In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report - 12/31/19

Check out our latest ice update video below to see the change in conditions from a couple of days ago. We were out on our Side by Side today to Waconia Bay, the walleye hole between the marinas, Cemetery Reef, Under the Wires, Center Reef, Pillsbury Reef and back into Wagener’s Bay. We did a lot of drilling and noticed that things have improved more quickly than expected. We thought we would find worse conditions considering the amount of water on the ice 2 days ago and the 3 to 4 inches of blowing snow that quickly came yesterday before it got too cold.

While there are plenty of spots with little-to-no snow, there are drifts scattered everywhere with as much as 4 to 8 inches of snow on the ice. That snow will continue to hamper ice growth, so increases under those areas will take more time. Some of those drifts are flooding and creating slush, and some are not flooding as they may be on thicker ice, or haven’t had holes drilled through them or cracks running through them.

We were only able to find one spot today with as little as 5 inches of ice, but a lot of the lesser ice found was in the 6.5 to 7 inch range, so that is an improvement! That doesn’t mean there aren’t more spots with 5 inches, but they aren’t as common. The top end ice found was as much as 13 inches. It won’t be unusual to find ice in the 9 to 12 inch range, but still be wary of the lesser ice that may be near when considering bringing anything heavy onto the ice. As always, check ahead of yourself.

To best summarize, we are thankful things look as good as they do considering the recent unusual weather. We are still only allowing Snowmobiles, ATV’s and Side by Sides on through our access today 12/31/19. If using an ATV or Side by Side, we highly recommend you have chains. With another night of cold weather as we enter the New Year, we hope to update you tomorrow with better news in hopes that some of the slush areas that concern us start to heal up even more overnight.

We will see you on the ice! Happy New Year!

We will be open tomorrow, New Year's Eve from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. We hope everyone has a Happy New Year!

We will be open tomorrow, New Year's Eve from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. We hope everyone has a Happy New Year!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report 12/29/19

If you have a permanent fish house on Lake Waconia (or other area lakes), we strongly advise you to check on it today and move it off the ice. Any open holes under or around your house have or will become drain holes for the rain we received last night and those holes will get larger, putting your fish house in danger. Winds are expected to pick up creating more moving water which will erode the ice under your house faster making the situation worse. Keep in mind, just because there may not be open holes under your house, doesn’t mean that wind or flowing water won’t create one to become problematic. Don’t bring your house to shoreline ice, as it can be in as much danger there as out on the lake. Don’t wait for the cool down to do something.

For those of you looking to go fishing today and set up portables, be sure to have good waterproof boots and ice cleats on!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report 12/26/19

We hope you all had a Very Merry Christmas! We just came off the ice on Lake Waconia. The ice is a little “damp” on top but not bad. Ice thickness has remained virtually the same since our last update. Snow on the Lake has diminished greatly. Some slush and water can be found under old diminished snow drifts. 5 ½ to 6 inches of ice under the deeper slushy drifts (or where drifts were that melted) can still be found.  In the outskirts of remaining drifts or where there were smaller old drifts, we were finding 6 to 9 inches of ice. The thickest ice we are finding is still about 12 inches (in areas where there was never snow).

Let’s all hope we avoid the snow event predicted for this weekend. Rain would be just fine; it would knock down the remaining drifts and help get the ice thicker when the cold weather comes. If we skate by this weekend without the white stuff, we can look forward to some of the thinner areas catching up when colder temps arrive.

We are still letting ATV’s, Side by Sides and Snowmobiles through our access. Very small skid houses less than 1500 pounds will be allowed through as long as you have an ATV or Side by Side ready to pull it out to the spot right away. Please do not leave them on the ice in front of the marina. Very small lightweight wheel houses less than 1500 pounds (most are too heavy) and lightweight trailers will also still allowed to be pulled behind ATV’s and Side by Sides.

We still have not put our rental fish houses on the lake yet because of varying ice thickness and this upcoming potential weather event.  Please continue check ahead of yourself before going anywhere off the beaten path.

Merry Christmas! We are open until 3:30 pm Christmas Eve, and will be closed Christmas Day!

We are open until 3:30 pm today in case you need any last minute Christmas gifts. We will be closed on Christmas Day. We wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report - 12/20/19

We went out on Lake Waconia today, 12/20 to get a checkup on current ice conditions. We checked Waconia Bay, Under the Wires, Center Reef, Pillsbury Reef and Wagener’s Bay.

Where there is no or minimal snow, ice thickness continues to improve. Where any significant snow is at, ice growth remains minimal. Today we were finding 4 1/2 inches to 6 inches of ice in the deeper drifts. Moderate drifts had 6 to 8 inches of ice under them. 10 to 12 inches of ice was easy to find where there was minimal to no snow.

As of now, we are letting ATV’s, Side by Sides and Snowmobiles through our access. Starting Saturday 12/21, very small skid houses less than 1500 pounds will be allowed through as long as you have an ATV or Side by Side ready to pull it out to the spot right away. Please do not leave them on the ice in front of the marina. Very small lightweight wheel houses less than 1500 pounds (most are too heavy) and lightweight trailers will also be allowed to be pulled behind ATV’s and Side by Sides.

We still have not put our rental fish houses on the lake yet because of varying ice thickness. As always, please check ahead of yourself before going anywhere off the beaten path.

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report 12/18/19

We headed out on Lake Waconia today to get a current ice report. The snow on the lake is still holding back consistent ice growth. Shockingly, in deeper snow drifts 5 to 5 1/2” of ice is still too common. In the moderate drifts ice thicknesses are in the 6 to 7” range. Where there is no or minimal snow We are finding 9 to 10” or sometimes more. We are seeing some liquid slush in areas that have deeper snow that had a crack run through it flooding the area. There is no freeboard in the areas with thinner ice, so water will come up above the ice in those spots.

We will not be putting our rental houses out this weekend because of the variable ice. We will update you when we will be able to do so!

Thanks, and see you on the ice!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report 12/14/19

We did a quick Ice check this afternoon to see how much things have changed since Thursday. In the deeper snow the least we found was 4 1/2" of ice. Moderate snow drifts have  6 to 7" of ice. In the areas we have checked where there is no or minimal snow, the ice is around 9".

We will allow ATV and Side by Side traffic through our access starting Tomorrow (Sunday 12/15/19).

 We are not allowing permanent houses through our landing yet.

As always please check ahead of yourself when venturing off the beaten path!

See you on the ice!

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

We went out for our first ice walk today, 12/12/19. What we found did not surprise us. We’ve been given some great cold weather this week, but the snowfall we got before the cold did impact the variability of ice thicknesses in all areas checked. The first part of the walk began in Waconia Bay and continued past “Under the Wires”, out to Center Reef, west to Pillsbury Reef and south to the deep hole of Wagener’s Bay ending at the Wagener’s Bay access. The second part of our walk was to the “walleye hole” between the marinas and the south side of Cemetery Reef. What we found was ice as little as 4 inches and up to 8 inches. Where the snow was deeper, ice was usually 4 to 5 inches thick. Where the snow was not quite as deep we had between 5 to 6 inches of ice. Where the wind had swept the ice free and clear of snow, there was 8 inches of ice. The ice itself is in excellent shape. However, when you drill into the ice anywhere there was more than minimal snow, water instantly comes up the hole (no freeboard). Where there is 8 inches of ice, there is some freeboard and water does not come up the hole.

It’s certainly exciting that we are seeing thicknesses like this! As usual, we always caution to do thorough checking yourself if you intend to go out with anything heavy. We do our best to get accurate info for you, but we cannot cover everything! If coming out, we are only allowing walking through our access at this time. With continued cold coming this weekend, we will update when we will allow ATV’s, etc… in the future.

Don’t forget, we open for the season tomorrow at 9:30 am! Stop in to say hi, load up on bait or pick up your Winter Season Access Pass for $30.

We look forward to seeing you!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia - Opening for the Season on Friday, 12/13 at 9:30 am!

We are excited to open for the season this Friday, December 13th at 9:30 am. Early season hours will be Saturday and Sunday from 8 am to 5:30 pm and Monday thru Friday from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm.

We were hoping to avoid the blowing snow that fell last Sunday into Monday. Our first ice walk will be on Thursday and we expect to give you an update before we open on Friday. When we venture out after the current extreme cold, we expect to find varied ice thicknesses because of the drifted snow.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Closing for the boating season Monday, September 30th. We'll see you this winter!

Thank you for another great summer on Lake Waconia! This is our final weekend of the 2019 boating season. We close our bait shop Monday, September 30th and will be removing our marina docks the next couple of weeks in preparation of winter. We will remain closed until ice fishing season and keep you updated on store opening hours as we get closer to that time.

Some of you may have noticed our website was down for about a week. We have upgraded to a more mobile-friendly platform! We hope you like it! Check out the new In Towne Marina website at www.intownemarina.com

Have a great fall season! We’ll see you soon!

Waconia's yearly celebration, Nickle Dickle Day this Saturday, 9/14!

Waconia's yearly celebration, Nickle Dickle Day is back tomorrow, Saturday, 9/14! Lots of great deals, food and fun to be had all day throughout town. For those of you heading to the lake, we have 20% Off Bait, Tackle and our remaining stock of Rods and Reels. Enjoy what Waconia has to offer!

https://waconia.destinationwaconia.org/events/details/nickle-dickle-day-9203

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia - New Hours after Labor Day have begun! Pontoon and Boat Rental will be very limited.

Our Marina hours have changed after Labor Day. Hours now until 9/30 are Monday thru Friday 11:30 am to Sunset and on Saturday/Sunday from 8 am to Sunset. Our Gas Pump Service will end each night at 7 pm (6:30 pm later in the month). Shop and Gas Pump hours are weather dependent. We close for the season after Monday, September 30th.

Our pontoon and fishing boat rental season is coming to a close soon. We will be renting through this upcoming weekend of September 7th/8th. After that, our pontoons will likely be stored for the season and boat rentals will be very limited. If you wish to rent, we highly recommend calling ahead of time to reserve at (952) 442-2096 and we'll let you know if we have something available. Thank you!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Fishing Report - 8/20/19: Important...New, Shortened Hours!

New Hours through Labor Day, 9/2/19: Monday through Friday we are now open from 8:30 am until Sunset. Saturday and Sunday we are open from 7:30 am until Sunset. Labor Day, 9/2 we will be open from 7:30 am until Sunset. Our Gas Pump Service will be ending at 7:30 pm the next 2 weeks.

After Labor Day we will be changing our hours again and will update before that time.

Because we are losing evening daylight as we get further into the summer, if you are looking to rent a boat or pontoon, please reserve by calling (952) 442-2096 to guarantee we can fit you in. Walk-ins might not be available late in the day.

As for the fishing, we continue to have excellent sunfish activity. Crappies have been good as well. Most locations with good weeds have worked well, with angler's fishing off the weed edge with waxies, a chunk of a crawler, or crappie minnows. Walleyes have been surprisingly active during several August evenings. Anglers have worked the edges of the weeds in 14 to 18 feet of water fishing with a Jig and a fathead in locations like North Reef, Keg's Reef, Anderson's and Center Reef. Muskie activity has picked up in the past 2 weeks as well. We've had some good reports of successful catches in the mid-30's to mid-40 inch size range. Bucktails have worked for some, again fishing along good weedlines, and occasionally above the weeds. Bass have been strong some days and mediocre other days. The consistent bite has been best shallow in the reeds or by the Rock Dock, although if you're looking for a lunker, you'll usually have the best success off reefs like Center Reef, Pillsbury Reef, Cemetery Reef or Anderson's reef fishing in the pockets of the weeds or on the edge in 12 to 15 feet of water.

We look forward to seeing you at the lake!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Fishing Report - 7/26/19

The summer heat hasn’t kept the fish from biting on Lake Waconia! While July can often be pleasure-boating season, many anglers continue to have success with a variety of species. Water temperatures have been in the low-to-mid 80’s since the humid, heat wave earlier in July. Sometimes temps that high can mean a quieter period of fishing, but not this July. Sunfish are still the best bet for those looking to bring some fish home for the fry pan. Crappies too have continued to be good. Both of those have been found in a variety of locations, generally along the weeds or weed edges in 12 to 16 feet of water, with crappies occasionally being suspended in deeper water over 20 feet as well. Anglers have had reasonable success with walleyes of late too, mostly late evening into the night! Fishing off the weeds in 14 to 20 feet of water in locations like Keg’s, North and Red’s Reefs has worked for many, with the bait of choice usually being fatheads or leeches. Expect a mix of sizes, as many are below the Waconia length regulation of 16 inches, but enough keepers over 16 have been biting to keep people coming back. We’ve also had some big ones reported in the 24 to 28 inch range that have been caught, a picture taken and released! As for bass, it’s that time of year where shallow, sloppy conditions are great for topwater action! What’s more fun than watching your bait get exploded on the surface by a largemouth? Not much I’d say! For those wanting to fish a little deeper, try areas like Pillsbury Reef, Center Reef, North Reef and Cemetery Reef and work in the weeds or just off the weeds before the depth drops off. Northern pike have been caught in many of the locations mentioned above as well. We’ve had limited muskie reports of late, but have heard of some near catches.

We are over the halfway point of our fishing boat & motor and pontoon rental season. There are still several more weeks left to get onto the water by renting one of our 4 pontoons or 3 fishing boats. Take advantage of the 14-day forecast with nicer weather predicted and give us a call at (952) 442-2096 to reserve! Here is a link for all of our pontoon and fishing boat & motor rentals we offer … https://intownemarina.com/Pontoon&BoatRental.htm

We had our yearly celebration last Sunday, July 21st to thank the many families who chose our marina to keep their boat in either a slip or a mooring buoy! Over 120 people were here and enjoyed getting together for a buffet lunch, many drawing prizes and a quick informal fishing contest. There were some impressive fish caught this year in a short period of time! The winner of the Gamefish division, Eric Bressler, caught a 4 pound 14 oz. northern pike. The winner of the Panfish division was Audrey Bauer who had a near 6 ounce sunfish. Our Grand Drawing Prize winner was the Feller family who won a nice $100 gift certificate to the marina!

One other local note of importance to report; earlier in the week Carver County had a ground-breaking ceremony to kick-off the improvements to the Lake Waconia Regional Park and the Coney Island extension of the park. Unfortunately, with the immense undertaking needed to get the project going, the park will be closed starting August 1st while heavy equipment is brought in. The portion of the project that includes Coney Island is going well, as trees, brush and other vegetation has been removed, getting it prepped for the creation of the trail system on the island which is all part of Phase I of the development. There has been continued archeological work done recently as well. Keep in mind, Coney Island remains off limit to the public, and is posted as No Trespassing. We all look forward to the completion of these projects as they will greatly improve the usability of the lake and park many of us love! To read more about the project, click on this link…

https://www.co.carver.mn.us/departments/public-works/parks-recreation/parks-trails/lake-waconia-regional-park/coney-island-project

We’ll see you at the lake!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Fishing Report - 6/25/19

Summer temperatures are finally here! While Lake Waconia water temps have been hovering around 70 degrees for a while, there will be a drastic change coming with the predicted warm weather with expectations of water temps reaching the upper 70’s by the time the calendar changes to July. With warmer temps on the horizon, there’s not a better time to rent a pontoon with us than now! We rent 4 pontoons (3 that hold 9 adults, with 1 that holds 12 adults) that are comfortable and equipped nicely to cool off during the upcoming heat wave. All our pontoons come with 10 gallons of gas, swim ladder, folding canopy, depth finder, anchors and life jackets. Call (952) 442-2096 to reserve! Check out this link for all of our pontoon and fishing boat & motor rentals we offer … https://intownemarina.com/Pontoon&BoatRental.htm

Sunfish have continued to be very active. We’ve had anglers fishing for bigger fish commenting on how ferocious the sunfish have been biting on their bigger baits. Crappies have been somewhat similar too, although not on the same level as the sunfish. We’ve seen plenty of sunfish in the shallows, but they are being found on the deeper weed lines as well. Any variety of live baits such as wax worms, leeches, or crawlers have been working. Crappies generally have been deeper in 10 to 15 feet of water on crappie minnows. Bass activity has picked up in the past 5 to 7 days after a short lull. Areas such as Pillsbury Reef, Cemetery Reef, and North Reef would be good deeper locations to target bass off the weeds. Shallows spots like the Rock Dock and Peterson’s Creek (aka “the Carp Trap”), as well as shoreline reeds are producing nice bass too. With more of a summer fishing pattern coming with rising water temps, walleyes will generally be deeper as well. Best during dusk or after dark, anglers have had success off Keg’s Reef, Center Reef and North Reef off the weeds on the drop-offs. Northern pike have continued to be reported by many who have been fishing for other species in a variety of locations. Muskies activity has been decent. There have been reports of follows and successful catches out from the beach on the SE side of the lake, around the weeds of Coney Island and reefs like Keg’s and North. Keep in mind, with the high temps, muskies are far more sensitive, so if you hook that big one, snap a quick pic and get it back in the water right away to give it the best chance to survive.

Don’t forget, the Lake Waconia Fireworks Festival, in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce has a wonderful 4th of July Fireworks show that gets put on at dusk (usually around 10pm) at the Lake Waconia Regional Park on the SE side of the lake. The Waconia Lions are the presenting sponsor this year, with many local businesses (including ours) and individuals that donate to put on this annual show. We will be open until after the show ends.

We look forward to seeing you at the lake!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Update - 6/15/19 - Wake restriction lifted!

Looks like Lake Waconia's temporary wake restriction has been lifted! Lake levels are still very high so please continue to "Take it Easy" near shorelines. Happy Boating!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Fishing Report - 6/11/19

Father’s Day weekend is fast approaching and the bite is on for many species in Lake Waconia! With the up-and-down spring weather, water temps have been fluctuating in the upper 60’s to low 70’s. The sunfish spawn has recently started in the shallows! Expect a strong sunfish bite on waxies and chunks of crawlers. Crappies have moved a little deeper as their spawn is now done. Fish them in the weeds in 8 to 16 feet of water with crappie minnows for good action in places like the north to northeast end of Coney Island, Keg’s reef, North reef, and Andersons. As for the walleyes, with the transition into more of a summer pattern, we suggest fishing with fatheads and leeches off the deeper weed lines and drops such as Keg’s, North, Red’s and Anderson’s Reef. Note that because of seasonal Curly Leaf Pondweed, the weed line has temporarily moved out to 16 to 18 feet depending on the location. Fishing jig and minnows has worked in 16 to 20 feet, or pulling lindy rigs with leeches or minnows just above the deep weeds in early morning or evening hours for walleyes. So far this muskie season there have been reports of mid-thirty inch muskies being caught along with some decent northern pike mixed in. Some larger fish have been seen as well. Smaller-sized blades on bucktails and rubber baits have been a common choice in 5-10 feet of water around cabbage weeds also along deeper weed edges such as Cemetery and Keg’s reef. Bass action has still been very good with the spawn finishing later than normal. We’ve had a wide range of sizes being caught both shallow and deeper. Different angling styles have worked. Soft plastics have been good in less than 6 feet of water, while spinnerbaits and jigs have produced some nice ones in the weeds on the reefs. There have been a few people that have been hooking into sheepshead for a fun fight! Sheepshead can be caught in similar areas that one would try for walleyes jigging with minnows or night crawlers.

We are in the full swing of our Pontoon and Fishing Boat Rental Season! We rent 3 pontoons that hold up to 9 adults each, with 1 that holds up to 12 adults. We also rent 3 fishing boats that are equipped with 9.9 or 15 hp motors. Check out or prices and policies by clicking on this link… https://intownemarina.com/Pontoon&BoatRental.htm Call (952) 442-2096 to reserve!

Don’t forget, Lake Waconia is still under No Wake restrictions within 600 feet from shore for at least 3 more weeks! Please follow this ordinance so we limit potential shoreline erosion while we wait for the water to drop to more normal levels. Thankfully, Lake Waconia is big enough to allow for this restriction help shoreline landowners, but not impede summertime fun on the lake!

We look forward to seeing you!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Update - 6/4/19 - 600 Foot No Wake restriction in effect now!

Lake Waconia now has a No Wake restriction within 600 feet from shore on the entire lake. Some No Wake buoys have been placed by the Carver County Sheriff Water Patrol to help show this distance. This is a 30 day restriction or until the lake drops 0.1" below the stated triggering elevation for 3 consecutive days. Thankfully Waconia is a large lake and will allow for boaters to utilize the majority of the lake outside of the 600 feet perimeter. Please help us by following these new restrictions to limit shoreline erosion and prevent a possible extension of the No Wake to include the entire body of Lake Waconia.

https://www.co.carver.mn.us/Home/Components/News/News/2935/18

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Fishing Report and Updated Summer Hours - 5/21/19

Our regular summer hours begin this Memorial Day Weekend! Starting this Saturday, 5/25 our bait shop will be open from 6:30 am to 8:30 pm every Saturday during the heart of the summer. Hours Sunday through Friday will begin this weekend too and are 7:30 am to 8:30 pm. Boat & Motor and Pontoon rentals begin Saturday as well! Call for reservations at (952) 442-2096. Our gas pump, with 91 octane, non-ethanol marine gas is fully going too! Gas service ends at 8 pm each night.

We currently have a great price on Regular/Medium Leeches (15 per container). Buy 2 containers for $5.00 (regularly $3.99 each)! Great for walleye, bass or panfish!

This spring has been a rollercoaster of weather with Mother Nature throwing curveballs at fishermen. Water temps had begun to climb into the 60’s and we were seeing panfish start to move into the shallows. With air temps drastically dropping recently, combined with high winds and rain, water temps are now back into the low 50’s with fish moving back out. Because of the extreme fluctuation, fishing has been inconsistent on the more dreary days. Even when it’s nice, you might have to adjust your fishing style or location following a cold/windy day. We hope to get out of this funk of cold wet weather soon and expect the bit to pick up when it gets more consistently nice.

So far, this spring there has been a very good crappie bite despite the odd weather. Many anglers have been finding them on the edge of Waconia Bay suspended off the bottom (as your bait drops) in 8 to 12 feet of water. The Clay Banks have been good as well. Sunfish have been mixed in too when it’s not cold and windy. Many have taken advantage of a strong catch-and-release bite for bass since the walleye opener. This Saturday the 25th is the official Bass Opener, allowing those of you hoping to keep a few to do so. Generally speaking, for a strong bass bite, stick to the shallows for the first week or two once we get some consistent weather and water temps warm back up. As for walleyes, the first week-and-a-half of the season has been good when the weather allows. Many have found good action working in typical spring locations such as the Carp Trap/Peterson’s Creek inlet on the NW side of the lake, the Clay Banks on the NE side, the Rock Dock on the west side and Harm’s Point. Best times have been at low light or dark. Expect weeds, specifically curly leaf pond weed, to continue to grow rapidly and change “fishability”. Many times normal weedlines that would be at 12 to 14 feet get extended out to 16 or 17 feet because of the curly leaf. That weed grows fast, but lays down later in June into early July and reverts the lake back to normal weedline depths for fishing. While fishing for all of the above, don’t be surprised to hook into a nice northern pike. They are expected to continue to be active as they were all winter. A friendly reminder…Muskie season begins Saturday, June 1st.

We look forward to nicer spring weather soon and hope to see you at the lake!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Hours Update - Spring Hours begin Thursday, May 9th at Noon. Open ALL Night Friday May 9th for Opener!

Our Bait Shop and Access opens for the season this Thursday, May 9th at Noon! Our spring hours are Monday through Friday from Noon to 7pm, and on Saturday/Sunday from 8 am to 7pm. With the Fishing Opener upon us, we will again be OPEN ALL NIGHT this Friday May 10th until closing time on Saturday the 11th at 7pm. We will be stocked up with all of your bait and tackle needs or if you need a quick break for a warm-up of coffee or hot chocolate, or to share a fish story!

We continue to install or brace our marina docks, so we thank you for your patience while we get this work done. Parking will be somewhat limited until all equipment gets put into the water. Our Boat and Motor, Pontoon Rentals and Gas Dock Service are not available at this time. We will update when we get closer to renting and gas becomes available.

We look forward to seeing you in the coming days and being here for all of your Fishing Opener needs!

In Towne Marina Spring Update - 4/30/19 - Bait Shop and Access opens for the season on Thursday, May 9th

Heads up! Our Bait Shop and Access will be opening for the season on Thursday, May 9th. Weather has held up our Marina dock assembly progress preventing us from being ready for you sooner. Hours will be announced before the opening date. Gas Service and Boat Rentals will begin at a later time as well. We thank you for your patience while we continue to work on our dock installation. See you soon!

In Towne Marina is Closed for the Winter Season as of 3/3/19. Thanks!

We are now closed for the Winter Season! Our access will remain temporarily open for use while conditions allow. However, we will not be plowing any lake roads after today, 3/3/19 and may close the access at any time due to excess snow, ice conditions or safety concerns,etc... As always, drive at your own risk.

Thank you for another wonderful winter on Lake Waconia! We will update you with potential spring opening hours once the ice is off the lake and we have begun installation of our dock system.

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Plowing Update - 3/2/19

We have our road plowed again past Center reef and out to Pillsbury, albeit getting nothing but narrower in spots. It’s predicted to be windy on Sunday, therefore the 4+ inches of light snow we got yesterday will blow around and fill in the road and around houses making it even more difficult to get houses off the lake. We recommend taking time to remove your house from the lake today unless you have a plow or at minimum a 4 wheel drive truck with chains. Reminder, we will not be plowing to Cemetery anymore. Also, since we close for the season after Sunday, we will not be maintaining any lake roads from our marina beyond Sunday 3/3/19. Thank you!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice, Plowing and Fishing Update: 2/26/19

We want to thank everyone for a great winter on Lake Waconia! We will be closing for the season after this Sunday, 3/3/19. We are done renting Fish Houses after this Wednesday, 2/27/19.

We will do our best to keep our lake road open past Center Reef and to Pillsbury Reef through 3/3 (we will not be servicing the road to Cemetery Reef). However, there is continued measurable snow forecasted on Friday with increasing wind on Saturday. Because our road is already very narrow in many areas, we cannot guarantee that it will be easy to navigate after more snow and wind. Therefore, since fish houses must be removed by Monday, 3/4/19 anyway, those with houses on Lake Waconia that use the road we plow, should consider removing it before more snow comes while we have a good road open. After Sunday 3/3, we will not be maintaining the lake road.

For those coming to the lake to fish, remember that the Gamefish Season (Bass, Northern and Walleyes) is now closed as of last Sunday 2/24/19. Also, we now have new 2019 Fishing Licenses available for purchase through our closing date on the 3rd. We have seen a continued good sunfish and crappie bite fishing in the weeds or on weed edges in 10 to 15 feet of water. Sunfish have been good all day, with crappies best between 6 to 9 pm. While there are plenty of smaller fish being caught, there are enough keepers mixed in to make the frying pan!

Our Access is back OPEN! - 2/25/29

Our access is back open for use. The road plowed past Waconia Bay and Center Reef to Pillsbury is much narrower now. We are not plowing to Cemetery as it's too hard to keep open and so few people are using it.

Access Temporarily Closed - 2/25/19

We are temporarily closing our access so that we can plow our lake road open again. Vehicles are currently getting stuck in the road which is making it impossible to plow it open.

We will announce today when our access will be open again. Thanks

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Plowing Update - 2/24/19

Just a reminder, we will not be plowing our lake road today. Hopefully we'll be plowing Monday when the weather settles. The road is blowing shut and visibility is very poor.

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Plowing Update - 2/21/19

We’ve been plowing all day today, Thursday 2/21 to open up our normal lake roads we’ve established all winter. The roads are narrower (especially to Cemetery Reef) than before, as the banks are much higher due to all the recent snow. If you are planning on going off road, it is extremely difficult. It’s a must to have a 4-wheel drive truck and probably chains too. To this point, there have been numerous anglers who have gotten stuck off road, so be prepared.

As hard as it is for us to say, if you’re hoping to bring the wheelhouse out this weekend, we are not recommending it unless you have a plow of your own and are prepared for all the snow and blowing snow that’s expected to come.

If you have a house on the lake now, it may be time to start considering pulling it off the lake while we have our good roads open. It’s going to get nothing but worse with the predicted snow this weekend and especially the high winds forecasted (20 to 30 mph with gusts over 40 on Saturday night and Sunday). We expect our current roads to blow shut by Saturday evening and we will not be plowing them open again until conditions settle. We hate to be so negative, but the reality is, it’s going to be tough to get around and especially to move a house on or off the lake.

 
If you’re plan is to move your fish house closer to shore, we hope that you consider just taking it home with you. We can’t have fish houses stacked in front of the marina as we have very little space that is plowed and need to keep those areas open. Thank you!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Plowing Update - 2/20/19

Due to the heavy snow and very difficult visibility on the lake, we will be closed today after 11 am. We advise anglers to avoid coming to the lake today as getting stuck is a strong possibility. Our goal is to begin plowing on the lake Thursday morning and hopefully have roads going to Center and Pillsbury by the afternoon.

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Plowing Update - 2/13/19

We've got very nice roads plowed again to all the same spots we've been plowing this winter! There are numerous offshoots plowed through the banks of the road to get into different areas of Waconia Bay, Center and Pillsbury Reef. If traveling well off road, it’s best to have a 4-wheel drive truck, although some have gotten stuck off road with capable vehicles. Big drifts are hidden well with the fresh snow. As always, be prepared with a shovel and tow strap. Good Luck and we’ll see you on the ice!

Edit: Any long single lane paths were not plowed by the marina, and are likely privately plowed roads to a single fish house. We recommend avoiding those paths with vehicles/houses to avoid being stuck as they more than likely will not have an area to turn around.

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Plowing Update - 2/12/19

We will not be plowing lake roads today due to the increasing wind conditions. We will be opening the road to Center and Pillsbury tomorrow. It is still possible to get around with 4-wheel drive trucks or AWD (if it sits higher).

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Plowing Update - 2/8/19

We plowed our road open again past Waconia Bay and Center Reef ending at Pillsbury Reef. We also have plowed to Cemetery Reef to the east as well. It is still possible to go off road with 4 wheel drive trucks and bigger AWD SUVs. However, please drive slow, as there are plenty of drifts off road with some of them being hard and tough to see. Be prepared with a shovel in case you get stuck. If going off road with a wheel house, it's best to blaze a path with the truck first before having the house hooked up. We'll see ya on the ice! Good luck!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Snow & Visibility Update - Closing Early Today, 2/7/19 at 1 pm

CLOSED EARLY FOR TODAY at 1 pm! We are closing for the rest of today because of the snow and increasingly bad visibility. Traveling on the lake is currently difficult. If going out on Lake Waconia, we suggest 4 wheel drive trucks only and to be prepared if you get stuck. Stay safe!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Plowing Update - 2/6/19

We re-plowed our road today from the marina, past Waconia Bay and Center Reef, ending at Pillsbury Reef. We did not plow the road to Cemetery today. With the upcoming snow and wind conditions predicted, we might not plow again until the weather improves. However, we expect to have our roads good to go again before the weekend! It's still possible to go off-road with 4-wheel drive or AWD, but pay extra attention to drifts. They are difficult to see with the fresh blanket of snow, so take it nice and slow. We will update when we know more. Good luck!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Plowing Update - 2/1/19

Hello Everyone! We made it through the extreme cold. Now it's time to get fishing! We have a very nice road coming from our access that goes past Waconia Bay, by Center Reef and out to Pillsbury Reef . Also, we plowed a good road out to Cemetery Reef today as well. 4-wheel drive trucks can go off road in most places too. There are a few bigger drifts in spots so pay attention to those if you're going off the beaten path. Should be a GREAT weekend to be on the ice!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Plowing Update - 1/28/19

Thankfully conditions were good enough today that we plowed a nice road from our access past Waconia Bay and Center Reef and ending at Pillsbury Reef. We will not be plowing again until likely Friday. We hope to get a road to Cemetery before the weekend and will clean up any drifts that form in the road at that point as well. As for driving conditions off road, 4 wheel drive trucks can get around at this point, but we expect plenty of drifting to occur in random areas with the predicted high winds the next 2 days, so come prepared if you're venturing off the beaten path.

A reminder too that our access fee is $2 daily Monday thru Thursday and $4 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Please remember to drive slow when on our roads or on the lake in general.

We'll see you on the ice!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Update - Plowing Notice

Measureable snow and bitter cold is on our doorstep. Once the snow is done, if conditions allow, our goal is to plow lake roads to the more populated fish house locations starting with Waconia Bay, heading past Center Reef and out to Pillsbury Reef. We’ll also eventually plow from the marina to the east toward Cemetery Reef. However, if winds are blowing too much (as predicted) we may hold off on plowing any roads until conditions improve (later in the week) as it can be detrimental to future plowing if we create a road that immediately blows shut. We will update you when we know more. Stay warm and we’ll see you on the lake!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Fishing and Ice Report - 1/17/19

Lake Waconia ice is in great shape! With the cold nights we are growing ice fast. We did a quick check today and found ice ranging between 15 to 20 inches, with common ice around 17 to 18 inches. We still advise avoiding areas we have marked with lath board and flagging tape, as most of those are marking potential active springs. The larger marked area on the shallow side of Center Reef (north of most of the houses), will also remain marked as it froze last and is as little as 13 inches.

As for the bite, it has continued to be good. We’ve had sunfish biting well during the day in 11 to 14 feet of water in areas like Waconia Bay, Center Reef, Pillsbury Reef and the weed line of Wagener’s Bay. Crappies can be found in the similar areas during the evening, with some starting to bite a little deeper too. There have been some really nice northern pike caught this year and that has continued this week! Anglers have had great success fishing with sucker minnows around the same areas the sunfish and crappies have been biting. Walleyes have bitten been best away from heavy traffic and noise in the late evening or overnight hours in 14 to 20 feet of water. Check out the pics attached of a couple nice fish brought into us within the past week!

Take-a-kid fishing weekend (beginning Saturday, January 19th through Monday, January 21st) is going on statewide, so it’s a great time to bring a youngster out to Lake Waconia for some ice fishing! Per the Minnesota Fishing Regulations “Residents fish or spear fish for free when accompanied by a child age 15 or under”. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/minnaqua/icefishing/index.html Don’t have a fish house and want to get out of the cold and into a warm, ready-to-fish house, we rent them! Call (952) 442-2096 to reserve! We still have a few availabilities for the upcoming 3-day weekend.

We’ll see you on the ice!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Fishing and Ice Report - 1/10/19

We haven’t done much of a fishing report so far this winter, so now sounds like a good time! Since ice conditions are MUCH IMPROVED, we’ll get to that part at the bottom of this update! We’ve been pleasantly surprised with a lot of fish activity this winter so far. Check out some of the fish pics attached to this post. Starting with sunfish, we have been seeing lots of action in Wagener’s Bay, Pillsbury Reef, Center Reef and Waconia Bay. Fishing around good weeds in 11 to 15 feet of water is a great bet to get into some nice bluegills and surprisingly nice pumpkinseeds. We’ve had a lot of reports of success on wax worms, with larva being good as well. The sunfish have been best during the day, but there have been evenings they have bit well too. Crappies can be found in the same areas, with some anglers finding them a little deeper off the weeds in 15 to 17 feet. Crappies have bitten best late afternoon into the evening. For those curious about the deep water crappie bite (over 20 feet) in Wagener’s Bay, we have not had reports of it turning on as of yet.

The big surprise so far this winter has been the tremendous northern pike bite. Again, fishing in similar areas to the panfish on the weedlines or above the weeds in 11 to 15 feet of water has been very good. We’ve had several stories of anglers getting some impressive catches of pike on panfish equipment. That’s always fun and interesting to hear! Of course it’s best to use heavier line with a small to medium sucker minnow if you’re going with live bait. We’ve had a variety of sizes of pike brought into the marina which is always good to see. We’ve also had some reports of pike being caught in the 40 to 42 inch range and released.

As for walleye, it has been fun to hear the reports and see some of the nice fish caught this winter. A lot of times in past years, anglers had been frustrated with catching too many undersized walleyes that don’t quite get to the Lake Waconia legal size limit of 16 inches. However, this winter has been different! There have been plenty of catches of legal fish between 16 to 20 inches, with some reported last weekend in the 27 to 28 inch range that were released! Many have used fathead minnows on jigging spoons or small to medium shiners on a rattle reels or tip ups. The best chance to harvest some Lake Waconia walleye is to spend the evening on the ice or overnight. Getting away from the larger crowds to lessen the noise/activity is a good idea too, although we have definitely had good reports amongst some of the most actively fished locations like Wagener’s Bay, Pillsbury and Center Reef. Waconia Bay has pumped out a few walleye as well. To get away from the crowd on ice we have checked thoroughly, it can be good between the marinas in what we call the “walleye hole” or “hump” depending on what part of the area you’re on. Also, Cemetery Reef can be a quality reef to hit if the conditions are right! 14 to 22 feet of water would be a common depth range to target them depending on your location.

Lake Waconia ice held up pretty well during that warm period last weekend and early in the week! Thankfully the cooler temps came and helped freeze most of the water up before higher winds came. Now that things are settled, we hope to see many of you out for this upcoming weekend of good weather! We are glad many of you kept a close eye on our reports, and are thankful we don’t have any bad news to report!

We spent a good portion of the day on the ice today, Thursday 1/10/19. The ice is back in GREAT shape. We drilled a bunch of holes in many of the areas people are driving to and found thicknesses between 13 to 17 inches. Many of the holes we drilled were between 15 to 16 inches. The ice that was 13 inches was between the island and Lakeview Terrace in the area we called “under the wires”, which is on the way from Waconia Bay to Center Reef. We also found 13 inches on the south side of Coney Island. We also drilled in the marked off area on the shallow side of Center Reef (that froze last because of birds) and that ice is catching up nicely. We will continue to leave it marked, as we did find as little as 11 inches there. Again, we focused our checks where the majority of anglers go, which is Wagener’s Bay, Pillsbury Reef, Center Reef, Waconia Bay and out to Cemetery Reef. We have not done any checking on Keg’s, North, Red’s or Anderson’s Reefs. If you plan to go to the areas we haven’t checked, stop inside to talk to us about the small active springs we have found and marked with lath board and flagging tape that lead out to those reefs.

Don’t forget, we RENT FISH HOUSES! This is still plenty of availability on upcoming weekends (including a few openings yet this weekend). We do our best to make it easy and comfortable for you, as we make sure the heat is on and the holes are open. All the houses have plenty of lighting, with 4 of the 5 having hole lights too! We have them set up in Waconia Bay in 12.5 to 13 feet of water in good sunfish and pike area for daytime, with a good chance at crappies in the evening. Call (952) 442-2096 to reserve. Click on the following link for more info… http://intownemarina.com/FishHouseRental.htm

Take advantage of the upcoming nice weekend and get on Lake Waconia. We’ll see you on the lake!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report - 1/8/19

Good news! Things are starting to firm back up on the surface of Lake Waconia. Thankfully, it got cold enough to begin freezing the standing water on the ice. Where there was less than 1 inch of water on the ice yesterday, it is now frozen. There are still plenty of areas that previously had 2 to 3 or more inches of water that is not frozen yet, but is starting to heal up. We have part of our access coned off to allow it to heal with the cold coming. However, you can get on and off our pay access just fine with cars and trucks with wheel houses. As always, drive at your own risk.

While we wait for the rest of the water to freeze lake-wide, if you have a fish house on the ice and have not checked on it, we still recommend doing so. There is still a potential for remaining water to drain into open holes under your house if you were in an area with deeper standing water. The risk is much less since it’s freezing up in a lot of locations, but it’s still a good idea to check it out.

As for the thickness of the ice, we did lose about a ½ inch on the surface, so expect to find between 12 to 16.5 inches in areas we have been driving to since the New Year. Please refer to our previous ice reports to see thicknesses in specific locations.

Keep in mind, it is VERY slippery out there, so drive slowly and get your ice cleats on. With the lack of snow in the forecast, we’ll be dealing with slick conditions for a little while.

Stay safe and we’ll see you on the ice!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report - 1/7/19

Hey Everyone! It’s Monday, January 7th and we were on the ice early in the afternoon. With the mild weekend temps and overnight rain last night, we now have some standing water on a lot of the lake, especially around groups of fish houses. If you have a fish house on Lake Waconia, we suggest paying very close attention to it in the next 24 hours. It might be a good idea to check on it today and certainly by tomorrow afternoon. The forecast calls for temps to remain above 32 overnight and winds to be gusting into the upper 20 or low 30 mph range. With high winds and water on the ice, the wind will help increase swirling into any open fishing holes under your fish house (If your house is blocked too high allowing wind to swirl underneath). We suggest blocking your house on 2x4’s or less to keep it as close to the ice as possible without allowing for it to freeze in. Also, moving the house off open holes is a good idea as well. Some have even decided to pull their houses off the lake for a day or 2 and wait for the cold later this week. At this point, we are leaving our rental houses on the lake, as we have them blocked correctly. This is not a panic situation at the moment, but one that we advise should be taken seriously. Our access remains open for use, but may be limited if conditions worsen. We will update when we know more.

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report - 1/4/19

We have been having a lot of calls by people wondering about the warm weekend weather. Currently ice conditions are still very good! We don’t expect any major changes with ice thickness at this time. Of course the snow will likely melt and it will get slushy and wet in spots. Our pay access is holding up good as well. We are allowing trucks with wheel houses to come through us. We are finding between 12.5 to 17 inches of ice, with 14 to 15 inches more common in areas like Waconia Bay, the Walleye Hole, Cemetery Reef, Center Reef, Pillsbury Reef and Wagener’s Bay. We have not checked ice in areas such as Keg’s Reef, Red’s Reef, North Reef or Anderson’s Reef, so we still recommend checking your own ice if you’re headed to any of those areas. Also, still avoid areas that we have marked with lath board and flagging tape as they are either marking ice thinner ice or active springs. Thankfully those areas are few and far between.

Don’t forget, if you don’t have a fish house and want to make it easy, we rent fish houses! We make sure the heat is on and the holes are open ready to fish. We have all 5 of our rentals in Waconia Bay in 12.5 to 13 feet of water in good sunfish, crappie and northern pike area. They are close enough to walk to if you’d like, otherwise we are driving vehicles to them too. Here is a link for more information… http://intownemarina.com/FishHouseRental.htm Please call (952) 442-2096 to reserve!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report - 1/1/19 - Pay Access open for Cars, Trucks, Snowmobiles, ATVs, Side by Sides and Wheel Houses

Good news! Last night’s cold put us over the hump! Our pay access is open for vehicle traffic today. We are finding a lot of very good ice in the 12 to 15 inch range on areas like Waconia Bay, The” Walleye Hole”, Cemetery Reef, Parts of Center Reef (where there aren’t marked thinner spots), Pillsbury Reef and Wagener’s Bay.

We are NOT driving all over the lake, as we have not checked ice 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. As always, when driving out from our access, it is drive at your own risk.

With last night’s snow and wind we do have some banking snow on the lake. Drifts can be pretty substantial in the groups of fish houses, but you can meander around them pretty easily. Out in open areas, the drifting isn’t as bad as much of the ice is blown clean. Getting around with 2 wheel drive or a car is totally doable as long as you avoid the occasional bigger drift.

We have 3 of our Rental Fish Houses out and ready to fish! Please call (952) 442-2096 to reserve!
See you on the Ice!