North Shore Lake conditions

From the shores of Red Door, walking on water is not a good plan these days. Hopefully, that will change soon!

Ice? Yesterday (Friday the 28th) there were at least 8 boats fishing muskies between Garrison and Malmo. Most of the north shore has ice against the shores and boat ramps but the Pike Point access was open as of yesterday. Open water was visible from Wealthwood as far as the eye could see. Today as the sun rises, a thin sheet of ice across the whole lake is reflecting the pretty sunrise but dark blue patches of waves are also still in the picture too. Hopefully, the long range forecast will change but right now it looks pretty mild through the 10th of December. Let’s just hope the main lake stays ice free until a major artic blast floats in so the ice gets thick fast. A thin sheet of slow forming ice only invites an insulating snow that will do no one any good. Until calm single digit temps/nights hit, waves are a good thing!

So…in the meantime, fish houses, bridges and plows are all getting TLC. The new cabins are looking better each day too!

If you’re in the area, stop and take a look see.

Keep a tight line…..

By noon Saturday the 29th, open water as far as the eye could see in any direction from Wealthwood shores. But no boats in sight as the Garrison ramp was iced in.

Yesterday, Sunday the 30th, the view from Red Door was open water as far as the eye could see in any direction again.

The good news is that the 10 day forecast is getting colder and is now at ice-making levels if the wind stays down. If the forecast holds, it is possible we could have a handful of inches of ice by the 8th or 10th for sure–maybe even sooner. NO SNOW! NO WIND!

AccuWeather Report

Big north winds kept the north sections of the lake ice free for the most part Monday(yesterday). After howling south winds subside today, the cold front coming in for the end of the week should finally make it a done deal. NO SNOW will be very key for at least the next 10 days.

As usual, Tuesday morning dawned with a skin of ice on the north end as far as the ‘eyes could see. And unlike past days, this time the ice was still intact at the end of the day. It stood the test of big SW winds. If it doesn’t pull away from shore and open up today as big NW winds blow, it might be there now until next April. Ice making temps tonight and the next few days could build 4- 6 inches by early next week or sooner. All dependant on what the wind does today to the ice. The ice does have room to move as open water was visible from Izatys and north for several miles in the SW corner. As long as there is open water stretches anywhere around the lake, the main sheet can move with off shore winds and create unplanned boat rides.

NO SNOW!

the main sheet can move with off shore winds and create unplanned boat rides…..oh yes,

I’ll wait!!! I can remeber back in 1991 when Hook and I had a group of anglers that nearly needed a boat ride to get off the lake……….our group managed to follow the floating ice sheet some 3 miles to the north and found a means to get across the crack. It’s no fun to find yourself on the otherside..we had white caps between us and shore…

Thanks for the updates from the northend.

As of this morning I can see ice out front and pockets of open water north and to the west…..its still moving around. Might have to wait a few hours b4 I go out this am….strong NW winds and 13 deg’s!!!

Making ice!!!

Thanks for the update. Now I’m starting to get excited with the cold temps forcast over the next several days. I better get over and get old #62 (fishouse) ready. Maybe Fred will let me put it on that big pontoon boat of his.

Looking out from The Red Door as the sun set yesterday(Wednesday the 3rd), miles of big, dark blue, cold waves dominated the horizon in every direction. No ice in sight to the south, east and west! In some stretches, several 100 yds. of ice was still hooked up with shore but for the most part, the lake was wide open as strong NW winds blew out the early morning skin of ice in a hurry.

But–we’re better off than last year at this time. 3-4 inches of ice was covered with over a foot of fresh snow a year ago! It took 5 weeks or more to grow the next foot of ice. Again, if the temp forecast holds true, we could have walking/ATV ice by the 8-10th. High winds and or snow could hurt that though. NO SNOW!!! NO WIND!!!

Thanks for the updates. Keep them coming.

Thursday the 4th dawned with one big sheet of glass ice reflecting the red sunrise onto The Red Door! And when the same sun set….that same ice was thicker! Yes, today the ice as far the ‘eyes can see, withstood the wrath of a big NW wind. If it hangs in there through the in-coming Alberta Clipper tonight, it should be a done deal. “If” is the key word.

So….as earlier projected….the whine of augers within hearing range of The Red Door should be real sometime next week and surely by the weekend of the 12th.

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If it hangs in there through the in-coming Alberta Clipper tonight, it should be a done deal.

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Denny told me it was a “Calcutta Clipper.”

Stay tuned! We will tip-toe out onto the “new” ice later today and report on thickness.

Surely, the main lake ice, being only 48 hours old or less in some places, is NOT safely ready yet for any form of travel.

As of noon today, Saturday the 6th, we checked the “new” ice in 3 locations along the north shore, within a mile of The Red Door. This should be considered “main lake” ice. It is new since early Thursday morning, the 4th.

How thick? We cut 12 x 12 blocks out of the ice and split them in two. The cross section measurements ranged from 2.75 inches to 3 inches. It is very consistent, bare, clear ice. By Monday or Tuesday, it should be 5-6 inches and barring any major snows, next weekend (the 13th), safe foot and ATV traffice is possible.

NO safe ice along the north shores in fishable waters as of today!!! Not yet…

We didn’t go out on the ice to check yesterday(Sunday) knowing things would have not have changed enough in one day. It snowed and blew hard from the south all day, adding up to about 2 inches of fluffy light snow. The lake is “pin drifted” all over. About half is bare ice and half the pin drifts. So no problem in making more ice.

Stayed tuned as we will check ice thickness today. 2 days? From 3 inches to 5 inches? We’ll report back later today.

Don’t be fooled by ice thickness along shore. In some places, you will find 6-8 inches as far out as 2-300 yds. from shore. But the new ice is out there and thinner! We watched 2 guys check the ice in one of these areas yesterday morning. After several checks with the chisel, they loaded a 4 wheeler and the 2 headed out with a portable in tow. They headed out onto the new ice, assuming it was the same as the first 200 yds. To say the least, they did not stay long when they got to their spot over a 1/4 mile from shore. They luckily didn’t break through that 3-4 inches before creeping off back to shore.

Average thickness of the “new” ice in The Red Door area is now 6 inches. The snow on the ice is not a factor so far. Winds have the snow drifted and therefore about half the ice surface is exposed to the ice-making temps. We’re missing the majority of the snow coming through MN. and look forward to sub-zero temps tomorrow night.

have you guys at the red door been fishing yet…

fish_4_ fun,

If one wants to fish, than don’t own a resort! lol So–no we have not been fishing. It’s only been about 24 hours that a handful of brave locals have been out and they ain’t talkin’!

We did go out today and check the “new” ice thickness. It grew 2 inches in 24 hours! It is now at least a solid 8 inches every where we have checked. The ice has about 2-3 inches of snow on the surface now, as the drifts have leveled out due to various wind direction switches. BUT! The cold temps have, as usual, created a fairly wide crack between the shore and most fishing grounds. Today it was about 2 ft. wide and will grow wider with on-coming sub-zero temps. Without bridging of sorts, ATV wheels will drop through. Snow machines can go across without a bridge. That said, warming temps this coming weekend will close up the crack and probably create a ridge. Just normal Mille Lacs conditions. General snow machine riding is great right now. It’s a fast track and just enough snow to lube the slides.

We surely will be open to fishing at The Red Door this coming weekend. We’ll have an ATV bridge in place if need be. NO cars and or the like will be allowed lake access. Just ATV’s, snow machines or just plain hoofs. (we do not charge lake access fees until we have plowed roads established)

We’ll try to pry some reports out of the locals in the next day or two!

There is still only a handful of portables out on the north end but by the weekend that should change. The ice on Wednesday (yesterday the 10th) was 9-9.5 inches on the main lake “new” ice. The crack that was 2 ft. wide Tuesday came together with the warm temps yesterday in typical earth quake fashion. Sub-zero tonight will pull it apart again and then warm temps on the weekend should bring it together so ya just never know and for that reason always try to cross it on a bridge or the like. We will have the ATV bridge in place this weekend. Speaking of the weekend, although temps are predictd to be warmer, heavy south winds are in the forecast also. So be prepared to deal with the wrath of the cold winds! And maybe a “substantial snow event” coming in late in the weekend. We don’t need that….

Fishing reports? The locals still ain’t talkin’. You’all better come up find out! That could be a good sign when they ain’t talkin’!

The Red Door Resort now has an ATV bridge in place for the weekend. The main lake ice seems to be a consistent 9 inches and growing. No other/larger vehicle traffic is recommended at this point–such as cars and trucks of ANY size. It’s early! Be smart and patient…as ice conditions can and most likely will change from day to day and even hour to hour. For that reason alone, it is only smart to get the very latest info at our office before heading out. And of course, info on the access etc.

Fishing reports? We threatend one locals life today if he wouldn’t tell us how the bite is. To say the least….it was a mute subject. So—go figure. Our guess is it has been so good he was willing to die before he’d give the secret depth/spot and technique.

See you this weekend!!!

This mornings temp is hovering in the 10 below range!!

As said in the post late yesterday, we do have the ATV bridge in place. With these cold temps, the entire lake has a crack that could be as wide as 2ft. Perfect for dropping 4 wheelers into. Some areas on the lake the crack could be a mile or more from shore yet other areas, such as the north shore, it varies from being right along shore to 300 yds. out from shore. Snow machines can usually cross without the bridge without issues. So–just be smart! No need to make headlines…

More nosing around among the locals last night, who are the only ones fishing to this point in The Red Door area, makes it sounds like the early mornings and late afternoons have been good for walleyes of all sizes. 10 to 14ft. during those times is best. No one has been in sight from our viewpoint on the “Frostbite” flats. But surely, once you cross the crack, the deeper areas are fair game.

Again, we are NOT recommending/ nor allowing driving of any size cars and or any size of trucks on the north end out from The Red Door. 9-11 inches is simply a gamble. And not a good one! Note that driving on that ice will lead to calling “9-11”.

As stated within another Red Door post, the fishing reports today (first ones from fishermen other than the cagey locals), were fairly good. Sounded like everyone caught some fish and left the ice happy. Depths ranged all over the place as usual. One group went to one of the in close flats and the rest fished shoreline stuff from 12′ to 22′.

Now here is the harsh reality about the 2nd half of this weekend: “THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DULUTH HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW… WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM SATURDAY TO 4 AM CST MONDAY.

HEAVY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY STRONG WINDS GUSTING TO 40 MPH OR MORE FROM THE BRAINERD LAKES AREA EASTWARD TO THE SAINT CROIX VALLEY. THIS STORM WILL RESULT IN NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITONS FROM LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEKEND AND THROUGH EARLY MONDAY MORNING. STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS MAY RANGE FROM A FOOT TO OVER A FOOT AND A HALF.”
That is from the Garrison area forecast….

In other words, the middle of no where on mighty Mille Lacs is not gonna be a smart place to be Saturday night and all of Sunday! It’s a looooonnnnng winter so be smart and be patient.

Lake conditions? To say the least…it ain’t pretty. Here’s the latest local forecast–with this weekends fishing reports at The Red Door to follow, so stay tuned:

“SNOW WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE REGION THIS MORNING AND INCREASE IN INTENSITY. AS THE AREA OF LOW PRESSURE APPROACHES EASTERN MINNESOTA THIS AFTERNOON… GUSTY WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE. TOTAL SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 8 TO 13 INCHES. TEMPERATURES WILL FALL THROUGHOUT THE DAY AS COLDER AIR IS PULLED INTO THE SYSTEM. DANGEROUS WIND CHILLS ARE EXPECTED BY THIS EVENING. PLEASE BE PREPARED FOR THE CHANGES IN THE WEATHER ACROSS THE REGION TODAY AND TONIGHT. SERIOUSLY CONSIDER THE NECESSITY OF TRAVEL DURING THE STORM.”

This is quite an impressive front. Here in MPLS the temps are 36 degrees with rain. By tomorrow the high temps aren’t expected to break single digits.

The image I’ve attached is for Garrison. You guys are going to need an extra log on the fire tonight.

That’s what you call a “3 dog night.” When two dogs laying on your feet aren’t enough to keep you warm.

And no stupid comments about my girlfriends please!

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That’s what you call a “3 dog night.” When two dogs laying on your feet aren’t enough to keep you warm.

And no stupid comments about my girlfriends please!

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Not even the dogs would admit to being your girlfriends!

Guess that leaves you with just Kooty!!

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That’s what you call a “3 dog night.” When two dogs laying on your feet aren’t enough to keep you warm.

And no stupid comments about my girlfriends please!

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Not even the dogs would admit to being your girlfriends!

Guess that leaves you with just Kooty!!

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Somehow the pot and kettle come to mind…

As it starts getting daylight in the swamp, we’ll start digging out. Looks like we got about 8 inches of snow but the drifting makes it even bigger. The drifts are already getting hard with the sub-zero temps. For the time being, 4 wheelers on the ice might have a tough time with the drifts. It will be a day or two before we can get a clear look at how things are on the main lake. Some slush might become an issue, especially along shore where the heavier snow drifting/piles will weight things down.

Fishing reports from the weekend are hard to come by! Very few of the anglers that passed through The Red Door over the weekend stopped in at the end of their day to report the catches. The reports we did get were “spotty”. One pair got 9 walleyes (5 keepers) and a handful of perch as another pair of guys got next to nothing. That seemed to be the norm. Some had luck, some did not. So, it seems they are willing to bite IF you find’em and cook the right meal for them. It’s still not getting tested well as most areas have not been fished too hard yet. It’s early!

Again, the drifting is deep so be prepared if you plan on venturing out on the big lake.

http://www.weather.com/outlook/recreation/ski/local/USMN0283?from=recentsearch

The sun has been shining on The Red Door all day! The snow and winds have subsided–waiting for the 25-30 below temps tonight.

The crack was flooding in the ATV bridge area today ( water on TOP of the ice was 1 foot deep both sides the crack!) so we pulled it for the time being to let things heal up. Things should be okay by later tomorrow and or Wednesday. As we said earlier today, drifting can be an issue with ATV’s now. Running cross country and breaking trail with an ATV is tough for now, especially on a cloudy day as the drifts don’t stand out in view. We haven’t been out more than a 1/4 mile since the snow but did find a few slightly slushy areas along shore. We will have an accurate ice thickness report again sometime tomorrow–after the BIG cold tonight.

The Red Door plow trucks ventured out onto the ice for the first time today. We have an active crack about 400 yds. from shore in the ten foot of water area. So the trucks plowed the rough ice areas and cleared the shore drifting, as far out as the crack. The ice is hovering around 12 inches or a hair less. The plowing will allow 3 big slushy areas to freeze and heal up. Then maybe a big bridge can be shoved across the crack soon. Right now the ATV bridge is the only one out there. NO RUSH!

If you don’t think driving on ice, especially fast, creates a “wave” under the ice–think again. The ice along the shoreline today had about 6-10 inches of water on it for about the first 10 yds. from the bank. As a plow truck–200 yds. or more was blasting toward shore widening out the road, the water on the ice next to the bank looked like a boat wake! The “wave” under the ice–created by a truck 200 yds. away, was creating the water on TOP of the ice to slosh around as if a boat were being beached. That was driving on 12 inches. THAT was an up close and personal example! Not enough ice yet!

The first fishermen (locals) ventured out today since the blizzard. The 4 wheelers struggled in the drifts but made it pulling portables. Snow machines would surely be better for now. The cold temps have the crack pretty wide, so ATV’s need the crack bridged.

Thanks so much for these daily reports!