In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report - 12/15/17

We were hoping to do a more extensive ice check today, but due to illness we have a shortened report. We were able to walk out east of the marina to the "walleye hole" between the marinas, out to Cemetery Reef and to the east end of Coney Island. We still found a smaller area of 4 inches on part of Cemetery Reef, but a lot of the ice we drilled was 5.5 to 6 inches. We are comfortable walking to the early season fishing spots!

We have not been back to the areas we checked on Tuesday, but hope to do so this weekend if all goes well. We still see lots of geese out on North Center Reef and north of Center Reef, so there remains open water and/or very thin ice on those locations. As always, we recommend paying close attention during early ice time and to check ahead of yourself if you are going somewhere no one has been yet.

Happy Fishing!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report - 12-12-17

Here is the Lake Waconia Ice Report from yesterday 12/12/17...

We are very happy with the ice growth from yesterday 12/11/17  to today 12/12/17. Because of that, we will be opening for the season this Friday, 12/15 at 9:30 am. Hours for now while we wait for the ice to thicken will be Monday thru Friday, 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, and Saturday & Sunday from 8 am to 5:30 pm. Winter Season Access Passes will be available for the same low price of $25.

We took a long walk on the ice today from the In Towne Marina access to Waconia Bay and “Under the Wires”, out past North Center Reef, west over Center Reef, on to Pillsbury Reef into Wagener’s Bay and off the Public Access. What we found was both good and bad. Please watch our video below!

I’ll start with the bad, because it is VERY important! There remain areas of OPEN WATER that still exist near and on North Center Reef, as well as north of Center Reef, because of geese keeping them open. If that sounds confusing, please stop in to our marina on Friday and we’ll show you where we are talking about. They are both long (100 yds and 200 yds long) and definitely wide enough to cause problems now and in the future as the ice around them continues to grow. They are currently unmarked. We could also see another flock of geese east of Keg’s Reef, so there is likely some open water in that general location as well (we did not make it over there to check it out). Keep in mind, we have NOT checked any of ice on the east-central or eastern side of the lake.

The GOOD news is that we found a lot of very nice ice in the 4.25 to 6 inch range that anglers will like walking on, as most of it has very good traction. The average hole we drilled was about 5 inches thick. We did come across a small 24’ x 36’ area that had as little as 3 inches, as it clearly froze over later than the ice around it. That is why we always caution to pay close attention wherever you go during early ice, as it rarely freezes uniformly. Another thing to keep an eye on is a very long 12” wide crack that runs from Center Reef all the way in front of Pillsbury and over to the west shoreline south of the Rock Dock. The ice around it looks good, but it should still be looked at if you plan on doing anything other than walking over it.

Overall, our message is always the same; ICE IS NEVER SAFE, especially early ice. While we feel VERY good about many of the early season locations anglers venture to, things can always change, so be diligent and check ahead of yourself.

We look forward to seeing you this Friday and beyond! Happy Fishing!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Updates coming soon

We took a short, quick walk a couple hundred feet from shore today in front of the marina.  We found as little as 2.5 inches and turned back.  We hope overnight temps allow a little more growth so we can expand our walk further on Tuesday 12/12.  If we are comfortable enough to go further, we will update later tomorrow.

Ice is forming on Lake Waconia - In Towne Marina ice check updates coming next week!

Ice is forming on Lake Waconia! It’s getting closer to Ice Fishing Season! As of 12/7/17 the lake is mostly frozen or in the process of freezing.  We are patiently waiting to do our 1^st ice check of the season until next week.  We remain closed while we wait for the ice to thicken.  Updates will be coming when we know more.  We appreciate everyone’s patience as we always err on the side of caution.  Let’s keep the cold weather coming!

Closed for the season. We will see you this winter!

We are currently closed for the season.  We hope you had a great summer on Lake Waconia!  We will open again for Winter ice fishing and announce those hours at a later date sometime in December.  Have a great fall! 

In Towne Marina Fishing Report - 9/4/17 - NEW End of Season Hours

We hope everyone has had an enjoyable Labor Day weekend! With the summer coming to a close, we are changing our hours starting tomorrow (Tuesday, 9/5/17). Monday thru Friday, we will be open from 11:30 am to Sunset.  Saturday and Sunday we will be open 8 am to Sunset. We close for the Summer Season after Saturday, September 30^th.

The month of August, while cooler than normal for the pleasure-boaters was a good one for fishermen.  Water temps stayed much cooler than normal (hovering around 70 degrees lately), which made fishing better. We had one of the best months of Northern Pike fishing in years, and that has continued into September. They were actively biting in many different depth ranges and on many varieties of lures and baits.  Typical areas to target included Anderson’s Reef, Cemetery Reef, and Center Reef among others. If using live bait, sucker minnows were a popular choice.

Sunfish, Crappies, and Bass continued to be active as well.  Fishing the weedlines in 11 to 13 feet of water was common for success.  Some days crappies were found deeper off reefs such as Kegs and North Reefs in 15 to 18 feet of water.  Sunfish could be found in 6 to 8 feet of water as well.  Waxies or crawlers were used to catch some nice ones.  The bass, while bigger off the deeper weed edges were also good in the shallow water reeds, the Rock Dock or near the Carp Trap (Peterson’s Creek on the NW side of the lake).

Walleyes should get nothing but better as we get into the Fall.  This summer’s walleye bite was good, but as the season progressed, it was important to target them during the early morning or late evening hours for best success.  Kegs Reef, Reds Reef, and Cemetery Reefs were all areas that produced some nice walleyes.  Fathead minnows were commonly the best bait.

Muskie action picked up in August as well and should continue well into September and October. Bucktails and big topwater baits worked well for some.  Areas like North Reef, Kegs Reef and Center Reef have all been muskie territory.  However, it never hurts to target weedlines like those in Waconia Bay and out from the south shoreline from Lola’s toward the beach.

Our Fishing Boat and Pontoon Rental season is coming to a close shortly.  This time of year, we highly recommend calling for reservations. We for sure will be renting thru next weekend (the 9^th and 10^th).  After that, we will likely be prepping them for winter storage.  However, if you call us and we still have a boat or pontoon available, we will be happy to rent!

Here are a some nice pics of fish caught the past few weeks...

Current Business Hours

Current Marina Hours

Monday - Friday:  7:30am – 8:30pm

Saturday 6:30AM - 8:30 

 Sunday: 7:30am – 8:30

* Starting Monday, 8/21 through 9/4 *

Mon-Fri:  8:30 am– Sunset
Sat/Sun:  7:30 am – Sunset

Thanks!