Duluth-Lake Superior Ice

With these cold temps do you think there will be some ice again this year to get on some big water fishing?

I do. Today’s satellite image show some pretty solid ice being made very early in the season. Due to wind direction though, it isn’t staying put. Normally you can look for ice early in February, but if things stay cold, who knows.

The biggest thing is the wind. The wind will push the top layer of water/ice away bringing up warmer water below. That lake has a lot of 39 degree water below.

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Thanks for that screen shot. That will be fun to keep an eye on!

Please keep us posted! Thks DK.

There was a nice sheet of ice out there this morning. It’s on its way out to sea as we speak though.

Check out duluthharborcam.com. Watch the ice grow or go.

Common theme this early in the season. Make ice, flow out to sea.

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Have always wanted to get out there on the ice,and see the trout hitting lures like missiles.

Fingers crossed! I’ve been waiting ever since the IDO episode. Mother nature! Lets make it happen this season.

There’s an ice sheet in the Duluth area yet this morning. If this ice can withstand the coming winds this week, there could be some fishable ice before the end of the month.

I give it a 10% chance. That’s pretty good odds.

Fingers crossed !

Here’ the shipping canal at Canal Park. Yesterday the canal was solid with ice almost to the end where it enters the lake.

http://www.duluthharborcam.com/p/canal-park-cams.html?m=1

For those interested in the Two Harbors launch site here’s a sister video showing the ore harbor…. Both are real time.

http://www.duluthharborcam.com/p/two-harbors-boat.html

Live in Cloquet and work at UMD.
Drive up 21st every day (usually the first place folks get on the ice here) and will try to update.
Went to my sons B ball game yesterday afternoon at Duluth East and there was open water Next to shore at 21st.
Long range forecast is not looking good for ice this year.

Thanks a bunch xplorer.

I think we’re going to find a lot of blue out there this morning.

She’s all gone. Time to start over.

New day, new image, not much new ice.

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Thanks for the updates.

21st Ave this morning

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Dog done!!
I really want give it a try. Lets hope this year it freezes over.
Xplorer thanks for the pic

For what its worth, I have heard that fishing from boats has been good for coho, loopers and lakers. Unfortunately my boats in storage til April.
We have a possible big snowstorm coming with heavy NE winds starting Sunday night. They are throwing around numbers of 12-21 inches of snow potentially.

I’d love to get the boat wet on Saturday but it’s my wife’s birthday.

I feel bad for her…

Yesterday.

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I think you can just about stick a fork in the hopes of any ice fishing on the Duluth side of Superior. We’re almost into Feb, days are getting longer and no extended cold snaps in the forecast. We’d basically need the whole month of Feb to be below zero to maybe get a chance of getting out in early March.

Best bet is pull a small boat out there on a calm day and try to jig some up.

My outlook is more optimistic. Water temps are very low and very ready to freeze. Most of the ice forms in February and looking at the end of the extended forecast, we’ll be back below 0. More than below 0 temps, it needs calm winds.

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/long_range/seasonal.php?lead=1

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I do see the extended forecast temps are falling lower than they were last time I checked. I guess we’ll see. It seems like the years there is fishable ice, it’s been an epically cold winter, throughout the winter. We came close this year, but it’s been pretty warm the last few weeks and 40’s on Friday.

I’m hopeful, but we’re running out of winter rapidly. And you’re right, calm winds are key.

There were 6′ swells breaking onshore out there on Monday. This morning there was slush floating around open water off of 21st with no ice to be seen. Might get a decent Modus today as its clearing off here.

Nope, just looked, it already passed and full cloudcover.

The wind on that lake can trump the cold in a hurry. Even seemingly good ice can get hammered to drink-sized pieces in a couple hours.

We were there a week ago and saw people fishing on the river back from the harbor on the ice maybe a mile. Everywhere we stopped and looked at the lake the shoreline or cement structures were ice covered. Nobody was casting off the Lester or the French either going up the shore or coming back down. The wind has been real evil up there this winter from what I heard from Two Harbors locals that usually find a way to get out on the breakwater, but not this year.

We just returned from a trip up the shore. Went all the way to Grand Portage in our travels and there was not a sign of ice on the lake. Saw a few shore fisherman along the scenic drive between Duluth and Two Harbors.

An interesting story about a previous trip we took to Grand Marais a few years ago. When we arrived, there was ice as far as the eye could see. It was hard to tell how thick the ice was, but I’d estimate at least 6 inches. On the morning we left, we looked out the hotel window first thing in the morning and saw nothing but open water. The thing that puzzles me is the Grand Marais Harbor (Bay of Grand Marais) was also completely free of ice. If you look at an arial photo of that bay, you will understand my amazement. That bay is mostly enclosed, except for a small opening in the breakwall where boats can pass. Still wonder how all that ice got out of that bay overnight. It would have been cool to watch how that ice got sucked out of the bay. The ice was gone all the way down the shore as we drove home.

Watch the canal cam in Duluth. You’ll see ice chunks flowing in and out. The waves and currents break up the ice into chunks and the current will bring them out.

If you’re not familiar with Superior, the currents can be pretty intense. 1-2 mph at times.

I was ice fishing once out of Brighton beach and could not gat a 1 oz bait inside my sonar cone to save my life. The current pulled it way outside the cone. I even drilled a hole 5′ down current for my ducer and still couldn’t see my lure.

Just one of the many wonders of this awesome lake. Don’t ever take the gitch for granted or she’ll have you begging for mercy.

Every time I venture out onto that ice I keep a close eye on the weather and my surroundings. I keep my gps on to make sure I’m not moving.