Today we spent a good portion of the day venturing off to areas we haven't checked yet, as well as re-checking some of the ice we've covered.
We're seeing a range from 9 to 11 inches of ice most places. A lot of it was 10 to 10.5 inches in areas where the ice was clear. The lesser ice was found in drifts, which are spread out all over, but generally small. The cold we've had over the holiday has really done wonders!
While the vast majority of the lake has some really good ice, we have continued to mark more springs. If you remember the areas of bubbling open water last winter on the eastern half of the lake, expect to find those areas to be dangerous again, albeit a little smaller. The deeper water between Cemetery and Anderson's reefs has 2 that we marked with flagging tape and lath board. Also marked were some north and south of Red's reef, east of Keg's Reef in the deeper water, and as you head north toward Reinke's Bay.
Keep in mind, we look for the worst of the worst, so while we have to talk about it when we find bad areas, our general feeling is that the ice is in very good condition overall. Remember, we cannot cover it all, so if you find anything that may be dangerous, please help us by marking it with branches, or anything that is noticeable.
Up until this point, we've been happy using ATV's on the ice. We have not opened the access for car or truck traffic yet, although we are getting closer.
We're hoping to get just a tad more ice developing, since we're still seeing
some with as little as 9 inches. Having said that, keep checking here,
as we might open it for small vehicle traffic in the coming days, or for
parking on the ice (spread out, of course).
Also, don't forget, we RENT fish houses! If you don't want to mess with dragging your portable out, or don't have a permanent or the time to put it on the lake, let us handle the dirty work. We have fish houses that range from 7' x 8 up to 7' x 14'. They are heated with propane stoves, and we pre-drill the holes for you! You can also rent jig sticks, if you don't have any gear! We currently have 3 of our fleet of 5 on the ice for rent. Let us help you get fishing! Call (952) 442-2096 to reserve.
