Closed Until After Ice Out

The marina is now closed for the season as of Monday, March 7th. Thank you for your business during this unusually snowy winter. The access will remain open until the ice starts to deteriorate or if there is any more significant snowfall, whichever comes first.

We look forward to opening soon after the ice turns into open water, and after we begin our dock-building process. See you then!

If you are interested in keeping a boat with us for this summer, please email your information and boat specs to InTowneMarina@gmail.com and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

There are still roads plowed on the lake

Jim and Ben spent several hours on Tuesday plowing new roads from our marina past Waconia Bay, out to Center Reef and finishing off at Pillsbury Reef. These roads took the place of the old roads that got roughed up during the warm weather last week. It is still possible to travel off-road in many areas, although 4 wheel drive is a must. Ice is still in excellent shape. It's much quieter on the lake now, so take advantage of the light traffic and join us on the lake for the last weekend of Gamefish season!

We survived the meltdown! Let's get fishing!

A blast of spring came through this week, causing a stir amongst ice anglers all over. While we lost all of the snow on the lake, the ice remains in excellent condition. The snow melt caused a few inches of water on top of the ice, but the cold front that passed through on Thursday night, allowed most of that water to freeze back to the surface. The accesses and old roads will be the roughest areas. Take it slow when entering the ice. Once on, we suggest navigating off the old roads, driving cross-country to have a smoother ride. All in all, we are very pleased with the condition of the ice despite the intense sun and 50+ degree weather. Now it's time to get back fishing!

Crappies continue to be the best chance to get fish for the frying pan. We're still hearing good reports in 20 to 25 feet of water south of Pillsbury Reef, mostly after 5 pm. Center Reef continues to be a quality location to find a variety of panfish. Expect to sort through a number of littler ones as well as perch to get a few keepers. Before the thaw, anglers could see close to 20 feet down with excellent water clarity. Because of the melt, you will notice that the clarity has greatly diminished for the time being.

A quick reminder that Gamefish season is closed after Sunday, February 27. Also, fish houses must be off the ice no later than midnight on Monday, March 7th.

This is the final weekend of our Ice and Dice Prize Giveaway, so don't forget to weigh your catch for a chance to win a great prize.

See you on the ice!

Fishing Report 1-31-11

Wow! Ice fishing season seemed like it just got started, and February is knocking on the door. The action on Lake Waconia has been decent since the extreme cold a week and a half ago. Many anglers continue to catch sunfish during the day, although the size of those fish aren't what we hoped we'd see this winter. Sunfishermen have certainly caught some nice keepers, but patience is needed to sort out the littler ones. We're still hearing the best action by Pillsbury and Center Reefs between 10 to 15 feet of water. If you're looking for a better chance to have a fish fry, crappies continue to be the best bet in the evening between 5 and 9 pm. We're not talking giant slabs here, but quality fish in the 9 1/2 to 10 inch range. Again, Pillsbury and Center Reefs have been the place to go, although some have found them in a tad deeper water south of Pillsbury in 18 to 22 feet. Walleye anglers have had a tougher go of it pinpointing a consistent bite. Many have moved around lake with varying success. Anderson's Reef and Kegs Reef are both worth spending a little time on, as there are good weeds to work from and both areas haven't had a lot of pressure yet this year. Find depths ranging from 14 to 20 feet.

We want to congratulate the Waconia 2011 Ride-In Vintage Snowmobile Event for 3 great days on the lake. It was their 21st Annual, and thousands of enthusiasts came out to see the action.

This Saturday February 5th, the Waconia Lions are hosting their 29th Annual Wild Game Dinner at the Lake Waconia Event Center. There is a huge raffle with over 140 prizes including 16 guns. Hor d'oerves begin at 4, with the dinner at 7:30. Fish all day, and join the party for a great dinner and prizes in the evening. Cost is $35 advance and $40 at the door.

Don't forget, we still have our FREE Ice and Dice Prize Giveaway going on. Just weigh a qualifying fish caught on Lake Waconia, for your chance to win! See you on the lake!

Adrian Peterson Blizzard Blitz contest a success!

What a beautiful day Monday turned out to be! Anglers of all ages came out to Lake Waconia to support the Starkey Hearing Foundation and the Adrian Peterson All Day Foundation. While the bite wasn't what we had hoped, we witnessed many smiles across the crowd who enjoyed the nice weather and the chance to meet some celebrities. The Minnesota Vikings very own Jim Kleinsasser, John Sullivan, Ben Leber, and Hall of Famer Paul Krause were present. Minnesota Wild goalie Josh Harding was there, and looked at home on Lake Waconia's ice. "Minnesota Bound" star Raven along with her good buddy Ron Schara made a point of stopping out as well! Adrian Peterson of the Vikes was the big draw though, and people sure were excited to see him! Many very nice prizes were given out throughout the day. The top 3 fishing prizes for the Adults were all won with perch, while the Kids did a little better with the top fish being a 6.9 oz. crappie caught by Nathan Heinen. The 2nd and 3rd place prizes were awarded to kids who also caught perch.

We were very happy to be a part of this event and want to thank some very special volunteers that helped us make this event run so smooth. Fred Radde III, Fred Radde IV and his wife Jennifer of "Fred W. Radde and Sons Auctioneers" donated the use of a lot of essential equipment as well as countless hours in planning, as well as on-ice time to help anglers get on and off the ice safely. Jeff Schulz, Dan Goetz and others from the Waconia Lions, as well as Travis Frank of Ron Schara Outdoors were instrumental helping at the gates and in the contest site. Kris Raether went above and beyond spending the entire day working with parking and contest set-up and take down. Kellie Sites and Carmen Gesinger from the Waconia Chamber did a wonderful job promoting this event and showcasing Waconia. Thanks to our ITM staff for their time helping us put this event together. We also would like to thank Lola's Lakehouse for their efforts in bringing this contest to Waconia and the great food on the ice as well as the sponsor dinner after the event. There were many others who contributed to the success of the event. The Starkey Hearing Foundation and Adrian Peterson have mentioned their intention to hold this event again next year. We are already looking forward to the next "Blizzard Blitz"!

Moving Day on Lake Waconia

Saturday was the big day to bring permanent fish houses out to Lake Waconia. Lots of happy anglers have been coming through in a constant flow for most of the day. Please remember to give each other space when deciding where to place your house. Common courtesy is to stay 20 to 25 feet away from each other with houses. Doing so makes it easier to navigate between the houses, and allows us to continue to plow roads to the groups of houses without as much difficulty. Thank you.

Fishing is expected to pick up, as we are now able to spread around the lake to all the areas we've been waiting to get to. Keep in mind to look for healthy weeds when searching for your spot. While there are plenty of weeds in the lake, finding the healthier weeds will increase your chances for getting on a spot that will hold fish for a while. If you are looking for sunnies and crappies, find around 11 to 14 feet. Walleyes will hang in those depths as well, although it is good to find areas that drop off up to 20 feet.

Don't forget to stop in to weigh your fish to see if it will qualify for a chance to shake the dice in our free Ice and Dice prize game. We hope to see you soon!

Fish House Rental

The In Towne Marina Fish House rental fleet is out in full force! Jim, Ben and Jimmy have been on the ice this week taking advantage of the very good conditions on Lake Waconia. Ice thicknesses between 10" and 24" can be found with 13"-16" being common. Call 952-442-2096 to make a reservation for a house if you have that itch to get out there!

Our access is now open to driving cars and trucks. As always, no matter how much ice we have we never say ice is safe, but we are comfortably driving our trucks to the rental fish houses. We are seeing Vehicles and Wheel houses of all sizes making their way onto the ice. Folks not comfortable driving large vehicles yet, are getting around great on ATV's and snowmobiles. Remember our daily access rate for a vehicle is $2 including tax. A Season Pass is a great deal at $25 including sales tax! If you choose to walk we only ask $1!

At this point roads have not been plowed because of the minimal snow on the lake(about 1"). Obvious paths have been made by the vehicle traffic from our frontage out to Waconia Bay, Center Reef, and Pillsbury Reef. With such little snow, cars and 2 wheel drive trucks haven't had many problems getting around on the lake. Conditions out on the ice are much better than just 10 days ago, we really couldn't be happier!

Thanks for reading, and we will see you on the ice!

In Towne Marina

952-442-2096