Fishing Report 1-31-11

Wow! Ice fishing season seemed like it just got started, and February is knocking on the door. The action on Lake Waconia has been decent since the extreme cold a week and a half ago. Many anglers continue to catch sunfish during the day, although the size of those fish aren't what we hoped we'd see this winter. Sunfishermen have certainly caught some nice keepers, but patience is needed to sort out the littler ones. We're still hearing the best action by Pillsbury and Center Reefs between 10 to 15 feet of water. If you're looking for a better chance to have a fish fry, crappies continue to be the best bet in the evening between 5 and 9 pm. We're not talking giant slabs here, but quality fish in the 9 1/2 to 10 inch range. Again, Pillsbury and Center Reefs have been the place to go, although some have found them in a tad deeper water south of Pillsbury in 18 to 22 feet. Walleye anglers have had a tougher go of it pinpointing a consistent bite. Many have moved around lake with varying success. Anderson's Reef and Kegs Reef are both worth spending a little time on, as there are good weeds to work from and both areas haven't had a lot of pressure yet this year. Find depths ranging from 14 to 20 feet.

We want to congratulate the Waconia 2011 Ride-In Vintage Snowmobile Event for 3 great days on the lake. It was their 21st Annual, and thousands of enthusiasts came out to see the action.

This Saturday February 5th, the Waconia Lions are hosting their 29th Annual Wild Game Dinner at the Lake Waconia Event Center. There is a huge raffle with over 140 prizes including 16 guns. Hor d'oerves begin at 4, with the dinner at 7:30. Fish all day, and join the party for a great dinner and prizes in the evening. Cost is $35 advance and $40 at the door.

Don't forget, we still have our FREE Ice and Dice Prize Giveaway going on. Just weigh a qualifying fish caught on Lake Waconia, for your chance to win! See you on the lake!

Adrian Peterson Blizzard Blitz contest a success!

What a beautiful day Monday turned out to be! Anglers of all ages came out to Lake Waconia to support the Starkey Hearing Foundation and the Adrian Peterson All Day Foundation. While the bite wasn't what we had hoped, we witnessed many smiles across the crowd who enjoyed the nice weather and the chance to meet some celebrities. The Minnesota Vikings very own Jim Kleinsasser, John Sullivan, Ben Leber, and Hall of Famer Paul Krause were present. Minnesota Wild goalie Josh Harding was there, and looked at home on Lake Waconia's ice. "Minnesota Bound" star Raven along with her good buddy Ron Schara made a point of stopping out as well! Adrian Peterson of the Vikes was the big draw though, and people sure were excited to see him! Many very nice prizes were given out throughout the day. The top 3 fishing prizes for the Adults were all won with perch, while the Kids did a little better with the top fish being a 6.9 oz. crappie caught by Nathan Heinen. The 2nd and 3rd place prizes were awarded to kids who also caught perch.

We were very happy to be a part of this event and want to thank some very special volunteers that helped us make this event run so smooth. Fred Radde III, Fred Radde IV and his wife Jennifer of "Fred W. Radde and Sons Auctioneers" donated the use of a lot of essential equipment as well as countless hours in planning, as well as on-ice time to help anglers get on and off the ice safely. Jeff Schulz, Dan Goetz and others from the Waconia Lions, as well as Travis Frank of Ron Schara Outdoors were instrumental helping at the gates and in the contest site. Kris Raether went above and beyond spending the entire day working with parking and contest set-up and take down. Kellie Sites and Carmen Gesinger from the Waconia Chamber did a wonderful job promoting this event and showcasing Waconia. Thanks to our ITM staff for their time helping us put this event together. We also would like to thank Lola's Lakehouse for their efforts in bringing this contest to Waconia and the great food on the ice as well as the sponsor dinner after the event. There were many others who contributed to the success of the event. The Starkey Hearing Foundation and Adrian Peterson have mentioned their intention to hold this event again next year. We are already looking forward to the next "Blizzard Blitz"!

Moving Day on Lake Waconia

Saturday was the big day to bring permanent fish houses out to Lake Waconia. Lots of happy anglers have been coming through in a constant flow for most of the day. Please remember to give each other space when deciding where to place your house. Common courtesy is to stay 20 to 25 feet away from each other with houses. Doing so makes it easier to navigate between the houses, and allows us to continue to plow roads to the groups of houses without as much difficulty. Thank you.

Fishing is expected to pick up, as we are now able to spread around the lake to all the areas we've been waiting to get to. Keep in mind to look for healthy weeds when searching for your spot. While there are plenty of weeds in the lake, finding the healthier weeds will increase your chances for getting on a spot that will hold fish for a while. If you are looking for sunnies and crappies, find around 11 to 14 feet. Walleyes will hang in those depths as well, although it is good to find areas that drop off up to 20 feet.

Don't forget to stop in to weigh your fish to see if it will qualify for a chance to shake the dice in our free Ice and Dice prize game. We hope to see you soon!

Fish House Rental

The In Towne Marina Fish House rental fleet is out in full force! Jim, Ben and Jimmy have been on the ice this week taking advantage of the very good conditions on Lake Waconia. Ice thicknesses between 10" and 24" can be found with 13"-16" being common. Call 952-442-2096 to make a reservation for a house if you have that itch to get out there!

Our access is now open to driving cars and trucks. As always, no matter how much ice we have we never say ice is safe, but we are comfortably driving our trucks to the rental fish houses. We are seeing Vehicles and Wheel houses of all sizes making their way onto the ice. Folks not comfortable driving large vehicles yet, are getting around great on ATV's and snowmobiles. Remember our daily access rate for a vehicle is $2 including tax. A Season Pass is a great deal at $25 including sales tax! If you choose to walk we only ask $1!

At this point roads have not been plowed because of the minimal snow on the lake(about 1"). Obvious paths have been made by the vehicle traffic from our frontage out to Waconia Bay, Center Reef, and Pillsbury Reef. With such little snow, cars and 2 wheel drive trucks haven't had many problems getting around on the lake. Conditions out on the ice are much better than just 10 days ago, we really couldn't be happier!

Thanks for reading, and we will see you on the ice!

In Towne Marina

952-442-2096

Enter NOW !! Mon., 1/17/10 Adrian Peterson FISHING CONTEST on Lake Waconia

Don't miss the chance to fish with Viking, Adrian Peterson on Lake Waconia!!! From Noon to 3pm on Monday, Jan. 17th -Martin Luther King Day- Adrian Peterson and Starkey Hearing Foundations are hosting the "ALL DAY" Blizzard Blitz Fishing Contest & family fun event on the south shore of Lake Waconia between In Towne Marina and Lola's Lakehouse. Proceeds will benefit those in need worldwide, with the gift of hearing.

1st, 2nd & 3rd place Fishing Prizes will be awarded in both Adult and Children's Categories. Drawings for prizes will also take place every 15 minutes, throughout. Holes will be pre-drilled Courtesy of STRIKEMASTER Pro-team who will be on hand to share fishing & ice tips. Prizes range from: fishing tackle , an OTTER & CLAM Portable Fish House, Strikemaster Augers, In Towne Pontoon Rental Gift Certificate, tickets to upcoming Vikings and Twins Venues .....and much more!! KFAN Radio will broadcast live from their stage with MC's Billy Hildebrandt and Mike Kurre , and guest Viking Announcer- Paul Allen & other DJ's from Clear Channel Network-providing entertainment.

TIPS Foundation Volunteer, Mark Tipler and many industry ice-fishing pros will be onhand to teach kids how to rig a jig rod, fishing techniques and ice safety! Many visiting guest celebrities will stop in to support the cause- from professional baseball, hockey, football and even the Olympics! Fish and chips and other snacks will be sold within the contest circle- prepared by Lola's Lakehouse with proceeds, also going to the cause!

Parking will be provided at the Carver County Waconia Regional Park Lot and free buses will drop off and pick-up to & from the In Towne Marina and Lola's Lake House entries to the lake & gate. Preregistration is available Online [ adult- $25, children-$15] to prepay your tickets to pick up at the gate on contest day. Go to our home page click the link provided for times, rules, maps, and ticket entry. On sight ticket sales are also available at the gate [$5 more ], entry is limited to 500 -600 guests, so act fast ! Be sure to wear your ticket visibly once entering, to enter your fish, or redeem a drawing prize! [If you must leave early, prizes will be redeemable after the event for a limited time- if you present your ticket -at the Starkey Foundation , Eden Prairie MN].

In Towne Marina is proud to be the Fish Weigh-In Station in the contest circle , & allow free ice entry for participants. Stop at our shop to get fresh bait & gear, after exiting the bus & walk free, onto the ice here. Don't miss out on the fun! Join us in supporting this worthy cause, to fish for HEARING & win PRIZES on Monday, January 17th with Viking Running Back Adrian Peterson and the Starkey Foundation for Hearing!!!

Much improved ice!

Good News! Lake Waconia's ice has been improving for the past several days. We (Ben and Jimmy) spent most of Sunday 1/2/11 on the ice measuring thicknesses lakewide. We drilled and checked on and around most of the major reefs and found anywhere from 10 to 22 inches, with 12-14 inches being very common. Having said that, there are areas near each reef, that we still found varying layered ice that consisted of a 6-8 inch bottom layer, with a 1-3 inch middle water layer, and a 2-3 inch crusty frozen slush top layer. These locations are a textured white in color on the surface, and are this way because some of the deeper snow did not completely saturate like most of the lake did when it rained last Thursday. If you are going to be traveling across the lake with a 4-wheeler and a fish house, we advise you to skirt around these areas to avoid getting stuck.

At this time we are not allowing cars or trucks to come through our access, because of the previously mentioned layered ice. For the most part, we feel very good about the ice that we found across the lake! Remember, we drilled a lot of holes, but can't possibly check it all. So as usual check ahead of yourself!

We will be placing our rental fish houses this week. We hope you can join us on the lake! Call 952-442-2096 to make a reservation.