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Think this would be a good idea to have a topic for Ice on lakes around our area.Any info would help people waiting to get out and not have to drive all over the northland! Dont need any more info than how much ICE on a named lake. With the price of gas, and the time it takes to run all over the info could help all of us. Just a thought.

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  • Steve Foss

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

You can also look at Airjer's Ice Reports in the Ice fishing forum.

It looks like Long Lake in Twig froze over last night. Wowwho!

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Ya I saw the one in the ice fishing form, but thought one just for our area would be nice.Hope we get more cold before SNOW!

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Got a report this morning that Johnson Lake was frozen over, One Pine is frozen but for a spot in the middle and some of the bays on Birch Lake are also frozen.

I'm going to check some ice thickness this afternoon. Keep the snow away and we'll be ice fishing in a few days, or at least certainly within a week, with these temps.

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Let's all be careful out there!!!! Nobody needs to get drowned for a fish by falling thru ice. Wear a life jacket when early ice fishing. Fish with a partner, use a rope when on ice, ice picks, and common sense most of all. It happens quick and lasts forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I will let everyone know what I see and find out in the next few weeks. Usually Thanksgiving Im on Fish Lake catching crappies and eyes in the narrows.

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Lakes aroung the Isabella area have been froze over for a coupla weeks....next week I'll be drilling

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One Pine is frozen all the way across. Johnson is locked up tight. The two bays on Birch I checked were iced over. Just a light dusting of snow on the ice, though it is snowing now with more snow possible over the weekend.

Walked out 20 feet on all four locations and no cracking ice. Spudded through on Johnson and it was a bit more than 2 inches thick.

I don't make recommendations when posting these reports. Our decisions whether or not to venture out on the ice are purely individual ones. Simply relaying my personal observations.

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Steve, since you walked out anyway, you should of brought one rod with a Swedish pimple on it and dropped it through a spud hole for about five seconds just to say "FIRST!!!"

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Steve, since you walked out anyway, you should of brought one rod with a Swedish pimple on it and dropped it through a spud hole for about five seconds just to say "FIRST!!!"

Hah, never thought of that! grin

Must be a skim of ice on Shagawa this morning and other lakes.

Yes, there's lots of thin ice on Shags, with some open water yet.

I do hope the forecast for sun and highs of 39-42 for Thurs-Sat is wrong. Don't want the march of ice formation halted for any reason! smile

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Fish with a partner,

Having a partner and proper rescue equipment is the NUMBER ONE safety RULE that a person can follow when checking out early ice. This RULE applies to many outdoor activities not just early ice. Testing the danger of early ice creates those tragic accidents that we see every year. There is no reason to jump on a bay a day or two after ice forms. Many times it's the "I know what I'm doing and have lots experience", guy that gets hauled off a semi-frozen lake on a covered gurney. STAY SAFE it's a long season and we will get enough fishing opportunities, so be here to take advantage of it.

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I drove around Shagawa Lake this at 8:30 this morning, the same time as yesterday.

It was about 99% open yesterday, and 90% frozen this morning.

The only open water I saw today was just north, and a bit east, of Shagawa Inn.

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Love it when it's starting! Like the last week before deer hunting! gringringrin

Looks like the coming warm snap is going to throw a monkey wrench into things. frown

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Black Friday AM: This morning I was out for a hike in the woods on Bear Island. The main part of Island Lake is open water. Behind Bear Island is skim ice. Fish is frozen end to end, but it is a ways away from being walkable. Boulder is ice covered, but it in same condition as Fish. I threw a 6 inch rock onto Boulder and it bounced off the ice. Most of the small lakes are covered, but I did see a couple that had some open water. I think we are just one good blast of cold weather from good ice.

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a few days ago my brother told me Rice lake was frozen over as well, but who knows what the warmer temps did. good luck.

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

I checked 5 days ago and there was 1.5" of ice on the lake I live on. Since then temps haven't been below freezing.

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We had as much as 3 inches on some of the smaller lakes up here, and Shagawa was all frozen over with about 2 inches in many places. Earlier this week, I was all set to start fishing by yesterday.

BUT!

Then we got the Thanksgiving sunny and mid-upper 40s temps for three deays, which thinned and weakened everything, and we're in the process of getting 3-5 inches of wet heavy snow today, with temps from now on staying at or well below freezing, with only one exception (tomorrow 38 degrees).

So that will make it one big mess, and it'll take time to straighten it out. Like, another week. At least heavy wet snow is poorer insulation than light snow, and it makes our outside Christmas lights look nice. smile

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With you getting that snow on top of thin ice,you would be better off not having any ice at present,in hope of getting nice clear ice in the future. Thanks for the update,and looking forward to future posts.

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Not much ice out here in sconnie that Ive noticed yet. Heard that someone went swimming out on teh Gordon flowage......Be careful, and dont take any chances. I will be fishing shallower water this weekend (if I get out0, and as ice builds, I will go deeper....

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ice at this time has a better chance of stiking around. the lakes i mentioned in my area last time that were skimed over are now open. crooked for example here in Anoka county is wide open again. i dont think walkable ice will be around in this area for a couple of weeks yet. good luck.

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • mulefarm
      With the early ice out, how is the curlyleaf pondweed doing?
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
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    • leech~~
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    • Rick G
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    • monstermoose78
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    • monstermoose78
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    • smurfy
      good......you?? living the dream..in my basement playing internet thug right now!!!!!! 🤣 working on getting the boat ready.......bought a new cheatmaster locator for the boat so working on that.   waiting for warmer weather to start my garden!!!
    • monstermoose78
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