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The bay I was on on Birch Lake had 4 to 5 solid clear hard inches of ice. Then it rose above freezing and started to rain. I got off there even before walleye:30, and walked through half an inch of water over top of that ice. Yikes!

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Eric-

Yeah, my username isn't extremely original. I just wasn't as creative as the other guys here when I signed up.

The Burntside Bash is the weekend of Jan 28th if that interests you at all let me know. Otherwise just give me a heads up when you want to come up anyother time.

Steve-

Did you get any fish while you were out on Kramer? I chuckle at your commment about going through half an inch of water since you had made a crack about brining your canoe on your post last night.

I was thinking of fishing somewhere today but with the weather tongue.gif and my wife deciding we needed to go get a new fridge I didn't make it out. I was thinking about fishing a lot today though.

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Well, a big warmup, rain splashing all over the ice. Temps to 40 degrees. All softening up the early ice. Now, 3 to 6 inches of snow overnight on top of the rain, then a cool down with lows in single digits around zero and highs in teens the rest of the week. Need the cooldown badly, but if there's significant snow on top of that ice, even with cool temps it'll insulate that ice and make it dangerous in spots.

Caution? Always. Even more caution after this? For sure!

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Sounds like Ely needs 2 days of 90 degree weather and rain, followed by a week of -20.

I will be in Ely the first week of Jan. Hope the conditions are good then!

Mark

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I heard that there is 4 inches of ice on Shagawa as far out as the USFS pilots have their runway.

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

Fish lake:

Traveled beyond the narrows on sled and onto the main body and across the lake today. Ice thickness seems to be 6+".

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got out on boulder today and fishing was very slow, 2 eyes, a nice crappie, and the funniest looking pike i've ever seen. This fish had the head of a 40+ incher, yet it was only 35-36 in long and very very skinny. it also had sores all over it's body and did not look healthy or fight very well. the hair on the back of my neck stood up when i saw the head, but i was fairly dissapointed when i got the body up the hole. Anyways, people are driving sleds and wheelers across the whole lake but the fishing seems to be slow at best.

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What date does it look like you will be able to drive a truck on local lakes if the weather stays the same>>>later the load

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Load My brother said he took a ride up to grand today and said that there were two trucks on the ice. Last Sunday there was 8+ inches of ice Nels

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Ice report for Chub Lake.

Took Xplorer Junior over yesterday to do some test drilling (and let him sled on the hill next to the access).

There is 10" of perfectly solid black ice, wheelers out and about a dozen permanents in the bay to the west of the access, one perm off the point on the west side, and several more down in Bass bay. Will be back this weekend with junior to try for some gills and pike and report. He thought it was pretty cool to poke a hole in the ice for our bobbers. I'd imagine that small vehicles will be out by next weekend.

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Report from Fish. I was out there yesterday For a few hours in the afternoon. Went out from the dam. Solid 10" of ice 12" in a couple spots. Caught a few nice perch.

ERW

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

Load there driving out on Grand with about a foot of ice. I'll wait another week before I unleash the truck.

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I know one of the guys who had his truck out on Big Grand... He brought his new Perm Out.

As for Chub, watch that one. Last year the weekend prior to the "Big" fishing contest out there (Jan). I had the back of my Burban drop though ooo.gifshocked.gif, about 50-75 yards out from the landing. I herd through the grape vine come the fishing contest someone messed up their truck in the same hole. YMMV

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from your last couple posts is sounds like you've had some bad luck and scary incidents on the ice. crazy.gif i remember hearing about someone going through on chub last year, just shows that although 99% of a lake can have good solid ice that there is always "that chance". No one got hurt did they?

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nobody with me got hurt. As for ther other truck that got messed up out on Chub, I think the only thing hurt was the truck.

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Heard about that truck, i wonder if there is a spring out there. There is an area about that far off the landing that has a circular look to the ice forming, about a 15' diameter.

Went out saturday AM with Junior, farther to the right of the access nearer the perms. Still 9-10" of ice there. He picked up 3 gills on waxies/ants (one nice 8.5") and then lost what had to be a pike or bass. I was retieing my rod when i hear "i got another one", and see his rod doubled over. I thought that he had reeled up and caught the hook on the bottom of the ice, but then the line took off across the hole and the drag sang. He had it on for a few seconds longer and then it was off. Unfortunatly after 30 minutes he lost interest and it was off to the sledding hill. Wind picked up so pulled the shack and headed back to the access. I did see 2 full size pickups in the far end of the lake in the west bay shocked.gif

Lots of activity with several perm's being pulled out while we were there.

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St: I took mune out Sat after noon. set it about 14 fow. there was 13 inches of ice then WOW I was up friday night and ONLY 2 HOUSES OUT THEN Sat afternoon it was a village. Nels

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

Xplorer, kids really do make it fun.

Jack, we set the house out Sat as well. Didn't see you but think your probably east of us. Yes, it didn't take long for houses to spring up. We managed 4 eyes and a crappie plus the small pike along with perch. Most the action was on 1/8 oz Go Devils again with only one eye coming of a dead line.

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I think there is something to global warming but I have moved so much the last 45 years I can't prove it. We used to ice fish at or right after Thanksgiving on Pequaywan Lake no. of Duluth in the 50s when the family had a cabin on the west side. I have a couple of questions if anyone lives on Pequaywan. How is the fishing in recent years and has anyone found my spud bar that went through the 4 1/2 feet of ice on the west side in 58?

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She's back there, she moved there after we got divorced. Does that sorta make us brother-in-laws?

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ST,

Yup, it was really great to see his eyes light up as the ice buster went down grin.gif We fished Chub alot this last summer off the dock and its a great "kids" lake. He is learning to use a regualar spinning rod, and santa even got him his own ice rod/reel (so i heard wink.gif ) The only thing was i forgot to take the camera for that "first fish thru the ice ever" picture....so we will be going back there on thursday to try and reproduce the moment smile.gif

Of course the funniest thing was after i got the 2 holes cut with the hand auger and cleaned out, as i was setting up the shack he just had to stick his gloved hand down the hole into the water, like he just had to make sure that it really was wet or something, LOL!!!

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

Xplorer, heck yes, if they're not sticking their hands and feet into the holes then its in the minnow bucket. Extra mitts for sure. My kids would grab my rods instead of using their own so they got used to spinning gear early. So I'd give them my stuff and go buy new for myself. It works out good for everyone and the kids have top notch gear. grin.gif

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almost

Ice over by Ashland is pretty well set up... I found 9 inches today and have heard reports of more in spots... Still be careful, as ice always fluctuates around here...

Open water from Houghton Point north still... Ice set up over on the Washburn side a few days ago, and some open water froze over last night again.. So be careful if your poking around there...

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I’ve got a question. What do you think this snow is going to do with the ice? I’ve got a feeling that it is really going to screw it up for a while. With the amount of snow in the Duluth area I think we are going to have some slush problems and people should be aware of that possibility,

and also to watch for areas of thin ice that aren’t as obvious as when we have little or no snow. I don’t think the problem will be as bad on the range but will definitely be worse up the shore.

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Ya the snow is already creating some slush problems on certain lakes. Be careful out there guys.

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • JerkinLips
      41.6°F in Stuntz Bay Thursday morning.  Left my boat in the water to hopefully fish more before the lake freezes.  Caught four 9-11" walleyes in 2½ hours before I gave up due to the strong west wind.  Water level has not gone up more than a couple of inches at the most.  May be a good winter to jack my boathouse out of the water on the deep end.
    • Troy Smutka
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    • SkunkedAgain
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    • JerkinLips
      Pretty tough.  Was catching about 2 walleyes per hour and the biggest was only 13".  Back up Thursday so I hope I have better success.
    • smurfy
      the kid and I always check our stands prior.......i'll go back to check the conditions of said stands before he gets there to see what we need. while i'm at it if i can i shoot at grouse with shells that appear to not have bb,s in them!!!!🙄
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
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    • leech~~
    • gimruis
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    • leech~~
      Good thing you made a check run.  That would have really suked walking into opening day.  Why do you think muskrats and not beavers?  
    • gimruis
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