Over the Weekend and Sunday weather

[Drake]

Wow, is it a wicked one out there today. Last night we were hit by icy rain making a slick one for those out on the road. This morning it's showing the wind is only at 6mph, but their is a winter storm watch out until 4~the gusts are over 20 and that it could get to 55mph. Let's hope that it doesn't do damage to the ice that's out there.

Over the weekend we had several folks out hitting the ice. Blackduck Lake was hit by a few of our anglers and they found that the ice was measuring 5-7", and during the afternoon hours they were reeling in some small walleyes and an occasional pike. When we were over there yesterday you could see several houses popping up fishing off the bars, but folks are taking it pretty cautiously and not venturing out too far on the ice.

The other smaller lakes in the area were also hit by anglers over the weekend and they were also finding ice thickness of 4-7", and the sunfish and crappie bite was in full swing. At Upper Red Lake we had one one group of guys who were fishing for pike and they did very well, with the largest being a 41"er. Tip up fishing for the pike in the shallows (6') was the key. On the east side Hillmans has their road out approximately 4 miles, a couple miles out for Westwind, and on the southshore Rogers is out 2 miles and Morts is out 1 3/4, with folks measuring ice 6-7". Again, still early in the season and with this wind today be cautious out there and check with the access owners before venturing out.

[Drake]

A check of the lakes in the area today and it looks like the strong winds didn't do any damage to the ice on Blackduck Lake or some of the smaller lakes in the area, although I did get a report that on the southshore of Upper Red out about 2 1/4 miles out the wind did tear up the ice, but the accesses on the southshore have their accesses out approximately 1 3/4 which will take you to about 15' and are reporting 7-8" of ice in that area. The cold temps we've been having will help refreeze that out there (yesterday's low was -4), but again folks, be careful when heading out on the ice on any lake and check with the access owners before heading out.

Blackduck Lake has a few portables out there and folks are fishing off the bars for the eyes, with the best bite time being reported in the late afternoon. Our guys on Upper Red yesterday were up doing some pike fishing and found that fishing in the shallows was the place to be, with a few nice pike being reeled in, and one angler said he caught a 41"er, so that's a couple of those monsters that have been reeled in the past week.