Burntside Fishing/Conditions Report...(updated-3/30/09)

[walleyehunter80]

i cant wait to hear the next few steps

[Neighbor_guy]

That's step one.

Step two:

But the real secret is to take every laker guy with facial hair and fur hats to the Boathouse for all you can drink colorado bulldogs.

Step three:

Donate your secret Chubby Darter to the one who fished lakers the least this year so far. (Hint: me)

Step four:

Spend some time catching B-side smelt for each persons tip up before trying for lakers yourself. They're not going to bite your line anyway until you complete your 12 step program for recovery.

Steve, step five?

I am fairly sure you have a day on me...??? And I am absolutly certain that I need all the laker help I can get.

[Surface Tension]

Nice fish Jim. Thanks for the reports guys.

[chaffmj]

Way to go Jim nice fish!

I hope the snow doesn't get to deep for me to drive out this weekend. I really need to get up there after seeing all these pictures of lakers.

[Lisa Almquist]

Quote:

Step three:

Donate your secret Chubby Darter to the one who fished lakers the least this year so far. (Hint: me)

I guess a certain someone was getting lakers already with that specific Darter before I came up. Had some success too!

[Iambjm]

What about donating that Chubby Darter to me. After all us ladies have to stick together, and who would be more deserving of a laker than I.

[Lisa Almquist]

That Chubby's gonna be in my arsenal for a good long time! And I've added many of his friends this past year too. I wasn't loaning him out either. He was being used on the sly.

[Steve Foss]

Some husbands will do anything to finally outfish their wives, like not inviting them for part of the trip and then stealing their favorite rod and lure. Ya gotta watch that Jim. He's pretty tricky.

[KG243]

How much snow is on the lake before the storm and how much are we supposed to get? Also if it is not possible to get around the lake in a truck what are my other options, considering I dont own a snowmobile? I will be coming up on the 18th and 19th. Thanks

[Steve Foss]

I already posted this forecast earlier in this thread, but here's an updated NWS forecast for Ely with estimated snow totals. There's from 3 to 8 inches of hard snow on the Bside ice right now. Let's hope they are as wrong this time as they've been in the past. All that wind might, and I emphasize might, blow most of the new snow into sheltered areas and keep the open areas fairly clear.

Tonight: Snow likely before 7pm, then snow likely, possibly mixed with freezing drizzle. Cloudy, with a low around 20. Northeast wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. Total nighttime snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

Tuesday: Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Areas of blowing snow after 1pm. High near 28. North wind between 10 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches possible.

Tuesday Night: Snow and areas of blowing snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around -7. Wind chill values as low as -29. Blustery, with a north wind around 25 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 7 to 11 inches possible.

Wednesday: Areas of blowing snow and a chance of snow showers before 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 8. Wind chill values as low as -32. Northwest wind between 15 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

[Jim Almquist]

Some husbands will do anything to finally outfish their wives, like not inviting them for part of the trip and then stealing their favorite rod and lure. Ya gotta watch that Jim. He's pretty tricky.

Just for the record I did give Lisa her rod with the chubby still attached and in good working order.

I found a better lure

I was nice enough to go out and get one for the wife's tackle box so there will be no complaining that I am a lure hog

[Lisa Almquist]

Don't worry jimalm, no one thinks you're being a lure hog. I'm usually the one rummaging around your box!

[Surface Tension]

Just for the record I did give Lisa her rod with the chubby still attached and in good working order. :

HEHE, give the chubby back after you made it lose its MOJO.

[Steve Foss]

The NWS just downgraded the snow forecast to 9-15 inches through today and tonight. We were supposed to get 1-3 overnight last night and didn't get anything, and no snow yet this morning. No doubt it's coming, but if we stay at the low end of the forecast range, and with the wind being strong, I'll bet full-sized pickups will still be tooling around Bside this weekend.

[KG243]

Thanks steve for the up date! I cant wait for my first trip up to burntside!!!! and hopefully first laker!

[KG243]

Is the snow done up there? What are the totals?

[Steve Foss]

I'm going to bed. If you want totals, ask some youngster who feels like staying up all night. I'll see how it looks tomorrow when I get up.

After all, I've got a LONG day of shoveling ahead of me. I'll be sick enough of snow.

[Steve Foss]

There were about 8 or 9 inches of snow on the driveway when I went to bed last night. The big winds picked up overnight and now I have no idea how much really fell total, because the driveway has a couple inches in some places and drifts a foot and a half in others.

Oh well. Snow shoveling today, fishing tomorrow!

[Mike Stark]

steve how much snow do you think is too much snow for driving on burntside? i have a ford explorer. i might go check out burntside today and see what its like. i will let folks know what I find out if i make it over that way.

mike

[Great Outdoors]

mstark83

Quite a bit of drifting in my yard at Burntside.

If the lake is anything like this, I don't think you'd be able to get on the lake at the Van Vac landing.

I'll check it out on my way to town and post the conditions.

[Steve Foss]

Looks like the official today in Ely was 8 inches. Supposed to stay windy most of the rest of the week, too, so any loose snow will continue to blow around.

Weekend forecast is for sun and highs from 35 to 40. Can't time a snowstorm much better than that.

[Steve Foss]

Well, it only took a couple of hours to shovel the walks and the driveway, so I hopped out to Burntside late this morning.

I drove my Toyota 4Runner off Van Vac and across the bay to Brownell Island and back. There was drifting, with compacted snow and drifts up to about a foot deep. I had no trouble getting through with the 4Runner in low gear and rpms up around 2,000 or 2,500. Didn't bog once, and the going was smoother than it has been recently because the snow padded all the frozen slush ruts.

So if your SUV is as big as a 4Runner (mid-size) and has OK clearance, you should be good to go this weekend.

Since it was fine out in the main bay off Van Vac, I'm sure it's fine on the main lake once you get through the narrows south of Waters Island heading west from Van Vac, as well as the whole stretch out in the open on the other side of Blueberry Island up toward Miller/Lockhart and the Dead River. There may be some more drifting across the narrows south of Waters, but I doubt it'd be much.

Just bring a shovel in case you get bogged so you can shovel down to the ice, and make sure you stop between drifts instead of in them. I had no trouble starting from a standstill even in the middle of the drifts. A bit of heavy snow coming up and down the landing onto and off of the lake, but it was easy enough getting back up off the lake in one run.

There was one fella fishing near Brownell when I was out. He got there in his wheeler.

Whether the weight of the new snow will create slush pockets here and there remains to be seen.

[gritsnham]

Thanks for the report Steve that is some great news to hear! Is the ice safe to drive a SUV on for the entire lake now more or less? Have sadly not been back up since the bash so was just curious about the ice conditions.

Thanks

[Mike Stark]

steve beat me to it. i also went out and drove around off the van vac. not too bad. had it in 4wheel high the whole time. 4x4 is a must.

[Steve Foss]

I've found 20-24 inches of ice everywhere I've fished. I have been pretty much everywhere but the west end over the last couple/three weeks. The top 8 inches or so is milky from frozen slush, with hard clear ice below that.

[caseymcq]

The last time I was on the west end was two weeks ago and there was 18" where I was fishing. I would guess that the ice there is similar to the areas around Van Vac, 20 - 24".

[mikesdad]

okay enough about driving! how's the fishing? I was up last week with mike ,my son ,and would love to hear about the fishing. if i sound grumpy it's only because i'm back in southern illinois wishing i could be in ely. you folks have a great play ground. i will be back but until than keep the news coming. the old man.

[Steve Foss]

mikesdad, welcome to HSO/FM. Great to have you here.

Go back on this thread a bit farther and you'll get some fishing reports from the past weekend. And check out the other live thread on this board titled "awesome year at Burntside."

Between both threads, I think you'll get the idea that people are catching fish.

[Mike Stark]

hey old man you finally stopped lurking in the dark and made a post. listen to what steve has to say...he knows his stuff. im going out tomorrow with a bit of a new game plan. going for big fish. ill post when i get back.

and welcome to FM.

[Steve Foss]

Hmmmm, Sr. and Jr.?