In Towne Marina Access Update 12/31/25

As of today 12/31/25 we are still ONLY allowing WALKING through our access. Our frontage has not healed at all in the last 24 hours but when walking you can go around the slush. We are looking forward to the cold weather coming tonight.

 Getting around on the Lake is totally doable with ATVs and Sides by sides if you go on elsewhere. Please check yesterdays post for more ice/lake info.

We will update you ASAP about our access and any updates.

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report - 12/30/25

Today our access is open to walking only. After last night, conditions firmed up enough to allow people to walk across most of the frozen slush on our frontage. It is not frozen enough for ATVs or other vehicles. We will let you know as soon as conditions allow that.

We’ve had many people asking about conditions on the main lake. Avery was out on the side-by-side and provided an update. Fortunately, the main lake is in better shape than the shorelines, including most accesses. Most of the snow is concentrated near shorelines, especially where winds pushed it in—around points and the island. Areas with little or no snow have firmed up completely.

There are snow drifts scattered across the lake, but many can be avoided if you prefer not to encounter the slush beneath the deepest drifts. While we wait for our access to firm up enough for ATVs and side by sides, those choosing to use other accesses should expect bumpy conditions with water and slush near shore.

Avery also checked ice thickness, He found in the 9- to 12-inch range where he checked on Cemetery Reef, Waconia Bay, Center Reef, Pillsbury Reef and Wagener’s Bay, with much of it measuring 10 to 11 inches. 

In some areas, water is coming up even where snow drifts appear minimal. Do not expect Waconia’s current ice to be floating as high or be as strong as the typical 10 to 12 inches of early ice we see most years.

Avery marked a large hole (6 ft) that opened up in Wagener's Bay near a permanent fish house. More than likely it was a drain hole that swirled heavily during the strong winds the other night. Avoid areas that had a permanent house on them because draining and swirling did affect ice under and around many of those houses before and during the wind of the blizzard. 

Access open to walking again 12/30/25

 Today our access is open to WALKING only. After last night things firmed up enough to be able to walk across most of the frozen slush on our frontage. It is not frozen enough for ATV etc. traffic yet. We will update you ASAP with more lake ice conditions.

Access closed today 12/29/25 due to extreme slush

 

Due to extreme slush our access is closed today Monday 12/29/25 to ALL use while we wait for it to solidify. Bait shop is open for bait etc. 

We are guessing we got around 5 inches of snow in the last 24 hours. Early on it was wet and heavy. The snow got lighter as the temp dropped and the wind cranked up.  

Avery went out on his ATV to check out conditions. He headed up beyond center reef and straight back to the marina.  He had chains on his machine, avoided deep drifts and could get around just fine. The weight of the snow caused the ice to flood in many areas. Most spots with no or minimal slush/snow have frozen solid. Where more snow caught or drifted usually there is water and slush under it. We would not recommend trying to pull a fish house across the lake until more of the slush firms up. 

Because of the wind direction our frontage/access had a lot of snow on it. With the weight of the deep snow on our frontage it has sunk the ice flooding it and turning most of the snow to slush with a thin crust on top. We need to wait a little while for the slush to solidify before opening the access back up. 

 

Closed Sunday 12/28/25 for potential Blizzard

 We will be closed Sunday 12/28/25 due to the predicted Blizzard conditions. Please be safe if out and about. Please do not park in the marina parking lot Sunday overnight into early Monday morning for snow removal reasons.  Monday looks like it will be quite windy early too, we will update you later if we need to alter Monday 12/29 Business Hours. Thanks, In Towne Marina Staff.

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report - 12/26/25

 

We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! Ben went out for a quick ice check in front of the marina today, December 26, 2025, and found that last night's rain has left about a half-inch of standing water on the ice in most places. If you drill a hole, the surface water will likely drain into it, and conditions are currently very slippery, so please come prepared with ice cleats. While we haven’t lost much ice thickness yet, the surface is a little soft. Measurements still range from 8.5 to 12 inches, with 10 inches being the most common thickness.

 

There is more significant water pooling around permanent houses where the ice is sagging under the extra weight, so we strongly recommend checking on your house if it is already out there. At the very least, you should move it to "higher ice" and block it up, though moving it off the lake entirely for the time being is the safest option. If the snow and wind predicted for Sunday and Sunday night arrive, drifting around any remaining permanent houses could be substantial, further increasing the weight on the already sagging ice. We are hopeful that we avoid the snow so things can firm up consistently once the cold sets back in, and we will keep you updated as we learn more.

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report - 12/23/25

Over the Last two days (Sun. 12/21 and Mon. 12/22) Ben and Avery have been doing some more ice checking.

Where we checked, the common ice is 9.5 to 11 inches. 8 inches was the least and 13 inches (including slush ice) the most.

Much of the ice on Lake Waconia is clear of snow now but is drifted in random areas and more common around the shorelines, points and the island. The ice is quite slick so bring the cleats.

We marked several of the active springs we usually see on Lake Waconia with lath board and orange flagging tape (see videos below). Not all potential springs could be marked because snow/frozen slush etc. hiding their locations. Please check ahead of yourself if traveling off the beaten path and use Navionics to help avoid the digitally marked springs on their map.

Areas we checked were Waconia Bay, under the wires, Walleye hump, Cemetery Reef, West of Anderson’s Reef, Red’s Reef, just south of Reinke’s Bay, Keg’s Reef, Center Reef, Pillsbury Reef and Wagener’s Bay.

Please keep in mind we did a lot of drilling but these are expansive areas that we can’t completely cover. Stay on top of doing your own checking.

Currently Allowing

• Walking (ice cleats highly recommended), Snowmobiles, ATVs and Side-by-Sides

• Trailers or Small Single-Axle fish houses that weigh LESS THAN 2500 pounds being pulled by ATV’s or Side-by-Sides.

Currently NOT Allowing

• Cars and Trucks

• Fish houses heavier than 2500 pounds

Why aren’t we allowing houses larger than 2,500 pounds? During this mild weather, there has been some water coming up around houses as the ice has sagged around them due to their weight. As things firm up (hopefully after Saturday), we’ll update if we begin allowing larger houses.

While we do not have our fish house rentals on the ice quite yet, they will be going out soon! We are taking future reservations at (952) 442-2096. Below is a link to our 2025/26 Fish House Rental Prices…

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

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report - 12/19/25

This morning, 12/19/25, Avery drilled well over 100 holes for an ice thickness report on Lake Waconia. He covered a lot of ground with his ATV. The rain the other day, along with the extreme winds yesterday, and then the negative temps last night have greatly improved conditions.

Avery checked the same areas as past ice reports, like Waconia Bay, the “Walleye Hump/Hole” between the marinas, “Under the wires”, Center Reef, Pillsbury Reef and Wagener’s Bay. There are very few areas left with any slush, as most everything firmed up last night. Common thicknesses of clear black ice ranged from 8 to 10 inches. There are areas where ice combined with frozen slush on top measured as much as 12+ inches. It’s important to mention we have not measured any ice on the east and northeast sides of the lake and have not marked notorious springs from past years yet.

Key takeaways…

Today 12/19/25, we are allowing these through our access…

• Walking (ice cleats highly recommended)
• Snowmobiles
• ATV’s
• Side-by-Sides
• A small utility trailer behind a machine will be allowed

Starting Tomorrow, 12/20/25, we will be allowing the above plus…

• Small skid houses up to 2,500 lbs.
• Single-axle wheelhouses up to 14 feet and 2,500 lbs:
• The above houses must be towed by an ATV only (no side-by-sides allowed to tow houses). Chains are a necessity.

We know there may be some with fish houses close to our size limits that don’t fit our criteria, but we need to cap it at some point and want to wait for a little more thickness on the low end before allowing bigger houses.

To use our private access, Winter Season Passes are $40. If you’d prefer to pay daily, rates are $2 to walk on, or $5 per day for ATV’s, side-by-sides, snowmobiles (and eventually cars and trucks). 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 Winter Season Pass and with prior permission on the day of parking.

We do not offer service to pull houses out on the lake. If you are looking for that, you might find someone on the ice willing to do it or someone on the Lake Waconia Fishing Facebook page.

As many of you know, 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 are taking future reservations at (952) 442-2096. Below is a link to our 2025/26 Fish House Rental Prices…
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UxHHzr7rX6HPs-n7OV1YW_Eilp940Wi5/view

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Hours Update - Bait Shop Hours through Christmas

We will be closing early at 3 pm today, 12/18/25 due to extreme winds and occasional white-out conditions. We will see you tomorrow at 9 am. We will update you with an ice report some time tomorrow (hopefully early afternoon). The weather this week has helped knock most of the snow down and we hope with the cold tonight that things will lock up nicely and we'll have good news to report tomorrow.
Here are hours for this weekend and next week...

Friday, 12/19/25: 9 am to 5 pm
Saturday, 12/20/25: 8 am to 5 pm
Sunday, 12/21/25: 8 am to 5 pm
Monday, 12/22/25: 9 am to 5 pm
Tuesday, 12/23/25: 9 am to 5 pm
Christmas Eve 12/24/25: 9 am to 2 pm
Christmas Day 12/25/25: CLOSED Merry Christmas!
Friday, 12/26/25: 9 am to 5 pm

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report - 12/16/25

Today, 12/16/2025, Avery was out on the lake with the ATV checking on ice conditions. Areas that he checked were Waconia Bay, Center Reef, Pillsbury Reef, Wagener’s Bay and Harms Point.

The common ice thickness found today was between 7 to 8 inches. The overall range was between 6 to 12 inches. With today’s warmer weather, the snow has laid down some, but deeper drifts remain.

Why is there so much variance in the ice thickness?

Thinner ice was often found in areas that had more snow. In general, there is negative freeboard (lack of adequate ice flotation) in those spots due to the weight of the snow and lack of ice thickness, causing less buoyancy. If areas like this aren’t already flooded, they will be when you drill a hole or a crack runs through the ice nearby.

Thickest ice was found where the flooding had already happened and had a chance to saturate existing snow and then freeze all of that entirely during the very cold stretch we just came out of. That ice is a combination of good black ice and not as good slush ice on top.

Don’t be tempted to park on the ice near shore for a while. From what we have seen the shorelines tend to have more snow than the main lake. Expect less ice closer to shore. The same goes for around Harm’s Point, Waconia Bay Point, Coney Island, etc., more snow equals less ice.

As a reminder, due to snow cover and inability to visually see bad spots, we are not recommending going past Cemetery Reef and beyond towards the east side of the island, Anderson’s Reef, Red’s Reef and Reinke’s Bay to the northeast without doing thorough checking yourself. Those locations froze last. Also, springs we have seen in past years in those locations remain unmarked.

At this time our access will remain open for walkouts, ATVs (not side-by-sides yet) and snowmobiles only. We will update with any changes on Friday.

We’ll see you on the ice!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report - 12/11/25 - Opening for the Season starting Friday, 12/12/25 at 11 am!

We are excited to announce the start of our winter season tomorrow, Friday, 12/12/25, with our bait shop opening from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Weekend hours for Saturday and Sunday will be 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. EDIT: Next week Monday through Thursday we will be here from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Any future changes to these hours will be announced later next week.

Before we get into the ice thickness numbers that Ben and Avery found today, 12/11/25, it’s important to say that there were several very large areas on the east side of the lake that will be much thinner than the ice reported below as they appeared to be the last to freeze. Those areas start near Cemetery Reef and head to the east and north past the east side of the island, including Anderson’s and Red’s Reefs continuing all the way up to Reinke’s Bay. We highly advise anyone looking to fish that side of the lake to do thorough checking. Ben and Avery marked an area to avoid with lath board and flagging tape near Cemetery Reef (that is on the marina-side of Cemetery), but there is no way for them to mark the extensive thinner ice north and east of it.

Regarding ice conditions, Ben and Avery drilled hundreds of holes today, measuring ice thickness across the west side of the lake, including the “Walleye Hump/Hole” between the marinas, Waconia Bay, "Under the wires," and out to Center and Pillsbury Reefs. They found ice depths ranging from 4.5 to 8 inches, with 6 inches being the most common measurement, though 5-inch and 7-inch spots were also frequent. The rare 8-inch areas were due to flooded slush that had subsequently frozen.

There currently is a blanket of 3 to 6 inches of snow on the ice. All of that snow on the lake is not helping allow for significant ice growth. We expect the ice to increase in thickness over the weekend with subzero temps, but it won’t be at the rate many will think due to the insulating snow. The other issue with the snow is the weight of it, which may cause holes drilled to flood the area with water, so don’t be surprised by that. Not everywhere floods, but more holes were flooding than not. Also, any recent or new cracks that form will more than likely flood as well.

While our findings are encouraging, we stress that ice is never completely safe, and we caution everyone to check the ice ahead of them before heading out, especially if using as snowmobile or ATV. Our private access will be open for use starting tomorrow. Walk-on access is $2 every day. At this time, we will permit snowmobiles and ATVs (not side-by-sides or UTVs) to use the access for $5 every day. If you’re hauling a small utility trailer behind your ATV or Snowmobile that isn’t overloaded, that is fine as well. A Winter Access Season Pass is available for $40. Please note that enclosed trailers, skid houses and wheelhouses are not yet permitted, but we will provide an update as soon as conditions allow.

 
Finally, our access is always used at your own risk. Parking is not guaranteed in our lot; overflow is permitted on the street, but due to a City of Waconia Winter Ordinance, no parking is allowed on city streets after Midnight. Overnight parking on our lot is only allowed with a Winter Season Pass and prior permission on the day of parking. If snow is ever expected, parking overnight on our lot is not allowed.

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report - 12/4/25 - Bait Shop remains closed this weekend

Happy Winter! Lake Waconia officially started its freezing process on Monday, 12/1/25. The cold temperatures this week have certainly helped the ice start getting thicker!

Today, December 4, 2025, Jimmy and Avery took a walk out to Waconia Bay and the “Walleye Hump” between the marinas to conduct ice checks. Because of our findings, we need to let you know that our bait shop and access will remain closed this weekend.

During our walk, we drilled roughly 75 holes. We found ice ranging from 3.25 inches to 5 inches overall.

The light snow we had this week covers most of the surface. This snow is insulating the ice from the extreme cold air, which is the main reason why most of the ice is still hovering around the 3.25 to 4.25-inch range. Specifically, where the snow is a little thicker, ice is 3.25 to 3.75 inches. Where the snow thins out, ice is 3.75 to 4.25 inches. Where exposed black ice is scattered with no snow, ice measured from 4.5 to 5 inches.

If you’ve driven by or around the lake this week, you likely noticed some large open water areas starting near Cemetery Reef and extending to the east and northeast side of the lake. They were steaming this morning and will hopefully cap over with ice soon. Unfortunately, birds like swans, ducks, and geese have been keeping some of these spots open. Thankfully, these aren't where most folks like to go early-season, but will need to be watched as ice continues to grow.

If you venture on the lake in the coming days, we always recommend you bring a chisel, check ice ahead of yourself and follow DNR ice safety guidelines.

We look forward to updating you next week with bait shop opening hours!