We went out for our first ice walk today, 12/12/19. What we found did not surprise us. We’ve been given some great cold weather this week, but the snowfall we got before the cold did impact the variability of ice thicknesses in all areas checked. The first part of the walk began in Waconia Bay and continued past “Under the Wires”, out to Center Reef, west to Pillsbury Reef and south to the deep hole of Wagener’s Bay ending at the Wagener’s Bay access. The second part of our walk was to the “walleye hole” between the marinas and the south side of Cemetery Reef. What we found was ice as little as 4 inches and up to 8 inches. Where the snow was deeper, ice was usually 4 to 5 inches thick. Where the snow was not quite as deep we had between 5 to 6 inches of ice. Where the wind had swept the ice free and clear of snow, there was 8 inches of ice. The ice itself is in excellent shape. However, when you drill into the ice anywhere there was more than minimal snow, water instantly comes up the hole (no freeboard). Where there is 8 inches of ice, there is some freeboard and water does not come up the hole.
It’s certainly exciting that we are seeing thicknesses like this! As usual, we always caution to do thorough checking yourself if you intend to go out with anything heavy. We do our best to get accurate info for you, but we cannot cover everything! If coming out, we are only allowing walking through our access at this time. With continued cold coming this weekend, we will update when we will allow ATV’s, etc… in the future.
Don’t forget, we open for the season tomorrow at 9:30 am! Stop in to say hi, load up on bait or pick up your Winter Season Access Pass for $30.
We look forward to seeing you!
Thursday, December 12, 2019
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
In Towne Marina Lake Waconia - Opening for the Season on Friday, 12/13 at 9:30 am!
We are excited to open for the season this Friday, December 13th at 9:30 am. Early season hours will be Saturday and Sunday from 8 am to 5:30 pm and Monday thru Friday from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm.
We were hoping to avoid the blowing snow that fell last Sunday into Monday. Our first ice walk will be on Thursday and we expect to give you an update before we open on Friday. When we venture out after the current extreme cold, we expect to find varied ice thicknesses because of the drifted snow.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Closing for the boating season Monday, September 30th. We'll see you this winter!
Thank you for another great summer on Lake Waconia! This is our final weekend of the 2019 boating season. We close our bait shop Monday, September 30th and will be removing our marina docks the next couple of weeks in preparation of winter. We will remain closed until ice fishing season and keep you updated on store opening hours as we get closer to that time.
Some of you may have noticed our website was down for about a week. We have upgraded to a more mobile-friendly platform! We hope you like it! Check out the new In Towne Marina website at www.intownemarina.com
Have a great fall season! We’ll see you soon!
Some of you may have noticed our website was down for about a week. We have upgraded to a more mobile-friendly platform! We hope you like it! Check out the new In Towne Marina website at www.intownemarina.com
Have a great fall season! We’ll see you soon!
Friday, September 13, 2019
Waconia's yearly celebration, Nickle Dickle Day this Saturday, 9/14!
Waconia's yearly celebration, Nickle Dickle Day is back tomorrow, Saturday, 9/14! Lots of great deals, food and fun to be had all day throughout town. For those of you heading to the lake, we have 20% Off Bait, Tackle and our remaining stock of Rods and Reels. Enjoy what Waconia has to offer!
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
In Towne Marina Lake Waconia - New Hours after Labor Day have begun! Pontoon and Boat Rental will be very limited.
Our Marina hours have changed after Labor Day. Hours now until 9/30 are Monday thru Friday 11:30 am to Sunset and on Saturday/Sunday from 8 am to Sunset. Our Gas Pump Service will end each night at 7 pm (6:30 pm later in the month). Shop and Gas Pump hours are weather dependent. We close for the season after Monday, September 30th.
Our pontoon and fishing boat rental season is coming to a close soon. We will be renting through this upcoming weekend of September 7th/8th. After that, our pontoons will likely be stored for the season and boat rentals will be very limited. If you wish to rent, we highly recommend calling ahead of time to reserve at (952) 442-2096 and we'll let you know if we have something available. Thank you!
Our pontoon and fishing boat rental season is coming to a close soon. We will be renting through this upcoming weekend of September 7th/8th. After that, our pontoons will likely be stored for the season and boat rentals will be very limited. If you wish to rent, we highly recommend calling ahead of time to reserve at (952) 442-2096 and we'll let you know if we have something available. Thank you!
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Fishing Report - 8/20/19: Important...New, Shortened Hours!
New Hours through Labor Day, 9/2/19: Monday through Friday we are now open from 8:30 am until Sunset. Saturday and Sunday we are open from 7:30 am until Sunset. Labor Day, 9/2 we will be open from 7:30 am until Sunset. Our Gas Pump Service will be ending at 7:30 pm the next 2 weeks.
After Labor Day we will be changing our hours again and will update before that time.
Because we are losing evening daylight as we get further into the summer, if you are looking to rent a boat or pontoon, please reserve by calling (952) 442-2096 to guarantee we can fit you in. Walk-ins might not be available late in the day.
As for the fishing, we continue to have excellent sunfish activity. Crappies have been good as well. Most locations with good weeds have worked well, with angler's fishing off the weed edge with waxies, a chunk of a crawler, or crappie minnows. Walleyes have been surprisingly active during several August evenings. Anglers have worked the edges of the weeds in 14 to 18 feet of water fishing with a Jig and a fathead in locations like North Reef, Keg's Reef, Anderson's and Center Reef. Muskie activity has picked up in the past 2 weeks as well. We've had some good reports of successful catches in the mid-30's to mid-40 inch size range. Bucktails have worked for some, again fishing along good weedlines, and occasionally above the weeds. Bass have been strong some days and mediocre other days. The consistent bite has been best shallow in the reeds or by the Rock Dock, although if you're looking for a lunker, you'll usually have the best success off reefs like Center Reef, Pillsbury Reef, Cemetery Reef or Anderson's reef fishing in the pockets of the weeds or on the edge in 12 to 15 feet of water.
We look forward to seeing you at the lake!
After Labor Day we will be changing our hours again and will update before that time.
Because we are losing evening daylight as we get further into the summer, if you are looking to rent a boat or pontoon, please reserve by calling (952) 442-2096 to guarantee we can fit you in. Walk-ins might not be available late in the day.
As for the fishing, we continue to have excellent sunfish activity. Crappies have been good as well. Most locations with good weeds have worked well, with angler's fishing off the weed edge with waxies, a chunk of a crawler, or crappie minnows. Walleyes have been surprisingly active during several August evenings. Anglers have worked the edges of the weeds in 14 to 18 feet of water fishing with a Jig and a fathead in locations like North Reef, Keg's Reef, Anderson's and Center Reef. Muskie activity has picked up in the past 2 weeks as well. We've had some good reports of successful catches in the mid-30's to mid-40 inch size range. Bucktails have worked for some, again fishing along good weedlines, and occasionally above the weeds. Bass have been strong some days and mediocre other days. The consistent bite has been best shallow in the reeds or by the Rock Dock, although if you're looking for a lunker, you'll usually have the best success off reefs like Center Reef, Pillsbury Reef, Cemetery Reef or Anderson's reef fishing in the pockets of the weeds or on the edge in 12 to 15 feet of water.
We look forward to seeing you at the lake!
Friday, July 26, 2019
In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Fishing Report - 7/26/19
The summer heat hasn’t kept the fish from biting on Lake Waconia! While July can often be pleasure-boating season, many anglers continue to have success with a variety of species. Water temperatures have been in the low-to-mid 80’s since the humid, heat wave earlier in July. Sometimes temps that high can mean a quieter period of fishing, but not this July. Sunfish are still the best bet for those looking to bring some fish home for the fry pan. Crappies too have continued to be good. Both of those have been found in a variety of locations, generally along the weeds or weed edges in 12 to 16 feet of water, with crappies occasionally being suspended in deeper water over 20 feet as well. Anglers have had reasonable success with walleyes of late too, mostly late evening into the night! Fishing off the weeds in 14 to 20 feet of water in locations like Keg’s, North and Red’s Reefs has worked for many, with the bait of choice usually being fatheads or leeches. Expect a mix of sizes, as many are below the Waconia length regulation of 16 inches, but enough keepers over 16 have been biting to keep people coming back. We’ve also had some big ones reported in the 24 to 28 inch range that have been caught, a picture taken and released! As for bass, it’s that time of year where shallow, sloppy conditions are great for topwater action! What’s more fun than watching your bait get exploded on the surface by a largemouth? Not much I’d say! For those wanting to fish a little deeper, try areas like Pillsbury Reef, Center Reef, North Reef and Cemetery Reef and work in the weeds or just off the weeds before the depth drops off. Northern pike have been caught in many of the locations mentioned above as well. We’ve had limited muskie reports of late, but have heard of some near catches.
We are over the halfway point of our fishing boat & motor and pontoon rental season. There are still several more weeks left to get onto the water by renting one of our 4 pontoons or 3 fishing boats. Take advantage of the 14-day forecast with nicer weather predicted and give us a call at (952) 442-2096 to reserve! Here is a link for all of our pontoon and fishing boat & motor rentals we offer … https://intownemarina.com/Pontoon&BoatRental.htm
We had our yearly celebration last Sunday, July 21st to thank the many families who chose our marina to keep their boat in either a slip or a mooring buoy! Over 120 people were here and enjoyed getting together for a buffet lunch, many drawing prizes and a quick informal fishing contest. There were some impressive fish caught this year in a short period of time! The winner of the Gamefish division, Eric Bressler, caught a 4 pound 14 oz. northern pike. The winner of the Panfish division was Audrey Bauer who had a near 6 ounce sunfish. Our Grand Drawing Prize winner was the Feller family who won a nice $100 gift certificate to the marina!
One other local note of importance to report; earlier in the week Carver County had a ground-breaking ceremony to kick-off the improvements to the Lake Waconia Regional Park and the Coney Island extension of the park. Unfortunately, with the immense undertaking needed to get the project going, the park will be closed starting August 1st while heavy equipment is brought in. The portion of the project that includes Coney Island is going well, as trees, brush and other vegetation has been removed, getting it prepped for the creation of the trail system on the island which is all part of Phase I of the development. There has been continued archeological work done recently as well. Keep in mind, Coney Island remains off limit to the public, and is posted as No Trespassing. We all look forward to the completion of these projects as they will greatly improve the usability of the lake and park many of us love! To read more about the project, click on this link…
https://www.co.carver.mn.us/departments/public-works/parks-recreation/parks-trails/lake-waconia-regional-park/coney-island-project
We’ll see you at the lake!
We are over the halfway point of our fishing boat & motor and pontoon rental season. There are still several more weeks left to get onto the water by renting one of our 4 pontoons or 3 fishing boats. Take advantage of the 14-day forecast with nicer weather predicted and give us a call at (952) 442-2096 to reserve! Here is a link for all of our pontoon and fishing boat & motor rentals we offer … https://intownemarina.com/Pontoon&BoatRental.htm
We had our yearly celebration last Sunday, July 21st to thank the many families who chose our marina to keep their boat in either a slip or a mooring buoy! Over 120 people were here and enjoyed getting together for a buffet lunch, many drawing prizes and a quick informal fishing contest. There were some impressive fish caught this year in a short period of time! The winner of the Gamefish division, Eric Bressler, caught a 4 pound 14 oz. northern pike. The winner of the Panfish division was Audrey Bauer who had a near 6 ounce sunfish. Our Grand Drawing Prize winner was the Feller family who won a nice $100 gift certificate to the marina!
One other local note of importance to report; earlier in the week Carver County had a ground-breaking ceremony to kick-off the improvements to the Lake Waconia Regional Park and the Coney Island extension of the park. Unfortunately, with the immense undertaking needed to get the project going, the park will be closed starting August 1st while heavy equipment is brought in. The portion of the project that includes Coney Island is going well, as trees, brush and other vegetation has been removed, getting it prepped for the creation of the trail system on the island which is all part of Phase I of the development. There has been continued archeological work done recently as well. Keep in mind, Coney Island remains off limit to the public, and is posted as No Trespassing. We all look forward to the completion of these projects as they will greatly improve the usability of the lake and park many of us love! To read more about the project, click on this link…
https://www.co.carver.mn.us/departments/public-works/parks-recreation/parks-trails/lake-waconia-regional-park/coney-island-project
We’ll see you at the lake!
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