The bite today was slower than the weekend. When the wind switched to the south it changed some but there was still some pretty good action.

I started pulling some more permanents out and will continue on the list tomorrow.  Permanent customers NEED TO CALL THE OFFICE TOMORROW!  Whether you think you are on the list or not!  I know my regular customers read this along with many others but this is a must for my permanents.

The ice has quit moving. A pretty good sized pressure ridge formed out by Hennepin Island headed NW from  from there to the SE from it towards Hawk Bill Point which stabilized the ice where we run. But today pulling houses that I did the clear “windowpane” type ice was still shatter cracking horizontally instead of a normal vertical crack that water can seep up thru and freeze.  Tomorrow afternoon  we will be flooding areas like that on the roads I have established as a precautional measure.

We are sticking to vehicles with a curb weight of under 6500 lbs. for everyone, privates, and rentals.  Rentals we will shuttle gear if needed and need a ATV or something to get to shore if an emergency.  Single axle wheelhouses must be pulled by SxS’s or ATV’s with a dolly, but no trucks pulling them. Right now with all the clear ice we have that is “shatter” cracking from the cold until it warms up some and starts “bending” a little that’s the way it will be.

Still hoping the weather forecasted for the first weekend of February starts changing from high 40’s and rain to more seasonable temps.  Warm weather and rain could make for some scary times out there with the amount of ice we have currently especially with no snow to absorb the rain if it comes..

Keep a Tight Line!

Eddy

Our first weekend of being out there and having fishermen out turned out good on the “catching” side of fishing for many. Lots of very nice C/R Walleyes over the slot, many in the slot, some big Northern Pike up to 40″ and very good Perch activity in the shallow basins. I kept the few houses we got out inside of North Twin, Spider Island, Gull Reef and the end of Pope’s knowing warm weather was coming and the ice was going to move on the main lake.  Yesterday and this morning it did and I’m quite sure it’s not done yet.

Today, we drilled over 100 holes checking ice in our areas close in and farther out in the clear ice . (the thinnest). We found on the average 15″-16″ inches of ice, meaning we made 2″-3″ since we last check the entire area.  That is Good.   But for the next 10-14 days our ice making is done by the way it sounds. Tomorrow we will resume our pull list of permanent customers that have called to get on it.  If you haven’t, or have questions, call and verify it with the office ASAP tomorrow.  Being the ice is still moving around farther out I will be still pulling the smaller houses first the next couple days and go from there. More rentals will go out as they are reserved for the weekend.  I anticipate it will be a good weekend for all out there.

Starting tomorrow our weight limitations on vehicles will increase to 6500 lbs. which will include most 1/2 pickups and lighter vehicles on the ice in areas not affected by the main lake ice movement.  Wheelhouses will still be needed to be pulled by a SxS until Wednesday when it settles down.  Areas like Banana and Tundra and Gravel have cracks up to 10″ wide that will be accessible but only by ATV, SxS or snowmobile for now so keep up with the report. Things will change.

The only worry I have is the weekend of Feb, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.  I looked at five different 14 day forecasts today. Three predicted temps in the mid to upper 40’s and pretty high percentages of rain Friday night thru Sunday morning. 🙁  After that colder weather comes back. 🙂   Rain on clear ice could be a very big problem.  Many of our customers seen that the second to last weekend of our season five years ago. We had 24″ plus of clear ice and and over an inch of rain in 24 hours. There were waterholes around some of the houses big enough to fall thru. The dark clear ice turned soft and as we were pulling house.  The the steel skid houses were digging in sometimes over an inch into soft ice.  That was on 24″ of ice.  We will only have 16″‘-17″ if it happens.  Something for all to think about.

Keep a Tight Line!

Eddy

Today was a good day to be fishing for those that came out of our place. Many pictures of C/R Walleye over the slot with from 24″-28″.  A good number of slot fish were also recorded also.  Numerous Northern Pike with one topping 39″ and many “keeper” Perch.  Best depths were 13′ to 18′ feet,

The sun heated up the ice and shook things around a little in the afternoon for those that were out there.   We ended up with a 6″ crack running from Hennepin island SW toward North Twin Island and west from there. I’m  pretty sure it was a continuation of the larger crack that went down the east side this afternoon.  I feel good that we kept our vehicle traffic to under 4000lb Curb Weight vehicles and didn’t allow them out into the clear ice areas where ice depths ranged from 11″-13″in  the new ice areas. Areas where rough ice piled in it varied up to 20″ Most of “clear” ice was 11″-13″ on Friday when we did our regular checks.

All except a customer from a neighboring resort in Isle Bay that decided they knew more about the ice out in the area’s we go than us..   That resort needs to keep better track of their customer’s.  The “bay ice” is totally different than where we are running.  We have areas of ice  that range from as little as 11″ to as much as 16″ in the rough ice and I am not letting our customers run on that when it is so inconsistent with trucks, let alone pickups pulling wheelhouses.   Period.      Sunday when fishermen are going home we will go out and recheck all our areas and make decisions on what is going to happen this coming week with the warmer temps headed out way.  Many 15 day outlooks are forecasting above freezing temps into February.  Could get interesting…

Keep a Tight Line!

Eddy