In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Ice Report - 12/7/22

Happy winter! Due to the varying ice thicknesses on Lake Waconia that we are reporting below, along with predicted mild temps, and a potential rainy, snowy and windy start to next week, we will remain closed at this time. This will be the only ice report we’ll make until later next week.

The ice at the beginning of this winter will be some of the most varied we’ve seen in many years due large areas of the lake freezing at different times along with the mild weather last week and the high winds when it got colder and tried to freeze up. While much of the lake is now frozen over, there remain scattered small areas of open water across the lake. It is definitely not a year to make assumptions about ice thickness.

Ben and Avery took the marina’s first ice walk today, December 7, 2022. They checked in Waconia Bay and to the east by the “Walleye Hole” or “Hump” that is between the 2 marinas. Some of the thicker ice was out from the perimeter shoreline that has been there since late November measuring 6 to 8 inches. Within some of those perimeter locations, they still found some ice as little as 3 to 4 inches with drifted snow. Once they got further out, they did find ice in the 5 to 7 inch range, but within those same areas were plenty of holes drilled that measured 2 to 3.5 inches too. There is a pressure ridge on the north side of Waconia Bay that extends to the island and should be avoided right now. There are uneven areas of snow drifted all over too which will hold back some ice growth due to the snow’s insulating factor. Unfortunately, due to the fresh layer of snow Wednesday morning, you can no longer see the obvious visible differences in the ice. That makes it extremely important to check ahead of yourself with a chisel if you decide to head out.

It might get tempting to go snowmobiling or ATVing, because there may be ice thicknesses that can support it in certain locations, but it’s definitely not a good idea to go across the lake unless you’ve taken plenty of time to measure thicknesses on your path. In general, we recommend avoiding using them at this time.

Be safe out there. We hope to report better news later next week!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia - 9/18/22 - Bait shop is closed for the summer season

Our Bait Shop is now closed and we are done renting pontoons and fishing boats for the season. We hope you had a great summer on Lake Waconia and thank you for your business!
Those of you with season boat access passes may continue to launch through the end of September.

We will open this winter some time in December for ice fishing and announce those hours at a later date. Regarding Fish house rental, we begin taking reservations when we open in December.

Have a great fall!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia - 8/7/22 - Store hours change starting 8/8/22

We begin shortening our summer hours starting tomorrow, 8/8/22. For the next couple of weeks we are open Sunday thru Friday from 8:30 am to 8 pm. Saturdays we are open from 7:30 am to 8 pm. Gas service will end each night at 7:15 pm. Hours will continue to change as we get later into August. Enjoy your week! We'll see you at the lake.

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia 4th of July Hours and Information!

Happy Independence Day holiday weekend! We will be open Saturday the 2nd, Sunday the 3rd and Monday the 4th at 7 am. We will remain open on the 4th until the end of the Waconia Lion's Club Lake Waconia Fireworks show that begins at 10 pm.

Speaking of the fireworks show, we are happy to help sponsor the event for another year and thankful for the work the volunteers do to put on such a great show! It will be held at the Lake Waconia Regional Park on the southeast side of the lake. Those of you who would like to watch from the marina, you are welcome to join us by our shoreline access or deck (not on the docks). Please park on the street and walk down. Our parking lot will be only available to slip and buoy members. We hope you enjoy the show and have a safe and happy holiday!

https://waconia.destinationwaconia.org/events/details/4th-of-july-fireworks-9995

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Fishing Report - 5/26/22 - New Store Hours!

New summer hours begin this Friday! We will now be open 8 am to 8:30 pm Sunday through Friday and 7 am to 8:30 pm on Saturday. Gas pump service will be available until 7:45 pm each night.

Also starting Friday, our Pontoons and Fishing Boats will be available for rent! For more info, check out our rental page at https://intownemarina.com/pontoon-%26-boat-rental

Those of you looking to launch your boat at our access, we still have Everyday Summer Season Passes available for a limited time! Those cost $329 + Tax. We allow launching on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays ONLY for those with an Everyday Summer Season Pass. We do allow daily usage of our access for those launching on non-holiday Mondays through Thursdays for $8 per day. A Monday through Thursday Season Pass is $90 + Tax.

With the cooler spring air temps of late, the water temperature has fluctuated and dropped from the mid-60’s last week to the upper 50’s as of this writing. We expect a big jump over the next several days with much nicer, warmer weather coming! We are thankful for that.

The lake hasn’t had a lot of fishing pressure from anglers of late, but those who have been out have had some success! Bass have been biting very well in the shallows. This Saturday the 28th is officially the Bass Opener, so now you can keep your possession limit if you’d like. Crappies have still been biting well in 8 to 12 feet of water. Waconia Bay is a good starting point, along with the north side of Coney Island and the north shore weedlines. Speaking of the north shore weedlines, walleyes are worth targeting there after dark along with locations on the east side of the lake like the Clay Banks and by the beach. On the west side of the lake, areas like Harm’s Point and out from the Rock Dock can produce them too. Northern pike have been active as well in many locations, so don’t be surprised to latch on to one of those. We need the water temps to warm up for the sunfish to get more active into their spawn pattern.

We hope you have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day Weekend!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Report - Fishing Opener 2022!

Happy Fishing Opener Eve! We will be open tonight (5/13) until 1 am for all your bait and tackle needs. We open back up Saturday morning at 5 am! Our gas pump service will begin Saturday after 10 am.

We have a good mix of nice size fatheads as well as shiners if you’re looking to live minnow fish. With the cold spring, leech size has been stunted so far, so we have limited quantities of large leeches, with most being regular/medium size. We sell night crawlers by the dozen packed in paper. For those going for the pike we have a good mix of sucker minnows available. If you’re panfishing, we have plenty of crappies, wax worms and angle worms in stock.

If you’re going out overnight for walleyes, try fishing areas like Harm’s Point, the Rock Dock and Peterson’s Creek (we call it the Carp Trap). With the rain the past several days, it should be flowing good and hopefully the bite will be on! Water temps are in the mid-to-upper 50’s, so it should still be a good early season bite with plenty of opportunity to catch them in less than 10 feet of water.

We look forward to seeing you!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia - Bait Shop will be open for the season starting this Friday 5/13 at 9 am!

Finally some warmth! Fishing Opener is almost here! The bait shop will be open for the season this Friday, May 13th at 9 am! We will be open until 1 am for the Fishing Opener. We open back up Saturday morning from 5 am to 7 pm. Sunday we are here from 8 am to 7 pm. Hours during the week are Noon to 7 pm.

2022 Summer Season Launch Passes will be available to the general public starting this Friday! Go to InTowneMarina.com to find out more information, availability and special pre-sale for last year’s Summer Season Pass holders…

Pontoon and Boat & Motor rentals will begin in late May. Reservations can be made once we are open on Friday, May 13th.

See you soon!