Lake Waconia Ice Update 11/28/14

We took another ice walk today, and thanks to the extreme cold over Thanksgiving, we were pleasantly surprised with the growth of the ice over the past few days.  We found between 4.5 to 6 inches around the “Walleye Hole” between the marinas.  We headed out to Cemetery, where there is a crack/ridge that goes over the center of the reef and heads toward the east point of the island.  West of the crack (on the west edge of Cemetery) you can expect to find 4 to 5 inches of ice.  East of the crack (which includes the east side AND south point of Cemetery) will be newer, thinner ice in the 2.5 to 3 inch range. That newer, lesser ice extends east toward Anderson’s and north toward Reds, so we advise using extreme caution if you plan on trying those areas.

We continued our walk along the south side of the island where we found 5 to 8 inches of ice.  As we got to “Under the Wires” which is between the island and Lakeview Terrace, we found bumpy ice that was between 4.5 to 6 inches.  We advise using extreme caution if you head north past “Under the Wires”, because that is also where the freshest, thinnest ice continues.  We found 2.5 to 3 inches in that area, which extends toward North Center to the north, and northeast toward Kegs Reef.

As far as Waconia Bay is concerned, we are very happy with the ice, with the exception of the goose hole (which froze last).  Most of Waconia Bay is between 5 to 8 inches.  The goose hole (which is marked with lath board and caution tape) was as little as 2.5 inches.

All in all, the lake ice is improving.  We are seeing anglers get their first taste of Lake Waconia fishing action. We’re excited to hear all your fishing stories!

Don’t forget, we will have temporary hours of 9 am to 5 pm for the time being.  We’ll be extending our hours in the future as the ice thickens.  We are selling Season Passes for lake access again for $25 for the season.   Daily access is $1 for walking out ($2 for driving when we open it up for vehicle traffic in the future).

Stop in and say hi!  We'd love to see you!

Lake Waconia Ice Report - 11/26/14

We look forward to seeing you, as we open for the winter season this Friday, 11/28 from  9 am to 5 pm!  We have a GREAT “Black Friday” special on an Apache Ice Combo, spooled with 6# test for $8.99!

We took our first ice walk of the season to parts of the lake on Tuesday afternoon, 11/25.  We found was ice that varied by several inches everywhere we went.  In Waconia Bay, we found as little as 1.5 inches in a small area that finally froze over late due to birds keeping it open.  We found the majority in Waconia Bay between 3.5 to 6.5 inches.  As we headed toward the “walleye hole” between the marinas, we found a lot of 3 to 4 inches with some as much as 6.  We were not able to make it out to Cemetery Reef or beyond to the east, because that area had even less ice, as it was one of the last areas to freeze. 

We also went to Wagener’s Bay for a quick check, and found anywhere from 3.5 to 7 inches in the holes we punched, so that does vary a lot too.  It’s important to know that the last areas to freeze were near North Center, Kegs, Reds, Anderson’s and Cemetery, so those will have the least ice. 

Remember, we can’t cover every area, and it’s possible to find less ice in areas we have checked.  We highly recommend you use caution your first time out.  Chisel ahead of yourself, and drill numerous holes to get a feel for the ice.  Now that we have an extra 2 to 3 inches of snow due to today’s (11/26) snowfall, it will take a little longer for the ice to thicken because of the snow’s insulating factor.

Be safe this Thanksgiving!  We are thankful for your business and look forward to a great ice fishing season!

Opening for the Winter on "Black Friday" 11/28/14

We will be opening for the winter season on “Black Friday” November 28^th with temporary hours of 9 am to 5 pm.  Thanks to an unseasonably cold November, the ice fishing season has arrived earlier than usual!

Although it’s been extremely chilly of late, it’s important to know that Lake Waconia does still have some areas of open water that were kept open by heavy wind and birds.  On Thursday, 11/20, we estimated that around 40% of the lake still had open water over North Center, Kegs, Reds, Reinke’s, Anderson’s and Cemetery Reefs. By Friday, 11/21 there was a thin glaze on most those areas.  There is potential for these glazed areas to open back up with predicted weekend weather above 32 degrees and rain/snow with strong winds on Monday.

There is also a small area of open water in Waconia Bay near popular early-season fishing locations (Birds are keeping this spot open).    We have not done an ice thickness check, but will be doing one next week before we open for the season.  Check here for future updates.

We look forward to seeing you!