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!
