We were out on the ice in Waconia Bay today, 12/30/2020 checking the impact of last night’s snow. Thankfully we didn’t get as much as predicted. Because of that, we have decided to open our access tomorrow to ATV’s and Side-by-sides and small-to-mid size wheel houses (single-axle houses under 16 feet). Keep in mind, we are ONLY allowing use from our access to Waconia Bay. We didn’t drill as many holes today, but we found ice ranging from 9 to 13 inches in Waconia Bay, with plenty of the holes around 12 inches. However, it’s not 12 inches of clear ice, it’s 8 to 9 inches of clear ice with 3 to 4 inches of frozen white slush ice on top. East of the marina as you get to the walleye “hole” or “hump” is still not thick enough for ATV use at this time. That area you can walk to, but check ahead of yourself if you’re going further east and north as that is newer ice that is not as thick (around 4 inches in holes we drilled).
There will be areas of snow drifted up to 6 inches deep in some spots on the way to Waconia Bay so keep that in mind if you’re hauling a house out. Most of the ice has 2 to 3 inches of snow on top so it’s manageable to get around. Chains are a must on your ATV if you’re towing anything.We are not allowing people to drive on our frontage with trucks, etc… to disconnect houses to leave them on the ice in front of the marina. If you are bringing your house, be prepared to take it out to your spot right away. There is minimal area on our parking lot to leave it for more than a few minutes.
Because the ice varies so much beyond Waconia Bay and Wagener’s Bay, we are recommending you NOT use your ATV’s beyond those two locations unless you are doing serious checking ahead of yourself. We know many people want to get to Center Reef and other popular reefs to the north and east, but there are too many thinner areas outside of the bays at this point.
We’ll see you on the ice!
