and Colvill Park marinas in Red Wing, Frontenac Pond and the marinas in Lake City are all fully frozen. Lake Pepin appears to be frozen shore to shore above Lake City, but there may have been an open channel in the middle (I couldn't tell for sure from the highway...sky/lighting was playing tricks on my eyes).

I didn't check thicknesses at any of these places, but I did see a guy fishing with tip-ups on Frontenac pond VERY near the south shore on Friday, 11/30. He was sitting in his truck on shore and the tip-ups were about 50 feet out onto the ice.

It's coming! The weather forecast for the next couple weeks looks good for building ice, too. No big deep-freezes, but single digits to 15 degrees at night and below freezing for highs each day.

I just got a new Fish Trap Pro, a new St Croix Premier Ice combo, a new spud and some Genz bugs...saving for a Vexilar, but that may have to wait for next year, or at least 'til February or so.

I'm anxious to get out there and try my luck, so keep the ice reports coming!

Good luck and safe fishing to all!

[fishinbros]

Last weekend at chester woods, we took a spud and the ice was about 2.5 in, atleast around the shore

[Scrod]

Thinking of fishing tomorrow morning anybody have any suggestions. My normal early ice place is basically unreachable with all of the snow so I am looking for something else.

Thanks

[sodajerk]

Ice recon report - 12/7/07...

There were about 6 guys out on Frontenac Pond and 2 lightweight permanent shacks near the south shore. There were tracks from at least two snowmobiles out there as well, so I'm assuming there's a good 6 to 7 inches of ice out there.

On my way through Lake City I saw a guy on Lake Pepin off Central point. He was back on shore by the the time I got to the parking area on the point. He said there were 4 to 5 inches of ice at each of the 4 holes he chopped with his spud and the ice wasn't even cracking as he walked across it. He was a good 75 yards off shore at the furthest point.

Looks like it's here! The latest forecast I've heard calls for 7 below tonight and good ice-making weather through the weekend.

Good luck and safe fishing!

[sodajerk]

Forgot to add to last post that I was in Roch this morning and there were signs of a couple people and a portable shack having been out on Foster-Arends, so the ice is looking good there too, apparently.

[Rebeleye]

Passed by Willow Creek a couple hours ago and there was a guy drilling a couple holes about 30-40 yards out from the right side of the dock. Kinda surprised me actually. The ice out there has to be goofed up from the geese and weather we've had recently. Needless to say, be careful walking out there.

After that I drove by the DNR entrance to Gamehaven lake. There was a guy walking up the trail heading toward the lake with an auger.

I know this info doesn't help much, but at least we know that some people are hitting the ice around here. I'm giving it another week before trying my luck around Roch.

good luck all.

[Scrod]

Thanks for the info soda, I thought about going to frontenac yesterday, but chose to try a smaller pond, caught a few gills nothing of size again. there was between 5-7" on the smaller pond.

[sodajerk]

No problem Scrod...happy to provide some info.

I fished Foster-Arend today for my first time on the ice there, setting up over 11 1/2 FOW in the NE corner about 50 yards from the north shore. I had 4 inches of solid clear ice under me with 1-2" of white ice on top of it. All in all I probably saw 30 people and 12-15 portables out there over the course of the day and the ice seemed nice and solid. No cracking or noise from it at all.

I caught 4 nice rainbows: 17, 15, 15 and 13 inches, and two dink sunnies. Saw many more trout than would bite, and I missed a couple too. Everyone I talked to caught fish, mostly trout and a few largemouths too.

Felt good to get out there and get some action again.

[Buzzin']

Was out at Chester Woods today. Fished at the end of the main finger where it opens up. There was 4 inches of ice, I was fishing in 30 feet of water. Not much sign of anyone else being out that far, just some cross country skiing tracks. I was the only one there all morning.

[sodajerk]

I fished Frontenac on Sunday (12/9/07) and was on about 5" of hard ice, with some white on top of it. (Got a 24" Northern, 3 bluegills (one keeper at 9") and an 8" perch right before dark.)

There were probably 15 or 20 other guys out there and a couple ATVs. Some normal cracking and noise from the ice, but no problems.

The extended forecast at Accuweather has warmed up some, if it can be trusted of course. It calls for colder weather through this weekend, but then warming to highs in the upper 20s to mid 30s for the next week and a half.

We've got a nice early start to the ice season this year and I hope it keeps up. March is a long way off and there's plenty of long, cold winter left, I just don't want to see the ice we have get weak, which will cause trouble all season long.

[Tyler Holm]

KR7 (Kalmar) had 7.5" of ice last night.

[Rebeleye]

Willow Creek had 5 inches as of yesterday (Sunday).

[Tyler Holm]

I found nearly 6" on Willow on Sunday.

[jefdig]

Where is KR7 (Kalmar) located and is there good access to it?

[Tyler Holm]

From Hwy 52 take the 19th st exit (AKA Elton Hills Dr). Head West on 19th past the West Fire. Go about 1/2 mile past 60th st and you will see a public access sign with an arrow pointing towards the right. That's the entrance to the KR7 parking lot. The lot is nice, but your looking at a good walk and a hill to get to the water.

[jefdig]

Thanks for the info Tyler. I see your very respondant and accurate with answers. I might give it a try, but I normally don't fish the resivoirs but since they are close I might give a few a try. Hopefully there's more catch and release practiced in them so there's fishing for years to come, because it sounds like they get fished alot. Thanks again for the info!

[Tyler Holm]

Been putting in quite a bit of time on the ice and things are looking pretty good.

Chester Woods had 7" in the first finger, but it looked solid for as far as I could see.

Lake Zumbro has anywhere from 6-10". Some areas have a little slush on top. Wheeler and sled traffic is common. I surly wouldn't drive a vehicle out there yet, but I guess there's been a couple. Personally I think the ice needs another week or two for vehicle traffic.

[sodajerk]

There's 11-12" of ice on both Frontenac Pond and Willow Creek now. Someone drove a truck out on Frontenac a week and a half ago already and got away with it.

The ice is building slowly lately but the forecast is calling for a cool down over the next few days, so that should add a couple inches at least.

Happy New Year everyone!

[Tyler Holm]

Had 10.75" on rattlesnake on Lake Zumbro today.

[Ron Burgundy]

Any new reports? Willow had at least 16-20 inches on Sunday.

[Tyler Holm]

The Zumbro still has ice, but the challange is to get atop the physical ice structure. I hear people are jumping off docks to the ice. Planks will be required soon the way it sounds.

I saw several people fishing willow this past Sat and Sun. CC Manor pits look OK from the mayo parking lot. I saw somebody out there on Fri. I didn't see any open water next to the shoreline out there.

I hear Foster has open water near the beach, but people are still ice fishing it too.

[Ron Burgundy]

I was on Willow on Sunday, thick ice and a my 1st 2 willow crappies. I may be back there tomorrow after work.

[Ron Burgundy]

Is the ice still accessable at Willow, or is there open water between land and good ice? Are there any lakes in town that you can't get on because of open water for that matter?

[Tyler Holm]

Many of the lakes around have a dock in place that you can still walk on to get atop the ice. Willow, Chester, Foster, and Fishersman Inn on Lake Zumbro all fit into this category. I don't know how the ice is holding on these bodies of water thou.

[onthejob2]

Tyler, or anyone else,

Anybody been to Foster lately, hows the ice conditions? Thinkin about heading out there tomorrow, any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Tyler Holm]

I'd say its not great, but you'll likely have others out there with you. Might have to jump off the dock onto the ice. I've only heard of 3 legs going through, but those were likely in old drilled holes.

I dropped a leg last night on the Zumbro in a hole that musta been 14" and oval shapped. The current and melt is really taking its toll. I suspect were approaching our last week of ice fishing in the Roch area.

[onthejob2]

Thanks Tyler, Your right the ice is shakey at best. We got out there today and had good luck, except for 2 of my buddies falling through old holes. Lotsa slush/bad ice.

Thanks again.