It’s 2:00 pm. and we are closed for the rest of the day for Christmas.

This morning we got rentals ready for tomorrow and Friday and checked ice conditions and thickness. The water that was on top is starting to go down, but not all from draining in cracks and ice holes.  The very top inch or so is starting to go soft and “honeycomb”. That is something you normally see in the spring during the melt, but not this time of year.

Fortunately colder weather is coming soon. Starting after Christmas, the temps will steadily keep falling with predicted sub-zero lows next week so we will be in good shape. And really no measurably snowfalls.

Ice thickness in areas we checked was as low as 13-14 inches out in the clear smooth ice with the top inch soft and in closer on the rougher white ice as much as 16-17 inches with the top two inches soft.  So we definitely lost some.  That means no vehicle traffic out in the ice areas of 13-14 inches for awhile yet.  it will be ATV’s, portables and ATV’s and wheelhouses only out there And no permanents pulled to the deeper reefs like previously planned this week.  Sorry but I’m going to wait till I see better ice.  In the areas of 16-17 inches we will be driving and pulling houses and allowing wheelhouses with half-tons thru the weekend.

Sorta hard to say Merry Christmas when the warm weather made us put the brakes on so to speak.  But on the flip side I remember many Christmas-New Years we weren’t even out there so i guess we are not that late this year.  This last bout with the warm weather just was a set-back.  Then there were years 30-35 years ago when I was the only guy going to Hennipen Island after Jack Maciosek quit the business. And I did for many….He told me “if you can’t get there by Christmas you might as well not go”.  Many years I made it, so that says something about how early we used to get out too. So maybe this was almost a “normal” one……lol!    Merry Christmas!!

Keep a Tight Line!!

Eddy

Today we had no one out fishing as planned.  We spent most of the day going house to house and drilling a hole off of each corner so as the wind was moving the water it would not build up around them and the ice would float up.  And it worked well.  If the weather starts cooling off like predicted, things will freeze up for the weekend and we will get people out there fishing.

All of the thicker ice in closer is doing well, but I’m not too sure yet about farther out.  Tomorrow as things freeze up I’m going out and check thickness in those areas and post what we will be doing prior to the weekend out there.  it is not turning colder as fast as I had hoped, and moving houses to those areas and letting vehicle traffic might not happen as planned.  I know many want to be out there as well as I, but it might have to wait until into the weekend or Monday.  We’ll see tomorrow….

The good thing is that fishing is better up here than it has been for a long time and when the weather allows us fishermen should come.  Quite a few have already seen some of it and when the ice gets better so it can be more accessible it should be a good year.

We will be closed tomorrow at noon for Christmas Eve with family and will reopen Christmas Day morning.

Keep a Tight Line!

Eddy

Got pretty wet out there today and with the south wind blowing the water was moving on top of the ice.  Especially out farther in the smooth stuff.  about 3:00 pm it started snowing a little which is good.  It will slowly help the freeze up of the water over the next couple days.  Hopefully by Christmas Day we will be up and running again as the temps are slowly going to drop. Weather forecasted for this weekend is finally bring us some colder weather.

Just a few fishermen out there today and the reports were pretty slow.  We are going to shut down tomorrow and maybe Wednesday to let things freeze up.  I’ll let you know in the report tomorrow what plans are for Wednesday.

Merry Christmas and Keep a Tight LIne!

Eddy