Ice-Out

[SkunkedAgain]

I'll start it.....

 

I heard that water was flowing over the dam. Is Pike Bay flowing as well?

[Cliff Wagenbach]

No open water in Pike Bay.

The dam has been flowing almost all winter! There is now an open channel down the center of the Pike river past the dam as far as just past the Hatchery!

Saw a couple fish surfacing in the open water the past couple of evenings (suckers??). Have had geese, golden eyes, and a couple of swans in the open water all week.

Cliff

[SkunkedAgain]

So my source was correct!!

 

Thanks for the update

[CigarGuy]

I was out fishing today by my place.  About 2' of soft ice......had some lookers, no takers. Shorelines are getting pretty soft. Were snowmobiles running back and forth from Black Bay toward Wakemup/Head O Lakes Bays last wknd.  My kids were at The Landing Saturday afternoon and 3 sleds were parked out front.

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Saw a set of 4 wheeler tracks on Pike Bay this afternoon. It looked like they were sinking into the top ice about 2 or 3 inches!

Cliff

[RoosterMan]

I was up over the weekend and my shoreline was getting pretty sketchy.  Had a pocket of open water down the shore about a 100 yards. Where I could see the bottom in two to three feet of water.  Walked out about a hundred yards and popped four holes Saturday afternoon. There was 17- 18.5"s of ice in those four holes. Looking at the forecast I can't see the ice sticking around too much longer.  The holes I popped had 5-6" of pretty mushy cloudy stuff on top and about 12"s of pretty solid stuff underneath it. 

[Jonny 2 shot]

Hey guys,

 

Just an FYI.  It sounds like the shifting ice sheet did some extensive damage to docks and shoreline on the south facing shore of Birch Point?  Letters went out from the barge services notifying everyone. 

 

Can anyone confirm?

 

I have not personally been up to see but depending on how bad it is we might not have a dock in time for opener.  If you have a south facing dock it might be worth noting.

 

Thanks!

Jon

[CigarGuy]

Cook, MN facebook page has a picture and info on it.  I don't know how to post a link, but here's the post-minus the photo.

 

The combination of record mild temperatures in late February and more seasonable temperatures in early March, has prompted dramatic ice movement on Lake Vermilion....

The south shore of Birch Point, which faces Big Bay, has seen some of the most extensive damage, as the ice has twisted lift docks, damaged boat houses, downed trees, and rearranged sizeable chunks of shoreline.

Only a handful of docks along the heavily-developed lakeshore have so far escaped damage from the ice. Many docks have been damaged beyond repair.

The pressure of expanding ice is typically relieved out in the lake, where large pressure ridges often form. But those ridges didn’t form as usual this year, and that left the shorelines vulnerable to the immense power of expanding ice.

Lake property owners are likely to be shocked when they arrive back at their cabins and lake homes later this year. And the cost of repairs could be especially painful since, in many cases, the damage is likely not covered by insurance.

“It will depend on their individual policies,” said Donna Mosher, with the Tower-Soudan Agency, which serves many Lake Vermilion property owners. She said standard insurance policies typically don’t cover ice movement, which can be a frequent source of property damage in areas where thick ice builds up in winter. Many property owners on Vermilion and other larger area lakes have turned to lift-out docks to minimize their risk of damage, but this year’s unusual conditions are leaving many of those docks damaged or destroyed as well.

Some property owners do obtain insurance that includes a specific schedule or rider to cover more expensive docks, according to Mosher, but that’s usually the exception rather than the rule. “I’ve had to tell people ‘no’ already,” said Mosher. “It’s unfortunate.”

[AlwaysFishing23]

Another guy went through on Hubert yesterday near brainerd. That's the third guy ( all on different lakes) that went through this week! In that area! Please don't go out! If you do don't be to cautious. The crow wing county sheriff highly recommended not going on any lake ice no matter what type of transportation. Stay home and watch the ice melt. I know This is the vermilion area but it was a open thread. Sorry.

Edited March 29, 2017 by AlwaysFishing23

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Yes, The ice is getting unsafe fast now!

Cliff

[AlwaysFishing23]

I herd some lakes in the BWCA were still in good shape as of Monday but I'm sure that changed by now.

[delcecchi]

I looked at cook, mn page didn't see the story.  both webpage   cookmn.com and the facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/CookMn/

and

the cook group   https://www.facebook.com/groups/396154887224760/

Not on Timberjay site either.  

 

You can post a link by just copy/and paste the url from the bar in your browser into your post. 

[CigarGuy]

Del,  it's on Cook, MN facebook....March 23.  Timberjay, you need a subscription to view entire story.

[Cliff Wagenbach]

I also heard that there has been a lot of ice damage on the South shore of Birch Point.

Saw a few pictures that Sherry, (Manic Docks) took last week.

Cliff

[delcecchi]

17 hours ago, CigarGuy said:

Del,  it's on Cook, MN facebook....March 23.  Timberjay, you need a subscription to view entire story.

 

OK, maybe I didn't go back far enough.  I do subscribe to Timberjay.   They had the story?

 

Saw this on twitter this morning.... for what it is worth.  Link to a facebook.  page

(oops looks like embedding fb links doesn't work)  

Just checked ice. 18" seventy-five feet out from marina.

 

from Aronson boat works. 

 

 

Edited March 31, 2017 by delcecchi

[delcecchi]

Looks like the link appeared after all.   It didn't at first but now is there.  strange.

 

[TomWehler]

Hello!

Wonderful Tommy here!

22nd of April is my pick couple weeks ago. 

Always fun to go up an do docks n open cabin. Pick up sticks n trees an fix junk Mother Nature likes to tease me with.

Long winter for us here Musky Acres so we really need our sweet open water Vermilion fix at least a couple weeks before Wally fish opener.

Fish Fry to night, mmmmmm.... after hitting the lumber yard for wood to build us a loft in my huge %$# shed.

Marauders Moe n Bear need a Vermilion swim also.

At 10.5 they know exactly what time of year it is an when I was crank'n up the boat other day they we giddy with excitement.

Come on sun.........come on Sun. GET TO WORK.

GO LEAFS!

 

Keep on rocken!

 

Tommy

 

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Great pictures Tommy!

Cliff

[SkunkedAgain]

From the Cook facebook page (had to create a fake account to access it!):

 

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Now they will have a draw bridge!

Cliff

[Cliff Wagenbach]

My ice out prediction is:

Pike Bay -- April, 14

Big Bay -- April, 21

Cliff

[Darrell Larson]

Cliff, We have 10-12feet open water in front of house, has not changed much last day or two. My guess for Pike Bay April11, Big Bay April 19.

[Nix769]

I don't think Pike Bay makes it through Monday....at least I hope...

[delcecchi]

Time to start watching the webcams....

[JerkinLips]

My guess last week was April 12 for Pike Bay and April 18 for Big Bay.

[guideman]

Pike bay is about 90% open today and Big bay is open south of Ely island. Nice warm weather is on the way so the ice should me going fast if we get some wind. I'm putting my boat in this weekend.

 

"Ace" 

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Drove out and looked at the lake this morning.

Pike bay is about 1/2 open with many areas of open patches and other areas with floating mush ice on it.

There was a large open lead out from McKinley Park as far out as Ely Island and Birch Island!

Any kind of wind at all should open the entire lake within a week is my guess!

Cliff

[VermilionGold]

Lots of open water in Daisy bay, with the forecast should be ice free by the weekend.  Can't wait to get the boat on the water.

[Nix769]

The one time we want want wind and nothing all week.....  Will be nice getting the lift in this weekend.

[SkunkedAgain]

Way to go global warming!