In Towne Marina Lake Access Open and Fish House Rentals have begun!

We opened up our lake access for vehicle traffic today. We are finding a lot of very good ice in the 11.5 to 13 inch range on areas like Cemetery Reef, Waconia Bay, Parts of Center Reef (where there aren’t marked spots), Pillsbury Reef and Wagener’s Bay. We are NOT driving all over the lake, as we have not checked ice everywhere and still have areas of concern that we have found marked with thin ice signs or lath board with flagging tape. If you are looking for ice thicknesses on areas we have not mentioned, we likely will not be doing any checks to locations like the north shore, Keg’s, Red’s, North and Anderson’s Reefs. We understand many people will be excited to spread out with wheel houses to locations away from the crowds, but please check ahead of yourself. If you would like to use our access it is $1 to walk out, $2 to drive with any vehicle or $25 for a season pass. As always, when driving out from our access, it is drive at your own risk.

We are now RENTING FISH HOUSES! We have all 5 houses on the lake and will be in full swing this weekend. We have them set up on locations best for sunfish, crappies and northern pike, with the occasional chance at a walleye. The fish houses are about a mile out, so they are beyond walking distance. We look forward to accommodating you on the ice, but please realize you will either need to drive to the fish houses with a vehicle, 4-wheeler or snowmobile. Currently the ice on the way to and around the rentals is averaging 12 to 12.5 inches. Please call (952) 442-2096 to reserve!

We look forward to seeing you on the lake!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report - 12/26/17

We just got off the lake to get you the most up-to-minute Lake Waconia Ice Report. This arctic blast of cold has really helped increase ice thicknesses.  It’s common to find an average of 10.5 to 11 inches of ice in most clear areas by Wagener’s Bay, Pillsbury Reef, parts of Center Reef (where there aren’t old goose holes),  Waconia Bay and to Cemetery Reef.  Where there is snow, expect to find up to 1.5 inches less ice.

Shockingly, the major goose hole north of Center Reef still has a small area that remains open water.  The ice around that location has less thickness as well. We caution everyone to check their own ice before placing permanent fish houses, especially in the Center Reef area.  Stop in to the marina to see where these areas are on our map.

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report - Quick update 12/22/17

First and foremost we hope everyone has a Merry Christmas! Our hours this weekend are Saturday from 8am – 5:30 pm, Christmas Eve Sunday from 8am – 4pm, and Closed Christmas Day. After Christmas, on Tuesday Dec. 26th we begin our regular winter hours which will be Monday thru Friday from 8am – 6pm and on Saturday/Sunday from 7am – 6pm.

We did a quick ice check today, 12/22/17. We did not drill tons of holes, but went to some of the usual areas people fish for early ice. Waconia Bay, Wagener’s Bay and Pillsbury Reef are some of the best spots to find good ice. Under limited snow spots we found as little as 6.5 inches, but up to 8 to 8.25 inches where there wasn’t snow. As always, please check ahead of yourself if you plan to go out with anything heavy.

Keep in mind, all of the areas we have been watching with concern, remain areas to avoid. The main goose hole we’ve talked about remains open with an area at least 50 yards long. Please read our prior reports that go into more detail about those locations.

The ice will continue to build as the cold continues! We hope to report more good news after Christmas! We’ll see you at the lake!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report - 12/19/17

We were out to check ice thicknesses again today, 12/19/17. Because of the warmer weather, we lost most of the tacky snow that gave us some traction, so it’s a very good idea to wear ice cleats when walking out there. We haven’t gained much thickness since our last report, but the ice is still in good shape to walk out on, with lots of 6 to 7 inches in Wagener’s Bay, Pillsbury Reef and Waconia Bay.

However, we still have some areas to avoid. Previous goose hole locations like North Center reef and north of Center Reef are still thin or open. They are lightly marked with lath board and flagging tape. There is another area that an angler marked just north of West Center Reef (and east of Pillsbury) that is thinner as well. We also marked a long pressure ridge that extends south and west of Coney Island (see the pic below). That Ridge will be one to watch out for a while. We also marked 2 of the main springs (see pic of one of them below) that we annually keep an eye on and a thinner area well east of Cemetery Reef and west of Anderson’s Reef. They were not technically “open”, but dangerous nonetheless.

As for 4-wheeling, we don’t want to sound hypocritical, as we did today’s check with our ATV’s. However, we are CONSTANTLY paying attention for strange looking ice and drilling lots of holes along the way. We also avoid all of the bad areas with the wheeler and walk to mark them if possible. So, in summation, as always, ice is never safe. Because of the locations we mentioned above, we still think it’s generally a good idea to walk out to get to your fishing spot. If you decide to take an ATV, please check ahead of yourself, especially if going way out on the main lake. We CANNOT mark every area of bad ice on the lake, and we have not checked over ½ of the lake.

Hopefully the arctic blast coming later in the week into next week will help us get even more exciting news to discuss in the future as the ice thickens. We look forward to the ice conditions hopefully improving, but will likely not be doing another extensive report until after Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas, our Bait Shop will be CLOSED on Christmas Day. Christmas Eve we will be open until at least 4pm, so stop in for that last minute fishing gift or gift certificate! Also, don’t forget we RENT FISH HOUSES! Our rental season hasn’t started yet, but will soon! Our Fish House Rentals are a popular Christmas gift for the fisherperson in your family that wants to get ice fishing in comfort without the hassle of finding the spot or drilling all the holes.

Good luck fishing and we’ll see you on the ice!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report - 12/16/17

We were out checking ice on Lake Waconia all afternoon today, 12/16/17. Most of our day was spent marking the 2 major goose holes we reported on Tuesday. Pay attention for lath board and flagging tape we used to mark these areas. We found more areas of concern today, specifically a ½ mile long pressure ridge that extends from the NW side of Coney Island to the north, ending west of the south side of Keg’s Reef. Part of this area had dangerously thin ice that was previously old goose holes we had not seen yet. The areas above are why we caution everyone from 4-wheeling on the main lake at this time. If you are thinking of going out with an ATV, please pay attention and spend some time checking ahead of yourself. Keep in mind, we still have not been able to check over ½ of the lake, as well as the historical areas we’ve had springs in past years. We hope to do some further checking in the coming week.

Locations like Waconia Bay, the walleye hole between the marinas, “under the wires”, Pillsbury Reef and into Wagener’s Bay where we have drilled, we are seeing ice averaging between 5.5 to 6.5 inches of ice. Those areas are common early ice locations that we recommend fishing. These areas are close to walk to and provide good action all season long. Because we cannot cover every square inch of the lake (even in locations we are talking about in this paragraph), we never say ice is safe. Always use caution during early ice. Happy fishing!

*If you would like to see videos of our ice checks today, please check them out on our Facebook Page!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report - 12/15/17

We were hoping to do a more extensive ice check today, but due to illness we have a shortened report. We were able to walk out east of the marina to the "walleye hole" between the marinas, out to Cemetery Reef and to the east end of Coney Island. We still found a smaller area of 4 inches on part of Cemetery Reef, but a lot of the ice we drilled was 5.5 to 6 inches. We are comfortable walking to the early season fishing spots!

We have not been back to the areas we checked on Tuesday, but hope to do so this weekend if all goes well. We still see lots of geese out on North Center Reef and north of Center Reef, so there remains open water and/or very thin ice on those locations. As always, we recommend paying close attention during early ice time and to check ahead of yourself if you are going somewhere no one has been yet.

Happy Fishing!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report - 12-12-17

Here is the Lake Waconia Ice Report from yesterday 12/12/17...

We are very happy with the ice growth from yesterday 12/11/17  to today 12/12/17. Because of that, we will be opening for the season this Friday, 12/15 at 9:30 am. Hours for now while we wait for the ice to thicken will be Monday thru Friday, 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, and Saturday & Sunday from 8 am to 5:30 pm. Winter Season Access Passes will be available for the same low price of $25.

We took a long walk on the ice today from the In Towne Marina access to Waconia Bay and “Under the Wires”, out past North Center Reef, west over Center Reef, on to Pillsbury Reef into Wagener’s Bay and off the Public Access. What we found was both good and bad. Please watch our video below!

I’ll start with the bad, because it is VERY important! There remain areas of OPEN WATER that still exist near and on North Center Reef, as well as north of Center Reef, because of geese keeping them open. If that sounds confusing, please stop in to our marina on Friday and we’ll show you where we are talking about. They are both long (100 yds and 200 yds long) and definitely wide enough to cause problems now and in the future as the ice around them continues to grow. They are currently unmarked. We could also see another flock of geese east of Keg’s Reef, so there is likely some open water in that general location as well (we did not make it over there to check it out). Keep in mind, we have NOT checked any of ice on the east-central or eastern side of the lake.

The GOOD news is that we found a lot of very nice ice in the 4.25 to 6 inch range that anglers will like walking on, as most of it has very good traction. The average hole we drilled was about 5 inches thick. We did come across a small 24’ x 36’ area that had as little as 3 inches, as it clearly froze over later than the ice around it. That is why we always caution to pay close attention wherever you go during early ice, as it rarely freezes uniformly. Another thing to keep an eye on is a very long 12” wide crack that runs from Center Reef all the way in front of Pillsbury and over to the west shoreline south of the Rock Dock. The ice around it looks good, but it should still be looked at if you plan on doing anything other than walking over it.

Overall, our message is always the same; ICE IS NEVER SAFE, especially early ice. While we feel VERY good about many of the early season locations anglers venture to, things can always change, so be diligent and check ahead of yourself.

We look forward to seeing you this Friday and beyond! Happy Fishing!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Updates coming soon

We took a short, quick walk a couple hundred feet from shore today in front of the marina.  We found as little as 2.5 inches and turned back.  We hope overnight temps allow a little more growth so we can expand our walk further on Tuesday 12/12.  If we are comfortable enough to go further, we will update later tomorrow.

Ice is forming on Lake Waconia - In Towne Marina ice check updates coming next week!

Ice is forming on Lake Waconia! It’s getting closer to Ice Fishing Season! As of 12/7/17 the lake is mostly frozen or in the process of freezing.  We are patiently waiting to do our 1^st ice check of the season until next week.  We remain closed while we wait for the ice to thicken.  Updates will be coming when we know more.  We appreciate everyone’s patience as we always err on the side of caution.  Let’s keep the cold weather coming!

Closed for the season. We will see you this winter!

We are currently closed for the season.  We hope you had a great summer on Lake Waconia!  We will open again for Winter ice fishing and announce those hours at a later date sometime in December.  Have a great fall! 

In Towne Marina Fishing Report - 9/4/17 - NEW End of Season Hours

We hope everyone has had an enjoyable Labor Day weekend! With the summer coming to a close, we are changing our hours starting tomorrow (Tuesday, 9/5/17). Monday thru Friday, we will be open from 11:30 am to Sunset.  Saturday and Sunday we will be open 8 am to Sunset. We close for the Summer Season after Saturday, September 30^th.

The month of August, while cooler than normal for the pleasure-boaters was a good one for fishermen.  Water temps stayed much cooler than normal (hovering around 70 degrees lately), which made fishing better. We had one of the best months of Northern Pike fishing in years, and that has continued into September. They were actively biting in many different depth ranges and on many varieties of lures and baits.  Typical areas to target included Anderson’s Reef, Cemetery Reef, and Center Reef among others. If using live bait, sucker minnows were a popular choice.

Sunfish, Crappies, and Bass continued to be active as well.  Fishing the weedlines in 11 to 13 feet of water was common for success.  Some days crappies were found deeper off reefs such as Kegs and North Reefs in 15 to 18 feet of water.  Sunfish could be found in 6 to 8 feet of water as well.  Waxies or crawlers were used to catch some nice ones.  The bass, while bigger off the deeper weed edges were also good in the shallow water reeds, the Rock Dock or near the Carp Trap (Peterson’s Creek on the NW side of the lake).

Walleyes should get nothing but better as we get into the Fall.  This summer’s walleye bite was good, but as the season progressed, it was important to target them during the early morning or late evening hours for best success.  Kegs Reef, Reds Reef, and Cemetery Reefs were all areas that produced some nice walleyes.  Fathead minnows were commonly the best bait.

Muskie action picked up in August as well and should continue well into September and October. Bucktails and big topwater baits worked well for some.  Areas like North Reef, Kegs Reef and Center Reef have all been muskie territory.  However, it never hurts to target weedlines like those in Waconia Bay and out from the south shoreline from Lola’s toward the beach.

Our Fishing Boat and Pontoon Rental season is coming to a close shortly.  This time of year, we highly recommend calling for reservations. We for sure will be renting thru next weekend (the 9^th and 10^th).  After that, we will likely be prepping them for winter storage.  However, if you call us and we still have a boat or pontoon available, we will be happy to rent!

Here are a some nice pics of fish caught the past few weeks...

Current Business Hours

Current Marina Hours

Monday - Friday:  7:30am – 8:30pm

Saturday 6:30AM - 8:30 

 Sunday: 7:30am – 8:30

* Starting Monday, 8/21 through 9/4 *

Mon-Fri:  8:30 am– Sunset
Sat/Sun:  7:30 am – Sunset

Thanks!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Fishing Report - 6/30/17

The 4^th of July is almost here and it’s shaping up to be a nice holiday weekend!  Once again the Waconia Lion’s 4^th of July Fireworks show will be happening over Lake Waconia. The show begins around 10 pm and will be shot from the southeast side of the lake at the Lake Waconia Regional Park.  The best viewing will be on the water by boat. You are welcome to join us on the on our deck with limited seating for good viewing.  Click the link for more info: 

http://waconia.destinationwaconia.org/events/details/4th-of-july-fireworks-07-04-2017-5862

We hope with July just around the corner that we see consistent summer-like weather.  June was a windy month and unusually cool at times.  Because of that, surface water temps have been hovering in the upper 60’s or around 70. Fishing has still been good despite the inconsistent weather.  We continue to hear of very good crappie and sunfish action, with anglers finding them on the south and north sides of Coney Island around 10 to 12 feet of water.  Fishing off the weeds around Pillsbury, North, Kegs and Cemetery Reefs has been productive for panfish too, along with bass and walleyes.  Bass have also been biting well in the shallow reeds on the northwest side of the lake.  Walleyes have been decent jigging with leeches or fatheads in 13 to 20 feet of water or slow trolling a crawler on a Lindy along outside weedlines.

We are right in the heart of our rental season, and with temps warming up there is nothing better to do than float on the water and take a refreshing dive into the lake!  Our rental pontoons are well equipped for a fun day on Lake Waconia.  Call (952) 442-2096 to reserve!  Check out our rates and polices at http://intownemarina.com/Pontoon&BoatRental.htm

Have a safe and enjoyable 4^th of July holiday and we hope to see you on the lake!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Fishing Report - 6/7/17

Summer is here! Warm temps have greeted us this week, and by the weekend it will be HOT.  Surface water temperatures are into the low 70’s as of noon today, but we expect those numbers to climb into the mid-to-upper 70’s by the end of Sunday.

Sunfish are currently in shallow water on their spawning beds and are actively biting.  There has been plenty of crappie action as well, with 9 to 10 inch keepers being common, with anglers fishing in 9 to 12 feet of water.  Walleyes have been bucking normal lake trends on certain days.  Yesterday (6/6/17), there were reports of late-afternoon walleyes biting in the same areas as the crappies.  That’s usually uncommon, but this season has we’ve seen plenty of things we normally don’t see.  Most common walleye areas continue to be around Cemetery, Kegs and North Reefs in 12 to 17 feet of water. Bass continue to bite in most depths as well.  All in all, it has been a VERY good week of fishing for those out wetting a line.  Below are a couple of pics illustrating the success of the week!

If you are looking to beat the heat this weekend, rent a pontoon from us and take a dip in the lake to cool off.  Our pontoons are equipped with swim ladders to make getting in and out of the water easy.  Call (952) 442-2096 to reserve!  http://intownemarina.com/Pontoon&BoatRental.htm

See you on the lake!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Fishing Report - 5/26/17

Memorial Day weekend is upon us and with that come extended summer hours.  Starting this weekend, our hours are now Sunday thru Friday from 7:30 am until 8:30 pm and on Saturday from 6:30 am until 8:30 pm.  The past 2 weeks we’ve had water temps fluctuate from 69 degrees on Mother’s Day to 55 degrees last Sunday.  It’s back on the climb, as today’s surface water temp hit 64 degrees.  That should help reignite the sunfish, crappie and bass bite on Lake Waconia.  Expect to have good success in the shallows like the reeds on the northwest side of the lake, the Carp Trap (Peterson’s Creek) and by the Rock Dock.

Walleyes would be worth trying on the reefs such as Keg’s Reef, Center Reef, Cemetery Reef or North Reef.  Fishing around 12 to 18 feet of water with leeches or fatheads is most popular.  However, crawlers work well too in early summer pattern fishing.  If you’re a slip bobber fisherman, we still have shiners!  We won’t have them for long, so get them while you can.

The pike bite has been good so far this spring.  Trolling with spoons or diving cranks has worked.  It never hurts to bobber fish with a sucker minnow, which along with pike can also produce some big bass.  Speaking of bass, Saturday is the official Bass Opener, so you can now keep them if you’d like.

We are in full boat rental season!  We have fishing boats that accommodate 3 to 4 people, as well as pontoon boats that accommodate up to 9 adults for 3 of our 20 foot pontoons and up to 12 people for our 24 foot pontoon.  Call (952) 442-2096 to reserve!

Have a safe and fun-filled Memorial Weekend Holiday!  We’ll see you at the lake!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Fishing Report - 5/10/17 - Open ALL NIGHT Friday 5/12 for the Opener!

The Fishing Opener is almost here! Once again we will be open all ALL NIGHT this Friday the 12th for the Opener with plenty of bait (fatheads, shiners, leeches, crawlers, etc...), tackle and snacks to keep you going!  Whether you are heading on Lake Waconia or checking out a different lake, we hope to see you! 

After opener, our hours until Memorial Weekend will be Sunday thru Friday from 8 am to 8 pm and Saturday from 7 am to 8 pm.  We have 3 of our fishing boats ready for rent starting Saturday morning.  Pontoon rental will begin the weekend of the 20^th/21^st. Call (952) 442-2096 to reserve! We begin pumping gas starting this Friday, with pump hours ending at 7:30 pm.  Our gas is 91 octane, marine grade non-ethanol, perfect for all your watercraft.

It’s been over 2 months since the ice officially left the lake, and water temps are in the upper 50’s (58.6 degrees as of the morning of 5/9/17) to low 60’s. With air temps in the 70’s this weekend, we’ll see lake water stay above that 60 degree barrier, which is rare for opener weekend.  With the higher water temps and earlier than usual weed growth, we don’t expect usual Opener fishing conditions.  Of course it’s never a bad idea to try areas like the Rock Dock, Carp Trap (Peterson’s Creek on the NW side of the lake) and Harm’s Point.  But, if those usual good Opener locations aren’t producing walleyes, it might be a good idea to head to the breaks off reefs such as North, Kegs, Red’s or Anderson’s.  Slip bobber fishing is a great approach, but if you don’t have the patience for that, jigging with a fathead or leech is smart.

We’ve had a good several weeks of crappie fishing on Waconia so far.  As with most spring fishing, the weather dictates the bite.  When the weather has been reasonable, anglers have been pulling out keepers in the 10 to 11 inch range with some bigger.  Most of the spring, fishing out in Waconia Bay has been best in 12 to 15 feet of water.  With water temps rising, we expect the shallow bite to pick up, with crappies likely to be found around the reeds on the NW side of the lake, Pillsbury Reef/Old Camp Manakiki area, shallow weeds on the north end and around the marinas.  The sunfish bite has been better than usual so far, and expect it to pick up even more, as they get closer to their spawning pattern.

As for us at the marina, we thank you for your patience this spring as we have had a lot of projects going on!  We have completed our dock installation and are in the process of getting boats back into slips and on moorings.  You’ll notice some changes to the surface of our parking lot.  In conjunction with the City of Waconia and Carver County, there have been surface water runoff design changes to both our lot and the street coming down our hill.  These improvements will greatly reduce storm water runoff, with proper filtration into the lake.  This project also enhances the use and look of our marina!  There is still work being done this week, so again, thanks for your patience.  The project will resume in September for completion.

Have a safe and Happy Opener!

Bait Shop and Access remain temporarily closed...Opening for season on Friday, April 21st!

Our bait shop and access will remain temporarily closed while we continue to install our marina docks. We look forward to seeing you when we open for the season on Friday, April 21st! Early season hours will be Monday thru Friday from 9:30 am to 6 pm and on Saturday & Sunday from 8 am to 6 pm. The start of Fishing Boat and Pontoon Rentals will be announced at a later time. Thank you for your patience!

Bait Shop Closing for Season after 6 pm Sunday 2/19/17

We got another surprise batch of SHINERS!  Also, some smaller sucker minnows were delivered as well!

We have a SALE on Extra Large Sucker Minnows, with some Decoys for $1 EACH while supplies last (Regularly priced from $1.75 to $2.50 each).

Our hours this Saturday and Sunday are 7 am to 6 pm.  The Access will be available to ATV’s and those walking this weekend.  

Due to much warmer February weather than usual with diminishing ice conditions, we are sad to announce our Bait Shop and Access will be closing for the Season after 6 pm Sunday, 2/19/17. 

Thank you for great winter season on Lake Waconia!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report - 2/14/17

Looks like it’s portable season again! Lake Waconia’s ice fishing season will take a hit this weekend with the predicted temps in the mid-to-upper 50’s for several days. All In Towne Marina rental fish houses will be taken off the lake by end of day Thursday.  We have taken 3 of our 5 rental houses off already.  For those of you who have permanent houses on the lake at this time, we highly recommend taking them off the lake before the weekend.

As of now, our access is still usable, but we anticipate closing it to car and truck traffic before Saturday, 2/18/17. We hope we can still allow ATV traffic through our access this weekend depending on the condition of the shoreline ice.

We had reported on an active spring in Wagener’s Bay the other day, and have marked another one between the west end of Coney Island and Keg’s Reef.  That makes 3 active springs we are aware of that we have marked, but it is impossible to mark everything.  We are cautioning everyone to pay closer attention when on the ice during this time, as there is the potential for other springs to activate with the warm weather that will not be marked.  If you find one, please do what you can to mark it (tree branches make a good marker to use) and let us know so we can inform others.

Stay safe!

Click HERE for the latest Ice Report Video

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice and Fishing Report - 1/24/17

We got through another January warm-up mostly unscathed.  Lake conditions remain surprisingly good. While we lost almost all our snow and a little ice off the top, we are still finding between 14.5 to 18 inches of ice on Lake Waconia.  Last weekend there was 2-3 inches of water scattered on the low spots of ice, but now it has mostly either drained off or frozen back to the surface.  Our previous road has some water on it yet and is bumpy, so we recommend going off road for now.

If you notice anything marked with lath board sticks or pine boughs, it is marking a drain hole that is more of a walking hazard, but worth avoiding with a vehicle as well.  Those should heal up soon with the colder temps. We also marked a small pressure ridge between Center and North Center Reefs as well.  The active spring we’ve mentioned in the past, remains open still and is marked well.  All in all, we continue to be happy with the overall ice conditions.  As we always say, we cannot guarantee ice and it is never 100% safe, but we continue to keep our access open for those like us who want to drive.

There are variable forecasts for snow the next day and half.  Reports are saying we may get anywhere from 2 up to 8 inches.  Depending on the amount of snow and potential high winds on Wednesday, if necessary we likely will not be plowing until later in the week when winds settle down.

As for fishing, it has been a very good bite for sunfish during the day on Pillsbury and Center Reefs as well as Waconia Bay.  12 to 14 feet of water has been working well.  Plenty have been caught on wax worms and small jigs.  Crappies have been caught in some of those same areas in the early evening.  They have also been found in the deep water of Wagener’s Bay in 20 to 24 feet of water, although biting less consistent than the previous winters.

The surprise this winter has been the northern pike bite.  We’ve had plenty of activity reported on tip-ups with small to medium sucker minnows.   Some anglers have caught them on their panfish rods as well, using good skill to finesse them up the hole.

We have seen a nice walleye bite this winter as well.  The best bite has come during the overnight hours on set-lines with shiners, but jigging with fatheads has been productive as well during the evening.  A variety of sizes have been caught with several mid-to-upper-20 inch size fish, many released.  Most walleye anglers are having their best success getting away from the larger groups to avoid the crowd noise.

It should be a busy, fun lake this weekend with the Midwest Vintage Snowmobile “Waconia Ride-In” event that starts Friday 1/27 and runs through Sunday 1/29/17.  The Sno Jet and Kawasaki are the featured snowmobiles this year!  It’s always fun watching the vintage snowmobiles from different eras parade around Lake Waconia.  With cooler temps and impending snowfall, it should be a good weekend to check it out!  Stop in to the marina to warm up, have a hot chocolate or coffee and shoot the breeze.

See you on the lake!

p.s. here's the link to the Vintage Snowmobile site...

http://www.mwvss.com/

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report - 1/20/17

The warmer temps this week have made conditions on the ice wet and slippery.  Bring your ice cleats! The ice itself has been holding up quite well so far.  The majority of the water on the ice is due to snow melt.  We are still seeing between 15 to 19 inches of ice as of this writing today, 1/20/17.  The access remains in good condition as well.

If you have a permanent fish house on Lake Waconia, we suggest keeping an eye on it the next several days.  Weather forecasters predict some light rain the next day or two, but thankfully the winds are supposed to be minimal through the weekend.  We don’t expect any major problems regarding the ice or fish houses in the near future, but it’s best to pay attention.  If you were hoping to bring a house out and leave it out for several days without checking on it, it may be best to move it off the holes or bring it to shore or home with you.

If you choose to move it off the holes, leave it cranked down as close to the ice as you can without freezing it in, to minimize air flow under the house (as wind mixed with water can created a whirlwind effect that erodes the ice under the house).  Keep in mind, we anticipate some snow by Tuesday or Wednesday that could make things slushy too. 

Again, it’s no time to panic regarding the conditions, but it’s best to remain diligent and watchful.  Pay attention to other’s houses too and report anything that concerns you to us so we can inform.

See you at the lake!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report - 1/8/17

We were on the ice for another check today.  Ice continues to build with the cold.  We found a range between 12.5 to 15 inches, with it averaging about 14.  If you watch the video, we mistakenly said January 7^th, but it was taken today on the 8^th. Lots of nice fish have been brought in this weekend, including some big northerns and nice walleyes.  The crappie and sunfish action has been good as well!

Click Here for our latest Ice Check Video!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report - 1/5/17

The cold snap this week is already helping thicken up the ice on Lake Waconia! We’ve gained 3+ inches of thickness since last week. We have checked the usual, well-fished areas, such as Waconia Bay, Center Reef, Pillsbury Reef and the deep hole of Wagener’s Bay. We also checked behind the island to Kegs, North, Reds and over to Anderson’s Reef. From what we’ve seen, the ice is ranging between 10-3/4 to 12-1/2 inches.

We have OPENED up our access for cars and lighter trucks TODAY, 1/5/17! Our Access Fees are $1 per person for walking on, $2 per ATV or Vehicle, or $25 for a Season Pass. Keep in mind, we still have at least 1 active spring on the east central part of the lake (between Cemetery and Anderson’s Reefs). Because of that and the fact that we can’t cover every spot on the lake, we have to caution that ice is never safe and to DRIVE AT YOUR OWN RISK. We suggest if you are headed to areas that are less populated with fishermen, to do your own checking before driving out with heavy equipment. We look forward to seeing you!

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