In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Fishing Report - 5/21/22 - New Hours begin Thursday 5/22/25

The rain is almost done! With sunshine and warmer temps coming, we are starting our summer hours tomorrow (Thursday, 5/22/25). Hours will be Sunday through Friday, 8 am to 8:30 pm and Saturday from 7 am to 8:30 pm. Gas Dock Service ends each night at 8 pm. Store and Gas hours are weather dependent.

We still have some availability if you're looking to rent a pontoon this Memorial Weekend and beyond! For prices, policies and videos of all the pontoons and times we rent, CLICK HERE for our Pontoon Rental page on our website. Call (952) 442-2096 to reserve.

Those of you looking to have a less stressful time launching your boat on Lake Waconia, we still have  Everyday Summer Season Passes available for $349 + tax. Our long docks and deep access make it easier to get your boat in and out of the water safely and more efficiently. We have experienced staff ready to assist you if needed. We limit the amount of passes we sell, so get yours while you can!

As for the fishing, there have been very few boaters or fishermen out lately with the rain and high winds. Water temps have dropped significantly since last week when we measured 67 degrees at it's warmest (1 foot below the surface). The current water temp has been between 54 to 56 degrees. With all the water entering the lake, it's a good time to try any areas near culverts, but especially near Peterson's Creek (aka "The Carp Trap) on the NW side of the lake. Water will be flowing in and fish will likely be ready to pounce. With the fluctuation of the water temps, we expect the walleye bite to stay in the spring pattern for a bit longer, so shallow water (8 feet or less) should still work. Sunfish, crappies and bass can be found shallow too, but also on the weed lines a little deeper. The sunfish spawn will be delayed while we wait for temps to warm back up.

We'll see you on the lake!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Fishing Report - 5/11/25

Happy Mother’s Day! Hopefully everyone is enjoying this unusually warm early May. Water temperatures are higher than usual for this time of year. Yesterday afternoon, the water was 64 degrees (measured 1 foot below the surface by naturalist Jim Gilbert).

This year’s Fishing Opener was a little different than most with the elevated water temps and sunshine. We heard plenty of successful largemouth bass catches, with some occasional northern pike biting too. Walleyes weren’t as easy to convince to bite, and we think the exceptionally nice weather is to blame. If you’re trying for walleye, don’t give up on the early season spots just yet. Places like the Clay Banks, Harm’s Point, the Rock Dock or shallow sandy emerging weed line areas (the north side of the lake is a good example) are all worth trying yet. Jigs or slip bobber fishing with a fathead or leech are both good options. Shallow-running crankbaits are good too if you’re not using live bait. You don’t have to go deep find the fish yet. Many of those same areas will pump out crappies, sunfish, bass and northern pike too.

We have begun taking future pontoon reservations. While we haven’t started renting yet, we will have all our pontoons ready to go for Memorial Day Weekend (and likely sooner if the future weather allows). Call (952) 442-2096 to set up your day on the lake!

Those of you looking to have a less stressful time launching your boat on Lake Waconia, we are now selling Everyday Summer Season Passes for $349 + tax. Our long docks and deep access make it easier to get your boat in and out of the water safely and more efficiently. We have experienced staff ready to assist you if needed.

Our store hours for the short term will remain 11 am to 7:30 pm, Monday through Friday, and 8 am to 7:30 pm on Saturday and Sunday. Hours are weather dependent. Our gas service will end at 7 pm each night for now.

We’ll see you at the lake!

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Update - 2025 Gamefish Opener Bait Shop Hours & Everyday Summer Season Pass Special…

We will be Opening for the Season on Thursday, 5/8/25 with temporary shortened hours…

Thursday, 5/8 - 11 am to 7:30 pm

Friday, 5/9 - 11 am to 1 am to ring in another Fishing Opener!

Saturday, 5/10 - 6 am until 7:30 pm

Sunday, 5/11 - 8 am to 7:30 pm

We will announce future store hours beyond that at a later time.

If you’re a weekend boater, launching your boat is much less stressful at our private lake access with long docks. Get in and out of the lake faster and easier with an Everyday Summer Season Pass! 2025 passes go on sale starting 5/8/25 to 5/11/25 for the limited-time discounted rate of $329 + tax ($20 off our normal rate). After 5/11/25, the rate returns to $349 + tax. Quantities are limited. If you’re a weekday boater we offer daily launching for $7.45 + tax (for use Monday through Thursday Non-Holidays), or a Monday - Thursday Summer Season Pass for $95 + tax. Go to InTowneMarina.com to find out more information.

Keep in mind, we are no longer selling Fishing or Hunting Licenses. To buy your Minnesota licenses online, follow this link…

https://jc.activeoutdoorsolutions.com/mn_customer/app/customerSearch.do?method=init

Pontoon rentals will begin later in May. Reservations can be made once we are open on Thursday, 5/8.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Our Final Winter Weekend

 This weekend (3/1 & 3/2/25) we will allow walking, ATVs and Side by Sides through our access. We are not allowing cars, trucks, skid houses, or wheel houses of any size through our access.  Remember that after Sunday 3/2/25 our bait shop and access will be closed for the Winter season.

 Thanks

Access and bait shop update

 Our access will be closed to driving Cars and Trucks starting Thursday, 2/27/25. ATVs and Side by Sides will still be allowed. On Friday, 2/28/25 we will post an update explaining what we will be allowing through here for the weekend.

The bait shop will be open from 9 am to 5 pm from Thursday, 2/27/25 through Sunday, 3/2/25. The bait shop and access will be closed for the season after Sunday.

Thanks

In Towne Marina Lake and Ice Report 2/25/25

 2/25/25 The water that covered the ice during the last couple of days has drained through drain holes and the softening ice. The Warm weather ahead will continue to diminish what was some of our best ice in years. Most houses have moved off the ice. Our access is hanging in there but can only take so much of the extremely warm and sunny weather. We will continue to update you daily when it makes sense. Thanks

In Towne Marina Lake and Ice Report 2/24/25

It’s wet out there! In just over 24 hours conditions have significantly changed on Lake Waconia! Many of the houses that were on the lake have left. The snow has melted and is now water on top of the ice. The ice is still 20 plus inches and not honeycombed or deteriorating yet. Around many of the remaining houses significant water is pooling up. If the water doesn't drain through the ice before Thursday and Friday, things could get serious when the predicted winds come. When your house is sitting there during an extended warm period the ice under the weight of your fish house can sag. As water accumulates it sags worse. When it sags enough that all the freeboard is gone (positive freeboard is when the ice is floating above the lake’s water level) water starts running down your holes (or makes its own holes). When we get high wind mixed with warm temps and water draining through the ice under or near your fish house there can be serious problems.

One winter in the mid-to-late 1980’s (1986?) and one in the Early 2000’s (2002?) This happened

and MANY permanent houses went through the ice during these similar extreme weather events. It’s important to point out that many fish houses are heavier nowadays than during those previous times.

We also want to point out another factor that contributed to some of the first houses that went through the ice. Height of the house off the ice. Fish houses that were on wheels that were left cranked UP or houses that were blocked super high or wheel houses that couldn’t crank down like a camper seemed to go through FIRST! The houses high off the ice let the wind and water swirl under them opening up holes worse than the houses closer to the ice. Ice thickness doesn’t matter as much when heavy swirling occurs under houses. We recommend NOT leaving your house out there cranked UP!

Our access is holding up well but can only take so much traffic during this long warm stretch. If you have a tandem fish house and wish to use our access to remove it from the ice, it’s important to do that sooner than later as we will likely be limiting use of the access as each day goes by. We will more than likely NOT be allowing houses to enter onto the ice this weekend, but will update that news as we know more.