Our Final Winter Weekend

 This weekend (3/1 & 3/2/25) we will allow walking, ATVs and Side by Sides through our access. We are not allowing cars, trucks, skid houses, or wheel houses of any size through our access.  Remember that after Sunday 3/2/25 our bait shop and access will be closed for the Winter season.

 Thanks

Access and bait shop update

 Our access will be closed to driving Cars and Trucks starting Thursday, 2/27/25. ATVs and Side by Sides will still be allowed. On Friday, 2/28/25 we will post an update explaining what we will be allowing through here for the weekend.

The bait shop will be open from 9 am to 5 pm from Thursday, 2/27/25 through Sunday, 3/2/25. The bait shop and access will be closed for the season after Sunday.

Thanks

In Towne Marina Lake and Ice Report 2/25/25

 2/25/25 The water that covered the ice during the last couple of days has drained through drain holes and the softening ice. The Warm weather ahead will continue to diminish what was some of our best ice in years. Most houses have moved off the ice. Our access is hanging in there but can only take so much of the extremely warm and sunny weather. We will continue to update you daily when it makes sense. Thanks

In Towne Marina Lake and Ice Report 2/24/25

It’s wet out there! In just over 24 hours conditions have significantly changed on Lake Waconia! Many of the houses that were on the lake have left. The snow has melted and is now water on top of the ice. The ice is still 20 plus inches and not honeycombed or deteriorating yet. Around many of the remaining houses significant water is pooling up. If the water doesn't drain through the ice before Thursday and Friday, things could get serious when the predicted winds come. When your house is sitting there during an extended warm period the ice under the weight of your fish house can sag. As water accumulates it sags worse. When it sags enough that all the freeboard is gone (positive freeboard is when the ice is floating above the lake’s water level) water starts running down your holes (or makes its own holes). When we get high wind mixed with warm temps and water draining through the ice under or near your fish house there can be serious problems.

One winter in the mid-to-late 1980’s (1986?) and one in the Early 2000’s (2002?) This happened

and MANY permanent houses went through the ice during these similar extreme weather events. It’s important to point out that many fish houses are heavier nowadays than during those previous times.

We also want to point out another factor that contributed to some of the first houses that went through the ice. Height of the house off the ice. Fish houses that were on wheels that were left cranked UP or houses that were blocked super high or wheel houses that couldn’t crank down like a camper seemed to go through FIRST! The houses high off the ice let the wind and water swirl under them opening up holes worse than the houses closer to the ice. Ice thickness doesn’t matter as much when heavy swirling occurs under houses. We recommend NOT leaving your house out there cranked UP!

Our access is holding up well but can only take so much traffic during this long warm stretch. If you have a tandem fish house and wish to use our access to remove it from the ice, it’s important to do that sooner than later as we will likely be limiting use of the access as each day goes by. We will more than likely NOT be allowing houses to enter onto the ice this weekend, but will update that news as we know more.

In Towne Marina Lake and Ice Report 2/23/25

 A major warm up is here! With gamefish season closing tonight 2/23 and a lot of warm weather ahead of us, many houses have been leaving the lake today. We will be pulling our rental fish houses off the ice early this week. The houses have to be off the ice by the end of Monday 3/3/25, but removing yours earlier might be a good idea when looking at the forecast. General ice thickness hasn’t changed (over 20”) and our access is in good shape at the moment. Later in the week and next weekend might be a different story. With high winds predicted for Friday 2/28, keeping a very close eye on your house would be a good idea if you insist on leaving it out there for the final weekend.

We will update you as conditions change.

In Towne Marina Lake and Ice Report 2/14/25

Happy Valentines Day! We are loving conditions on Lake Waconia! Ice is over 20 inches in most areas and growing. Getting around off-road has been easy since last weeks minimal snow (enough to lightly bank your house). If the weather predictions are correct we will have another couple inches of banking snow for Saturday morning 2/15. If needed we will clean up our roads late tonight or early tomorrow morning 2/15

Our roads currently head to 

• Waconia Bay
• Center Reef
• Pillsbury Reef
• Wagener’s Bay deep hole
• The Walleye Hump/Hole
• Cemetery Reef

After Friday's snow, getting around off road should still be pretty easy with most vehicles. Keep you eyes peeled for marked springs, branches in old "Spear Holes" and hard snow banks from old fish house spots.

See you on the ice!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report - 2/5/25

 Snow! It looks like we have a couple chances for some snow this week and weekend! We have all wanted banking snow for a while and it’s looking promising. If we get some white stuff tonight Wednesday 2/5 and a lot of wind (40 mph gusts predicted) on Thursday 2/6 we won’t be plowing much until Friday 2/7. 

Saturday 2/8 looks like our best chance for significant snow so far this season. If you have a fish house off on your own away from the crowd, make sure you have a capable vehicle as getting around on the lake is going to get more difficult soon.

By the end of Sunday 2/9 we plan to have roads to the following areas. 

• Waconia Bay
• Center Reef
• Pillsbury Reef
• Wagener’s Bay deep hole
• The Walleye Hump/Hole
• Cemetery Reef

If a road is needed up on the North side of the lake we will work on that next week.

We will update you as predictions and conditions change on Lake Waconia

See you on the ice.