Enter NOW !! Mon., 1/17/10 Adrian Peterson FISHING CONTEST on Lake Waconia

Don't miss the chance to fish with Viking, Adrian Peterson on Lake Waconia!!! From Noon to 3pm on Monday, Jan. 17th -Martin Luther King Day- Adrian Peterson and Starkey Hearing Foundations are hosting the "ALL DAY" Blizzard Blitz Fishing Contest & family fun event on the south shore of Lake Waconia between In Towne Marina and Lola's Lakehouse. Proceeds will benefit those in need worldwide, with the gift of hearing.

1st, 2nd & 3rd place Fishing Prizes will be awarded in both Adult and Children's Categories. Drawings for prizes will also take place every 15 minutes, throughout. Holes will be pre-drilled Courtesy of STRIKEMASTER Pro-team who will be on hand to share fishing & ice tips. Prizes range from: fishing tackle , an OTTER & CLAM Portable Fish House, Strikemaster Augers, In Towne Pontoon Rental Gift Certificate, tickets to upcoming Vikings and Twins Venues .....and much more!! KFAN Radio will broadcast live from their stage with MC's Billy Hildebrandt and Mike Kurre , and guest Viking Announcer- Paul Allen & other DJ's from Clear Channel Network-providing entertainment.

TIPS Foundation Volunteer, Mark Tipler and many industry ice-fishing pros will be onhand to teach kids how to rig a jig rod, fishing techniques and ice safety! Many visiting guest celebrities will stop in to support the cause- from professional baseball, hockey, football and even the Olympics! Fish and chips and other snacks will be sold within the contest circle- prepared by Lola's Lakehouse with proceeds, also going to the cause!

Parking will be provided at the Carver County Waconia Regional Park Lot and free buses will drop off and pick-up to & from the In Towne Marina and Lola's Lake House entries to the lake & gate. Preregistration is available Online [ adult- $25, children-$15] to prepay your tickets to pick up at the gate on contest day. Go to our home page click the link provided for times, rules, maps, and ticket entry. On sight ticket sales are also available at the gate [$5 more ], entry is limited to 500 -600 guests, so act fast ! Be sure to wear your ticket visibly once entering, to enter your fish, or redeem a drawing prize! [If you must leave early, prizes will be redeemable after the event for a limited time- if you present your ticket -at the Starkey Foundation , Eden Prairie MN].

In Towne Marina is proud to be the Fish Weigh-In Station in the contest circle , & allow free ice entry for participants. Stop at our shop to get fresh bait & gear, after exiting the bus & walk free, onto the ice here. Don't miss out on the fun! Join us in supporting this worthy cause, to fish for HEARING & win PRIZES on Monday, January 17th with Viking Running Back Adrian Peterson and the Starkey Foundation for Hearing!!!

Much improved ice!

Good News! Lake Waconia's ice has been improving for the past several days. We (Ben and Jimmy) spent most of Sunday 1/2/11 on the ice measuring thicknesses lakewide. We drilled and checked on and around most of the major reefs and found anywhere from 10 to 22 inches, with 12-14 inches being very common. Having said that, there are areas near each reef, that we still found varying layered ice that consisted of a 6-8 inch bottom layer, with a 1-3 inch middle water layer, and a 2-3 inch crusty frozen slush top layer. These locations are a textured white in color on the surface, and are this way because some of the deeper snow did not completely saturate like most of the lake did when it rained last Thursday. If you are going to be traveling across the lake with a 4-wheeler and a fish house, we advise you to skirt around these areas to avoid getting stuck.

At this time we are not allowing cars or trucks to come through our access, because of the previously mentioned layered ice. For the most part, we feel very good about the ice that we found across the lake! Remember, we drilled a lot of holes, but can't possibly check it all. So as usual check ahead of yourself!

We will be placing our rental fish houses this week. We hope you can join us on the lake! Call 952-442-2096 to make a reservation.

Rain! Just what the Doctor ordered!

Today is New Years Eve and we are ecstatic here on Lake Waconia! After the warm temps, rain, wind, and a lot of luck, things are looking much better on the lake! Snow is almost non-existent, and the predicted cold temps will be able to penetrate, firm things up, and start making some great ice! We will continue to check areas that previously concerned us, such as the thinner layered ice Ben and Tim found by Cemetery Reef, among others. We are keeping our access closed to machines and wheel houses for only a very short time. Soon we will be ready to get out in full force. Assuming we don't get much snow this weekend we will be placing our rental houses this week! Things are going to change fast, so check back here, or call the bait shop for more current info!

952-442-2096

Lake Waconia Ice update

Today is Tuesday, 12/28/2010 and it has been 10 days since our last update. Conditions have been changing every couple of days, so please bare with us between updates. Waconia Bay and the "Walleye Hole" between the marinas remain the easiest to get to, and most fished spots on Lake Waconia. We've been working to keep a path well beaten to these areas to make for an easier walk, or 4-wheeler ride to pull your portable. Having said that, at this time, we still are not opening up our access to bring permanent fish houses on to the ice.

As for the fishing, the perch have been most active, with sunnies and crappies mixing in occasionally. Patience is needed to sort out the little ones if you are looking to keep some for the frying pan. The late night walleye bite has been decent. We've weighed a few nice eaters in the past week.

Ice thicknesses continue to vary greatly. Thick ice (9"-15") is becoming quite common in areas that aren't slushy, or the snow is't too deep. Areas that have deep snow or slush have 5"-8" of ice commonly found on them. Ben and his buddy Tim found an area between our marina and Cemetery Reef that has 2"-3" of slush ice, 3"-5" of water, and then ONLY 2"-3" of clear ice under it! So if you are out on a machine, continue to be careful! At the moment getting from our marina to Cemetery, or beyond "Under the Wires" with a 4-wheeler is very difficult. Call for daily updates.

As you might know another potential weather event might be heading our way. At the moment, we are not renting fish houses until further notice. We hope to update with more positive news in the coming days.

Happy New Year!

Quick Ice Update 12-18-10

We went out for a walk today on the ice and things are improving. While there are still plenty of areas of water and slush beneath the snow, there have been spots that have firmed up. Snow is settling some, and walking conditions have gotten easier because of this. Minimum thicknesses we found today were 6 inches, with 6.5 to 7 inches average under the snow. Expect to find much thicker totals of ice where the slush has frozen on top of the original ice. Our staff has beaten a path with snowmobiles into Waconia Bay making it much easier to walk, as well as use machines. Once you get off the path, if you don't find frozen slush to drive on, be prepared to potentially get stuck in the numerous areas that slush exists under the deeper snow. In the spots we've checked, Waconia Bay remains your easiest spot to get to. The walleye hole between the marinas isn't too difficult to reach. Cemetery Reef remains the toughest haul, due to tougher walking conditions because of some expansive slushy areas along the way. At this time, we are allowing 4-wheelers and snowmobiles thru our access, but we are asking that permanent houses not come through here until further notice.

Lake Waconia Ice/Snow Report 12-15-10

Snow snow snow and more snow. Not quite the start to the ice fishing season most were expecting. While the snow is hampering the development of the ice, there is still enough good walkable ice to allow for those of you chomping at the bit to wet a line. So far, the lake has seen very little fishing pressure, so there are plenty of fish left to be had. Waconia Bay is usually a good place to start. So far, the bite has been average, but those fishing sunfish in the daytime have had success in or around weeds. There have been a few nice pike caught there as well. It's also not a bad idea to fish walleyes early in the season in 12 to 14 feet of water in the outer periphery of the bay. Take advantage of fishing there now before traffic/noise/fishing pressure increase.

Expect to find a lot of varying thicknesses when you drill holes in different areas. We're still finding ice as thin as 4 inches in some areas by Cemetery Reef, with the median average being between 6 to 7 inches in Waconia Bay, and up to 9 or more inches of combined ice where slush has frozen solid. Speaking of slush, come prepared with good waterproof boots, because there are scattered areas of slush, with some several inches deep. To make an easier walk to your hotspot, avoid the deeper snow drifts by following the frozen clearings that were previously slush. As of now, we are not allowing permanent houses through our access because of the snow and slush out front.

Feel free to call us at 952-442-2096 for the latest report on the ice. It changes almost daily, so it's important to find out before heading on the lake.

Our annual Ice and Dice prize giveaway has begun. We're looking forward to seeing your fish and hopefully giving away a nice prize.

We hope to see you soon!

Welcome Back to Winter !

The long wait for ice fishing is finally here!! As of today, Saturday December 4th- our bait & tackle shop is officially open for Ice Fishing Season! Our hours this week for now are -open at 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM. Longer hours will be announced, as lake ice thickens.

No time to fish, but need to Christmas shop? Buy your gift and get the fishing report here at the same time! Our Gift Certificates let the angler in your life choose what they want! Buy now, or ask loved ones to get YOU one! Our shop is filled with everything for ice fishing such as: chisels, hand & gas Strikemaster augers, ice cleats, great Rod and Reel Combos & Kens ice jigs- famous for producing fish! We specialize in seasonal needs to make your trip to the lake enjoyable. Stop in for a hot cup of coffee, hot chocolate, a snack or just friendly conversation and ice and fishing information.

Once the ice is thick enough for motorized use, we plow a network of lake roads from our convenient access. During business hours, you can now walk onto the lake from our plowed parking lot [$1 daily per adult/kids free]. Later when the lake is driveable- ATV's, Snowmobiles, Cars & Trucks can enter to use our plowed lake roads [$2 daily each].

Ask Santa to bring you a convenient In Towne Winter 2010/11 Marina Season Access Pass. Cost is only $25 to use our access & lake roads not only during business hours, but ALSO- before & after business hours. Ask for more detail. Reminder-Until lake ice is thick enough to park on- Parking on City Streets after midnight is prohibited. {Our MARINA parking lot is closed for parking before & after business hours to all, without permission}.

Lake Waconia ice capped over late last week, before yesterday's snow. However- due to rain with high wind early this week, expect variance in ice thickness. Areas large and small peppered throughout the lake opened from the blowing rain and refroze only a day or two before Friday 11/03's snowfall. BEFORE it snowed yesterday, we measured ice as thick as 5" but most newly re-frozen open spots had only 1" to 2" ice thickness [Note" the majority of Waconia Bay ice averaged 5" ice at this writing]. Ask us about areas marked with lath board & flagging ribbon attached, & don't assume anything until checking for yourself-especially at night. Stop in to hear the latest reports, known usable areas & those to avoid- for now.

We're getting an EARLY start- so get your gear ready! Winter fun has begun! Starting Saturday, December 11th, our 24th annual, FREE Ice and Dice prize giveaway begins. Also, this weekend, don't forget to check out Waconia Chamber's Homespun Holiday Sales and Fun!

See you at the lake- In Towne Marina