Snow Reports

[SkunkedAgain]

When I was up two weeks ago, the lake snow was getting thin and was barely thick enough in the woods for snowmobiles. Have we added much snow lately?

 

Any word on the trails?

[smurfy]

 just talked to a friend of mine, north of deer river and said they havent, didnt get alot of snow with the last roiund. he said getting around on the lakes seemed pretty easy.

 

i  was up over the new years weekend and when i drove home the trails i did see along with the road ditches looked pretty beat up. thats the best i got!!!!!!!

[PRO-V]

Snowmobile trails not good. Haven't seen any grooming. Only good place to ride is in the woods. You can go anywhere on a wheeler in the woods and most anywhere on lakes. Look out for slush on lakes as we've had alot of that.

[smurfy]

1 hour ago, PRO-V said:

Snowmobile trails not good. Haven't seen any grooming. Only good place to ride is in the woods. You can go anywhere on a wheeler in the woods and most anywhere on lakes. Look out for slush on lakes as we've had alot of that.

Well hello stranger  been hiding in in the bush again.

[PRO-V]

6 hours ago, smurfy said:

Well hello stranger  been hiding in in the bush again.

Hello!! Why yes, been in the woods lots this winter. Heading back in a couple days again. Gotta isolate to stay healthy you know.

[SkunkedAgain]

There was 4-5 inches of fresh powder from Saturday night. Yesterday the lake got smoother to ride by snowmobile, harder by 4 wheeler!

 

I drove my sled onto my trailer yesterday and tried to pull out but my tires dug down (new tires too!). I got out and kicked out snow in front of each wheel. I got in, double-checked that I was locked into 4x4 mode, and started to moving again. Nothing....until I remembered to turn off the traction control. darn! I hate that newer trucks have so many fancy features like traction control, stability control, control control control..... I hit the button, stomped on the gas and flew out of there like a raped ape.

 

Another successful trip.

 

Black Bay at sunrise, with the sun just starting to illuminate the tree tops to the west.

Edited January 25, 2021 by SkunkedAgain

[SkunkedAgain]

Well I sure picked the wrong week to be up at the lake! I certainly enjoy the coldest of days more than this spring weather in February. Seeing the sun is nice, but I'd rather see that at the end of March versus now. What powder there was on the lake is virtually gone. On the plus side, the snow base is solid and good for 4-wheelers as well as sleds. Hopefully we get 6-12" of snow soon and then we will have some great riding conditions. I didn't ride the trails, but did ride quite a bit in the woods. Things are getting bare.

 

Edit - I just walked outside....it's snowing! I should have complained sooner...

Edited February 25, 2021 by SkunkedAgain

[CigarGuy]

Was that you out fishing by the mouth of H.O.L. Bay last evening? We went out towards Wakemup, marked a few but not takers.

[SkunkedAgain]

I went out Tuesday afternoon but there were already two guys on buckets and the permanent around the islands, so I set up off of Hibbing Point. I didn't have a nibble. On Thursday I went to Lake Of The Woods for the weekend and had good success with walleye and sauger.

[SkunkedAgain]

How is the snowpack looking on the lake? From the webcams, it looks like we are starting to get down to bare ice.

[CigarGuy]

Might be all gone by the end of the day. I'll take some pics when I get back, in Virginia now.

[CigarGuy]

The Landing, Richie Bay and Partridge River. 52 degrees! If we don't get some moisture this spring, the water level is going to be low!

Edited March 9, 2021 by CigarGuy
Had to add the photo at The Landing. Something happened to the original.

[SkunkedAgain]

Wow - that's a faster melt than I was expecting. I might be walking across on my next trip instead of sledding! I really appreciate the pictures. One more big dump of snow would be fantastic though!

[CigarGuy]

Looks like we could get 4-6" tomorrow, into Thursday. 

 

[smurfy]

1 hour ago, CigarGuy said:

Looks like we could get 4-6" tomorrow, into Thursday. 

 

What you talkin about Willis!! headed to the bowstring/ winnie area in the morning and no need for that this weekend.

[SkunkedAgain]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for more snow, but don't see anything coming down yet 

[PSU]

Has this warmer weather been putting a decent dent on the ice? I know it's way too early to tell and the weather can change dramatically, but hoping for an early ice out

 

Andy

[SkunkedAgain]

The ice is still pretty decent on the west end of the lake, and still relatively light colored. Lots of standing water and soft on top but still thick. Ice is just starting to pull away from shore where the sun has warmed the rocks. 

Edited March 20, 2021 by SkunkedAgain

[SkunkedAgain]

I just drilled through for some sauna water. The ice in Black Bay is still 20" thick, somewhat soft but still plenty strong. I walked across unsure of the conditions but it sure is strong enough for snowmobiles and atvs.

[PSU]

Any new ice updates from the warmer windy weather? Friend up there said he's guessing 3 weeks to ice out. Any thoughts from other locals?

 

Andy

[BrianF]

I was on the ice last night. It’s still about 20 inches where I’m at in Niles bay.  I think three weeks is a pretty good guess.

[Nix769]

I picked the 17th on a board and think that will be pretty close.  Though there is still thick ice around there is a lot more variability this year.  Should go fast once the weather turns this weekend and temps stay above freezing.

[SkunkedAgain]

Looking ahead at the weather the lows will stay above freezing starting Saturday night for an entire week. That and the potential rain next Wednesday should help quite a bit. It doesn't look overly windy except for this Friday should be around 15mph. All of this should get us closer to open water.

 

Unless Mother Nature does one of her crafty maneuvers, we can all bet that the wally spawn will be done long before opener. 

 

[PSU]

Great to hear friends!

[Fish Head]

I've been planning on opening my island cabin on the 24th.  I think that still looks pretty possible. Can't wait to get back up there!  I'm headed to Rainy River next week. 

[jkrash]

It won't be long now, the forecast is looking good for ice melting.

[SkunkedAgain]

Great picture. Do you know of any reputable fishing lodges around there?!?  

 

 

 

[jkrash]

There's lots or reputable fishing lodges around, finding one with an opening could be hard to find this year. If you know of someone looking for a place to stay, tell them don't delay. 

 I think the lake is going to get hard again this year and we all need to be kind to the fish, keep what you need for a meal (once in a while) and let the rest go. Because of the pandemic I was forced to spend  a lot of time in my fish house this winter and from what I could tell the lake is full of 10"-12" eyes. These fish will grow into eater size by fall so treat them right, let them go and let them grow.

[SkunkedAgain]

Agreed. Last spring I witnessed the most intense pressure that I've ever seen on the west end of the lake, spread out over many weekends. I doubt that the folks posting on this forum are the heavy meat hunters, but maybe some of the lurkers will take it easy.

 

Hopefully the increased pandemic pressure will also ease this season. One can hope!

 

 

p.s. I was setting you up for a Retreat Lodge pitch! 

Edited April 5, 2021 by SkunkedAgain

[Fish Head]

Keep a close eye on the webcams. Fun to watch at ice out time. 

https://www.lakevermilionresorts.com/webcams