Thursday, December 12, 2024

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report - 12/12/24 - We open tomorrow, Friday 12/13/24 from 9 am to 5 pm!

We open for the winter season starting tomorrow, Friday, 12/13/24 from 9 am to 5 pm! On Saturday and Sunday, we will be here from 8 am to 5 pm. Next Monday through Thursday we will be open from 9 am to 5 pm. We will announce any changes to our hours later next week.

Today, Ben and Avery did a thorough ice check on parts of Lake Waconia! They drilled and measured hundreds of holes from 9:30 to 3 pm. They first measured out front of the marina, found 6.5 to 8 inches of ice and determined it was best to cover more ground with an ATV and small side-by-side. In the following areas where we drilled, we found…

Waconia Bay: 6.5 to 8 inches

Between the Marinas by the “Walleye Hump”: 6 to 8 inches

Cemetery Reef: 7 to 8 inches

Between the Coney Island and Lakeview Terrace AKA “Under the Wires”: 6.5 to 8 inches

Center Reef: 7 to 8 inches

Pillsbury Reef: 7 to 8 inches

Wagener’s Bay Deep Hole: 7 to 8 inches

South Side of Wagener’s Bay: around 9 inches

Despite the extreme cold, it is important to say there is still a large area of water being kept open by birds east of Coney Island with thin ice around it as well. That area is UNMARKED due to its’ size. A pressure ridge extends from the east side of the island towards the beach itself on the SE side of the lake. If you intend to head east of the island or east of Cemetery Reef, use extreme caution.

Ben and Avery marked a few notable areas to avoid with lath board and flagging tape. Some of those marked areas are out from the access in Wagener’s Bay that are either marking active springs or lesser ice. There is also a marked spring near Pillsbury Reef. As for some of the larger springs we have talked about in past years, they were able to find and mark one of them east of Cemetery Reef. They could not mark all potential springs, so keep that in mind.

Overall, while our ice thickness findings today are excellent news, we cannot cover everything. Ice is never completely safe. We still caution everyone to check ahead your first time out before taking anything heavy onto the ice.

Our private access will be open for use starting tomorrow. To walk on through us is $2 every day. Using our access with ATV’s, snowmobiles (and eventually cars and trucks) is $5 every day. If you would like to buy a Winter Access Season Pass, those are $40. Knowing what we know, yes, we will be allowing ATV’s, Side-by-Sides through our access right away starting tomorrow. As for wheelhouses, we will not be allowing those yet but will update as soon as we do. As always, use our access at your own risk. We cannot guarantee parking on our lot. If there are no parking spaces available, overflow onto the street. Keep in mind, due to a City of Waconia Winter Ordinance, please do not stay parked on city streets after Midnight. Overnight parking on our lot is ONLY allowed with a Season Pass and with prior permission on the day of parking.

As many of you know from this past summer, we no longer sell fishing licenses, so when bringing out your fish house for the first time, purchase your Fishing or Fish House License ahead of time.

While we do not have our fish house rentals on the ice quite yet, they will be going out soon! We begin taking reservations at (952) 442-2096 tomorrow! Below is a link to our 2024/25 Fish House Rental Prices…

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UxHHzr7rX6HPs-n7OV1YW_Eilp940Wi5/view

Tuesday, December 10, 2024

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Update - 12/10/24 - Next ice report later in day on Thursday, 12/12/24. Bait Shop and Access Open on Friday 12/13/24!

We look forward to the cold the next couple of nights and will be doing a more extensive Lake Waconia ice check on Thursday, 12/12/24! The report will come later that day. Our Bait Shop and Access will be open this Friday, 12/13/24! We will announce hours at the same time as the ice report. We’ll see you soon!

Thursday, December 5, 2024

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report - 12/5/24 - 1st Ice Check of 2024/25 Season. We remain closed while we wait for ice conditions to improve

Happy Winter! Today, 12/5/24, Ben and Avery took a walk out to Waconia Bay and the “Walleye Hump” between the marinas. It was common to find about 4 inches of ice where they looked. There were a few areas of 3.5 inches. Where it is chunky/broken up re-frozen ice you’ll likely find a little more thickness. North and East of Coney Island, birds have been keeping an area open that got quite a bit bigger with yesterday’s extreme wind. There also appears to be another smaller area near Red’s Reef that is open as well. As always, with early ice we advise checking ahead of yourself with a chisel. For those taking walks around the lake, remember that where there is emergent vegetation like reeds, bullrushes and cattails, ice thickness can be thinner/weaker, so avoid walking near those areas.

With the expected weekend warm-up, the bait shop and access will remain closed, so that is the extent of our ice checking for now. We hope to update mid-next week with another report after it cools back down.