Any Lake Superior ice

Ya just left Duluth this morning. Yesterday there was ice as for as you could see but a bit broken up. This morning there were many rips in the ice from overnight that had refoze. The wind is out of the South so that will not help and most likely push it out but hopefully it will stay for a few days. The Sunday paper today showed some guys doing Ok on Chohos out of some of the harbors so ther is some fishable ice just not enough to get out deep enough for Lakers. Even Ashland in sketchy right now.

There are two shacks on the ice right now a little closer to town from 21st. Pretty ballsy!

That’s definitely ballsy with a west wind. Not me.

They are dangerously close to open water, right out from canal.

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Gitchi Gummi wrote:

They are dangerously close to open water, right out from canal.

holy smokes. crrrrrrrrrack.

Thanks for keeping us up to date Gill, I think I will wait and see! Dan.

I would wait. That ice has only been around since Saturday and the satellite image I posted shows only that little sliver hanging on. West wind 10 mph today could mean anything could happen.

Just need to remain patient. It’s getting closer, I promise.

I suppose the next casualties of this deadly ice season will occur in the coming days/weeks out on the Gitch. It will never cease to amaze me the extreme life-threatening risks people will take to catch a fish.

Who did you hear from that Ashland is sketchy right now? I’d find that kind of hard to believe. Now, long island and around the outer islands I could definitely see being sketch.

There was an article in Duluths Sunday paper that had some statements about the ice and who was getting out and where.

Outdoor News said “ice anglers on Duluth harbor are catching sturgeon during the evening bite”. That’s great news for the St Louis river stocking program. DNR and FDL have seen juveniles that had not been stocked and were likely products of natural reproduction.

The harbor is not Lake Superior. It’s the St. Louis River mouth.

The harbor is not Lake Superior. It’s the St. Louis River mouth.

There is quite a bit more ice out there today than yesterday – the new ice looks to go a little ways north/east of 21st. There is a pretty large crack between today/last night’s new ice and the ice that was there yesterday. Surprisingly, I’m not see anyone out there fishing today. Give it another day or two and it will be a zoo out there.

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At 8am there was one guy out there, about 100 yards out from the shore off of what would be about 17th Ave East.
There is a line of jumbled cracked ice just offshore that runs parallel to shore. This is from the sheet pulling away a couple days ago (see biggill’s sat photo from the 4th) and crashing back in.
I took a pic this AM, that you can see the uneven areas out there.

See if I can get this to work. 21st Avenue off ramp.

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Gitchi Gummi wrote:

Give it another day or two and it will be a zoo out there.

Just curious, how good is the fishing out there this time of year. I know there are a ton of factors as always but I’m talking “average.” Are people going out hoping for a bite or is there a pretty good chance at better than that? Also I have no idea what they even catch out there or the size. Please enlighten me
Thanks

There were 2 fishing off 21st at 3:45/4:00 today. One lonely fisherman at the French river.

Joe Scegura wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Jake wrote:</div>
Give it another day or two and it will be a zoo out there.

Just curious, how good is the fishing out there this time of year. I know there are a ton of factors as always but I’m talking “average.” Are people going out hoping for a bite or is there a pretty good chance at better than that? Also I have no idea what they even catch out there or the size. Please enlighten me
Thanks

Lake trout, herring, cohos and the occasional steelhead. Lake trout range from a couple pounds to 30+ lbs. Cohos are running small this year, 12-16”. Steelhead/kamloops 22-28”.

I’ve been skunked out there and have had days of 20 lake trout.

Rich Smith wrote:

One lonely fisherman at the French river.

On ice?

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If the ice holds up I might have to make a daytrip up there next week. Will be following this thread closely.

Thanks Gill! I have so much water here in Alexandria that I can’t attempt to fish it all but I don’t have lake trout! That looks fun! I need to take a trip up there some year. Good luck to anyone going.

FYI… the second photo was taken on the topside of the ice. Good old IDO photos.

Looks like no progress since Monday. The good news is that we haven’t lost any ice. It just baffles me how we can have consecutive days in the double digits below 0 and relatively calm winds and make no ice. Then when we get into the single digits we get ice.

What kind of wind screws it up? Does the ice usually blow out or bust up with waves crashing in? Do u think it will stay around with the lil warm up we got coming next week?? I know it’s all a guess just wondering what u guys think

This has been on my bucket list for a couple years now. maybe this year since it seems the best ice we have had for a few? What is the best spot to walk out from? I heard in years past they fished off the beach on the north shore. How’s the ice over there?

biggill wrote:

Looks like no progress since Monday. The good news is that we haven’t lost any ice. It just baffles me how we can have consecutive days in the double digits below 0 and relatively calm winds and make no ice. Then when we get into the single digits we get ice.

Not sure I agree with the “no progress since Monday” statement. These two pics are from Tues and today… Quite a big difference if you ask me.

There have been about 5 different groups/shacks out there today and they are pretty well spread out. I heard 4 inches from a buddy who was out there today.

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We’re running out of cold nights. Something needs to happen the next 4 days otherwise the warm weather and wind will ruin things next week.

There must be some surface currents preventing the ice from forming. I think there’s a correlation between sun and stronger currents. I typically see more ice formation with clouds and calm winds.

I apologize if I come off a little forward, you obviously work there and I live in the tc. I see your fluorescent lights in the photo.

But that new ice formed last night and I’d be surprised if it’s thicker that the windows you were looking through.

Also, there is still open water at the glensheen. I also have a source keeping me posted sending me similar pics.

The ice those guys are on has been there since about Friday. Not likely going anywhere in the next 4 days but it’s pretty risky in my opinion. I’m not going to be one of those guys to say how dumb they are. I wish I was there but I’ll be ok if my feet are on dry land too.

Biggill, I’m with you on the “NO GO”. I live here and this kind of ice we have now, will turn you into a rescue mission in a heart beat !

When I headed down 21st yesterday just after 4:30 I saw those 5 shacks out there.
There was one shack of the 4 near 21st that was out farther than the rest , and I’m about 99% sure that he was sitting no more than 25′ from a lead of water that had opened up. If there wasnt so much traffic behind me I would have stopped for a pic, but that guy must have stones the size of bowling balls. I was truly hoping I wasn’t reading about him today.
There was 1 shack just SW of 21st this morning in pretty tight.

A lot of the area froze overnight but a crack is opening up where it has been every day for the past week.

The wait is painful. Now we have the issue of wind and mild weather next week. I’m a little worried.