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Is Mille Lacs ready for 10,000lbs?


B-man715

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I have heard there are plenty of set ups similar to yours driving around on Red and a few on Mille Lacs near shore/in bays, although I would not at this point on Mille Lacs, Red would be the better/safer option in my opinion.

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B-man How much Ice do you feel comfortable with your rig? The doom and gloom of this wild winter has me stuck on shore... I have a tahoe with a 8 x 16 Castle, 15" was my bottom line what do you think?

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What resorts are letting trucks and houses out in the bays on Mille Lacs?

I don't need to go out a mile or ten, just need some ice to sit the house down on smile

Been to Red twice already. Dumped enough gas in lately and was hoping to find a spot a little closer to home frown

It's about time the weather started cooperating smile

I need help, because if I don't go fishing I will mud and tape the garage...........Please HELP smile

Thanks guys!

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B-man How much Ice do you feel comfortable with your rig? The doom and gloom of this wild winter has me stuck on shore... I have a tahoe with a 8 x 16 Castle, 15" was my bottom line what do you think?

I would like 14" of "good ice". But that is a commodity this year smile

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I believe most are going out of public accesses, which is why I would not recommend going out of them right now with the way conditions are, just stating that there are some people doing so. It sounds like at least a couple resorts are considering opening to light vehicle traffic this weekend, but most are only going to allow half tons and under.

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Its a down year that for sure. People I assume are "risking it" via the public access because of cooler weather we have had the last day or so and because they can not use the resorts.

Anyone have a total on the amount of ice rescues they done on Mill Lacs this season?

I have not kept up on this at all but had heard some floaters were pulled several weeks back. Lost all their wheelers, gear and everything. I could be wrong but I believe it had been awhile since the last berg rescue was conducted on The Pond.

Getting out on some local lakes and seeing the muskrat runs open and finding "soft" areas, along with hearing about the no crack cross and road conditions/restrictions of Mille Lacs, I have just not been into icefishing in lue of other stuff. When I heard Tony Roach say "Call before hand about a resort allowing foot travel", two days prior to new year, I knew the season was as tough as I had been feeling it was. frown That was just a couple weeks ago before we got the warm up.

Best thing to do I guess is just make the calls. To the resorts that is.

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I would like 14" of "good ice". But that is a commodity this year smile

Actually you soon should have that in most places throughout the lake, PROBLEM is that there are many places near those places that will be well short of that and comprised of "not so good" ice, and therein lies the BIG PROBLEM. I guess it boils down to how lucky you feel. Odds are that if you go out with your 10,000 lbs on the southern end you will probably be alright, but then the lemmings start running, and it never turns out well for for many of them....Call the resorts and follow their recommendations!

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Talked to my old man the other day, he said the main lake is probably not going to see any safe driving ice unless things get down right cold for an extended period. This cold snap is not long enough. He said there was reports of open water on the main body last week. He lives on the Southeast side and if he refuses to drive his little Honda out there I wouldn't even think of using a half ton PU. He got his small shack out a little past Sunset bay but reported only ten inches of ice. The "No crossing of cracks" rule is still in effect as of today.

I strongly suggest you contact the resorts as they are doing daily ice recon trips.

Good luck and be safe

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So many people are itching to drive out on lakes this year it seems like. With the glare ice this year it's virtually no effort to drag a portable almost any distance on to a lake. Might take you a little while but I think we could all use the exercise.

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i have a shack out of Macs. they are letting 1/2 tons only but when i got to my shack Friday both the neighbors had 3/4 tons and Monday morning i saw a one ton dualy driving down the road. we had 14' of ice everywhere we went

iceman

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Rode in a 3/4 Ton Duramax out of Castaways on Jan. 8th to about 1.5-2 miles out to the hump....looks about 12-13" of ice and now with that cold spell it should be thicker....

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Fished bye Malmo Tuesday 12" of ice went up Friday over 13". Had a hole with bobber about 20 feet from my portable even at 46 degrees and sunny my hole froze up all day except for an hour or so mid day. I am going with my wheel house wed should be close to 15" by then.

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Fishing in wahkon bay with 14 to16 inches of ice. Several trucks cars and wheelhouses all around. Lots of vehicle traffic in that area.

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Well went out of Appledoorns today and ended up coming back home within a couple hours. Way to scary for me. I was drilling anywhere from 12-14" of ice and went to the end of their road which was at least a mile or so out. Cracking everywhere not just visually. I fished that lake all last winter and wow, this year is totally different. Have never heard so much random cracking in my life especially right under my truck. The clear ice does not help either as you can see the water right under. I don't think I'm going back up until the rest of the lake closes up. Funny thing is that I'm not even driving a half ton, just was in my Toyota Tacoma. Lots of ridges as well. I just don't trust it enough to risk losing anything. Didn't mark anything either. Spent an hour and a half scouting and half an hour fishing and caught a 6 inch perch.

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We are allowing 3/4 ton with wheel houses out as long as you stay in the bay. We have 14-15" of ice. No travel outside the bay yet...the ice was looking good out to Hennepin but there is a crack that opened up about 6 miles out toward the gravel.

Feel free to call us for conditions and if you want to go out with your wheel house, we will point you in the safe direction.

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