North Shore Lake conditions

thanks for the updates, your input helps alot of us still deciding what to do this weekend

Your very welcome Russ and Judy! We try….and you should always feel free to ask if we miss anything or get it wrong.

For the most part things are fine for travel on and off the roads. However, some places have NOT drained well and have 2″-4″ of ice over a handful of inches of water. Some cars today and a couple trucks got hung up in those places after breaking through the top layer and stopping. There is no traction on the bare ice/water mix so if you stop in those type of places it will be tough to get going again as the wheels just spin. So—make sure you stop on “high ground”!!

Weather should be pretty nice! Bring/wear your ice grippers!
Chains on the ATV’s??

The ice surface is snow covered (2″-4″)and just fine for the snow machines. If the forecast holds, another 3-6 inches of snow will fall before the weekend with some drifting from predicted heavy northwest winds. All forms of travel should be okay but it wouldn’t hurt to have a shovel handy. As the weekend gets closer, if need be, we will update The Red Door
area ice conditions.

The new snow should enhance the snow machine trails as well.
Maybe a good time for one last weekend of trail-riding? The state trails connect directly to The Red Door’s north 40–a direct drive from the motel and cabins!

It’s winter again in Red Door Country. Snowfall the past 24 hrs. was about 5-7 inches. Minus 10 this morning.

The lake/snow conditions are actually pretty good for travel cross-country. Before the latest snow, the ice was virtually bare of snow–so 4×4 trucks/SUV’s, snow machines and ATV’s should be just fine for this weekend perch hunting. However, cars are NOT recommended for cross country travel.

The Red Door lake access is open this weekend. The bridge is in place to cross the active crack. There will be no plowed roads as creating banks will just add to deeper drifting. Now the snow depths are easily navigated–including drifts that could be as deep as 12″ or a hair more. Bring a shovel along just in case and pay attention to where you stop and all will be just fine.

Ice travel conditions continue to be just fine on The Red Door perch fishing grounds. Cross country travel is fine for all vehicle choices except two wheel drive cars. Old road banks are relatively low and are hard, therefore easily crossed over with 4×4 trucks/SUV’s and ATV’s. Watch for low spots/less drifting and you’re good to go.

Fishing pressure from this week has been slim but reports of good keeper perch catches are common. Perch hunters have been driving south and west from The Red Door–scattering out along the deep flat mucky bottom (22′-30′) within a 1/2 mile of shore–up to 2-3 miles west. Just keep moving until you find a patch of them….

… WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING…

AS THE INTENSIFYING STORM MOVES TOWARDS THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES TUESDAY… LOCALLY HEAVY SNOW AND VERY STRONG WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE ONCE AGAIN. MUCH COLDER AIR WILL SWEEP RAPIDLY ACROSS THE REGION TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT. STRONG WINDS WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY TEMPERATURES FALLING BELOW ZERO BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF SNOW IS LIKELY.

THIS SYSTEM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON RESIDENTS OF THE NORTHLAND. ALTHOUGH THE EXACT STORM TRACK IS NOT CERTAIN AT THIS TIME… AN AREA OF SNOWFALL IN EXCESS OF 12 INCHES MAY OCCUR ALONG WITH WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 50 MPH. BLIZZARD CONDITIONS MAY DEVELOP DEPENDING ON THE STRENGTH OF THE WIND AND SNOWFALL INTENSITY.

AHEAD OF THE STORM… SNOW BANDS WILL DEVELOP MONDAY… WITH ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES POSSIBLE. THERE WILL BE A LULL IN THE HEAVIER SNOW MONDAY NIGHT WITH AREAS OF FREEZING DRIZZLE POSSIBLE BEFORE THE MAJOR STORM HITS ON TUESDAY.

IF TRAVEL IS PLANNED MONDAY… TUESDAY… AND EARLY WEDNESDAY PLEASE MONITOR THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER MESSAGES FROM THIS OFFICE.

A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATION OF HEAVY SNOW THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL AND COMMERCE.

Here’s the latest weather alert for northern Mille Lacs areas. How this effects lake travel for the weekend we won’t know until at least Thursday. Stayed tuned…

… WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM CDT WEDNESDAY…

A WINTER STORM WILL ORGANIZE OVER KANSAS THIS MORNING AND TRACK INTO THE GREAT LAKES BY WEDNESDAY. SNOW WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE REGION THIS MORNING AND INCREASE IN INTENSITY THIS AFTERNOON. SNOWFALL RATES OF AN INCH PER HOUR ARE POSSIBLE AT TIMES. TOTAL SNOW AMOUNTS WILL RANGE FROM 7 TO 10 INCHES NEAR THE BRAINERD LAKES REGION… WITH 10 TO 14 INCHES POSSIBLE NEAR THE BORDERLAND AND IRON RANGE

A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW MEANS THE COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS AND HEAVY FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW WILL CAUSE DANGEROUSLY LOW VISIBILITY AND DRIFTING SNOW. SNOW AND ICE COVERED ROADS… AND DANGEROUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED. DELAY TRAVEL IF POSSIBLE. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL… USE EXTREME CAUTION AND ALLOW EXTRA TIME TO REACH YOUR DESTINATION. BE AWARE THAT YOU MAY BECOME STRANDED AND THAT IT COULD TAKE MANY HOURS FOR HELP TO ARRIVE. KEEP A WINTER SURVIVAL KIT IN YOUR VEHICLE… INCLUDING A FLASHLIGHT… FOOD… AND WATER. LET SOMEONE KNOW YOUR TRAVEL ROUTE AND EXPECTED ARRIVAL TIME AND HAVE A WORKING CELL PHONE IN CASE YOU BECOME STRANDED.

Once again…..it’s “derned cold” in The Red Door country. Early exit polls are saying 5-7 inches of snow fell on the Wealthwood shores area but heavy winds have made it hard to measure among drifts and bare spots. The lake? Is not a good place to be today…….

After the dust settles in the next 24 hrs., we will have a better handle on lake travel conditions. Temps for the weekend look good for perch hunters though. Fishing should be good? Stay tuned!

-24 degrees as the sun rises on Wealthwood Shores–March 11th!! We should have an ice travel condition report later today. Stay tuned…

BIG warm up for the weeeknd and beyond for perch hunters.

The weekend–both travel on the lake and weather–is looking pretty good.

The Red Door lake access is now and will be open for the coming weekend perch and tulibee hunters. A cold snap earlier this week and also the past 24 hrs. created a fresh crack (a foot wide) a few yards from shore. We have the bridge in place and will monitor the bridge and crack as the temps warm up and most likely create a substantial ice heave over the weekend. As it comes up, we will chop it down so access delays, if any, will be short. Temps in the 40’s will expand the ice….no doubt!

Snow from this past couple days shouldn’t be a problem for cross country travel with any 4×4 vehicle including SUV’s, pick-ups and ATV’s. Before the recent 6 inch snowfall, very little snow was on the ice, old road banks were hard and small, so even with the drifting, travel cross country should be fine. Again….just pay attention to where you park or stop regarding drifts etc. The deepest drifts are about foot deep and will settle as the sun and warm temps rise over the next couple days.

Perch fishing predictions? Should be as good or better than the past couple weekends. 24′-30′ along shore as far as the eye can see to the east or especially west.

See you at “The Door”!

I just wanted to out guess you on your next report;!
lots of sunshine– Dog gone wind– this weekend!! sure didnt see Russ and Judy driving around this weekend–those warm blooded Turkeys!!! hidding at there “Duck Inn” playing Yatee’s, spin the bottle!! Jacks High?? (that means you take off more)

Im just trying to out guess you report and having a blast doing it please try to forgive me

we were actually mowing SOME of the snow off the yard to see some grass,–“”Ill try anything once” — shoveling 2 ft of snow off the deck, moving deer stands out of the swamp while it is still froze– “man the tractor floats on top of the bog right now” — mumbling under my breath about “”I should have cleaned the termanials on the ATV earlier””

OH!! we also got an atv trip in and got “ALMOST RUN OVER BY Reindeer”” yes im talking 12 an even doxen!!!!?? I mean Dozen!!! —
They came out of no where– Oaks, Swamp, crost an half acre lighty brushed spot–

2 beers later we headed for the Duck Inn just a few miles away to recap the days adventure

OH MY I KINDA GOT SIDE TRACKED DIDNT I

THANKS FOR THE UPDATE

First and foremost, the perch fishing over the past weekend and the last couple days has held up pretty well. 10-20 keeper perch per angler per day seems common–as we hear and see it. Most or all of the fishing has been done to the west, from Knox Point to the Gun Glub that is west of the Wealthwood public access. From just out from the rocks along the Knox Point area in about 23′ out to 30′ to the west has been the general “spot”/depth.

The heat wave has all or most of the snow gone off the lake. Water on the ice is gradually running back through the ice and drying up. The Red Door lake access for trucks etc. is still open but on a “day to day” scenario. If the extreme warm temps continue much longer, the shoreline ice and the ramp area will soften up too much for full size vehicles. ATV travel should hold up for several weeks–we hope.

We will update The Red Door lake access before the weekend.
FYI–Myr Mar has closed it’s access.

A note to “Chomps”, who we recall brought up The Red Door maple sapping, is that the “sappers” showed up yesterday. They say they will be tapping the trees by the end of this week if the weather holds. Anyone who wants sapping lessons can feel free to stop by the cooker.

my Uncle and Aunt do that every year– just across the driveway from our Duck Inn driveway– i think it takes 100 gallons to make a pint? after its boiled down- if anyone wants to come and check our 100 acres out and tap them–its ok with me–[email protected] ill even toss in some fire wood if the snow ever melt’s

yeah, we have about 6 1/2 acres just to the north of the Red Doors fish house park. Do you guys have a big stainless steel kettle? Wood or gas fired? It was the wood fire which got us in a pickle last year and we burnt a batch, looking for something which we can regulate the heat a bit better, Russ how far from the Door are you guys? Just used up our last three pints last weekend. I’d also like to hear if there is any morrells in the area. I think I’m going to order a few spore kits and see what happens. So much to do, so little time!

The Red Door lake access is open to all traffic as of now and unless something changes, will be open to all driving over the coming weekend. Main lake ice is fine and not showing any wear from the warmer weather. Snow is gone from the ice surface. Most of the water from the melt has run back through the ice.

Weekend perch hunters should have warm, cloudy weather.

Again….full size trucks and ATV’s are good to go for this weekend(unless something changes on the condition of our access along shore). No matter–ATV’s will work fine even if things soften up to much for trucks on the access.

The Red Door access is still open to all traffic and should be okay for the coming weekend. Key words being “should be” as there is a chance the warm temps over the weekend and rain could shut it down. (no–you won’t be trapped on the lake–no worry there!)

With rain in the forecast and 50’s Sunday and beyond, we doubt the ramp area will allow full size vehicle traffic after this weekend. Stayed tuned….but all is fine for this weekend as of now. See ya the “Door”!

Rain and wind for the next 2-3 days will most likely shut The Red Door lake access down to full size vehicles. By Thursday morning and thereafter, when and if the rain is over and things get colder/freezing again, fishing conditions on the main lake will still be fine for ATV’s. Main lake ice will most likely be fine for ATV use for a couple weeks yet IF the access holds up. Shoreline ice is always the first to go bad. So….stay tuned. Again…ATV’s only from now on out of The Red Door lake access.

Not surprising, the 2 plus inches of rain early this week ended ALL full size vehicle traffic out of The Red Door lake access. However, temps in the teens last night and in the forecast for the next day or two should make ATV use just fine. We have a bridge in place to make the first few yds. off shore usable for ATV’s. And walking out for perch hunting should be fine too as the ice surface is hard and snow free. Dragging a loaded sled/portable should be fairly easy and only is about a 1/4 to 1/2 mile hike to the fishing grounds. Weekend weather outlook is fairly decent.

No fishing reports from the past few days during the rains.

This coming week could be the last hoorah for ice travel this year so….see you at the “Door”??

Man or lady as our Ghost Writer Reporter– you sure do keep us up todate more than any other place;;

your reports are well needed- honest and puncutal (sp)

just think ?? i was a A+ spelling student in first grade

Winter prolonged? The Red Door Sugarbush crew ain’t gonna be happy!

… WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE TUESDAY NIGHT…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DULUTH HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WATCH… WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE TUESDAY NIGHT.

TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 12 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS CASS… CROW WING AND AITKIN COUNTIES BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. THE SNOW WILL START TO FALL AND ACCUMULATE ON MONDAY… THEN INCREASE IN INTENSITY MONDAY NIGHT. THE SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO FALL ACROSS THE AREA TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT… AND THEN FINALLY START TO LIGHTEN UP DURING THE DAY ON WEDNESDAY.

A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATION OF SNOW THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL AND COMMERCE.

The winter weather doesn’t look to be backing off.

Issued by The National Weather Service
Duluth, MN
3:47 am CDT, Mon., Mar. 30, 2009

… WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 7 AM CDT WEDNESDAY…

BANDS OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON. 1 TO 2 INCHES OF SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THIS EVENING. THERE MAY BE A LULL IN SNOW BEFORE THE MAIN HEAVY SNOW EXPECTED FOR LATE MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 8 TO 12 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS CASS… CROW WING AND AITKIN COUNTIES BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. GUSTY WINDS ARE POSSIBLE AT TIMES THROUGH THIS EVENT… WHICH WILL CAUSE AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING… AND MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS.

A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW MEANS HEAVY SNOW ACCUMULATION IS ANTICIPATED… AND THAT SNOWFALL RATES OF ONE INCH PER HOUR OR GREATER CAN BE EXPECTED AT TIMES. EXPECT SNOW COVERED ROADS AND VISIBILITY LESS THAN A QUARTER MILE. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL… EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION AND ALLOW EXTRA TIME TO REACH YOUR DESTINATION. LET SOMEONE KNOW YOUR TRAVEL ROUTE AND EXPECTED ARRIVAL TIME AND HAVE A WORKING CELL PHONE IN CASE YOU BECOME STRANDED. KEEP A WINTER SURVIVAL KIT IN YOUR VEHICLE… INCLUDING A FLASHLIGHT… FOOD… AND WATER. IF YOU CHOOSE TO TRAVEL… BE AWARE THAT YOU MAY BECOME STRANDED AND THAT IT MAY TAKE MANY HOURS FOR HELP TO ARRIVE.

(copied from “Hey Mille Lacs guys”)

The snow on the north end Tuesday was relatively, a no show. Maybe 2-3 inches. BUT! We woke up to about 5-6 inches of wet snow today and watched it snow until noon. So maybe 7-8 inches today for a total of about 10 or more. It is settling fast with thawing temps. You should be fine with an ATV on the ice. Your biggest issue will be the shoreline ice. It has been iffy along shore the first 10-20 yds. and also along the old ice ridges. So a bridge along shore might be best? 23 for a low tonight will harden things up for the morning. 17 in the forcast for Friday morning.

The buzz around the lake these days isn’t the sound of ice augers, snow machines, mosquitoes or even clouds of fish flies hovering in the tree tops. It’s all about “when’s the ice going out!” Followed by “will the fish bite?”

At this stage of the game, the big sheet has yet to move. However, there is now open water from 10ft. out from shore to as much as 200 yds. or more all around the shorelines. The Malmo area, being vey shallow and facing the sun, is open the most. The next wind that blows in the high teens or more will surely slide the big sheet one way or another using the open water as room to move.

So when’s it gonna go out? If a couple major rains/cold fronts come through, it could be less than two weeks. If we get calm, very little stormy weather, it could be as much as two weeks or even more. Warms temps help but without major winds, the big mass of Mille Lacs ice can lay there for a long time yet.

Will the fish bite? Find’em, cook up what they wanna eat when they wanna eat it and they will bite. We predict and or hope that the spring bite will be pretty good, especially for the evening bobber bite the first few weeks. Come June–who knows. That’s fishing!

Near as we can tell, after a drive around the lake and using the scope, with the exception of a few 100 yds. of ice here and there stuck along shore, the lake is ice free as of today and for sure by tomorrow. That’s not “official” but how we see it from the Wealthwood Shores and beyond.

It is now official! April 24th, 2009 is ice out date on Mille Lacs. The Mille Lacs Messenger is reporting what we observed in the previous posting.

Water levels, as someone asked about earlier, are pretty good this spring. Relative to some of the recent years. Last fall the swamps that adjoin the Mille Lacs water were quite full, creating a good run-off this spring from snow and early rains. So the lake is up a few inches from last fall and about a foot from the low point a couples ago. So, as usual at Mille Lacs, it’s shallow along most shorelines but better this spring. Keep the boat at idle leaving the ramps/harbors until you get to at least 4ft. and you should be fine.

Water temps by opener should be in the high 40’s and a hair higher on a sunny calm afternoon. As usual…very clear as well unless the wind is howling.

thanks for the update, I can’t wait to get up there, staying at your place this weekend too at my buddies fish house!

Quick question do you serve food or is there places close by?

Thanks

We serve pizza’s in our office/game room area and also have some grocery items on sale also.

The closest food places are Barnacles and Carlsona Beach to the east from 2-4 miles with Myr Mar Marina and various places in Garrison to the west. Garrison is about 9 miles and Myr Mar is about 6 miles.

Looking forward to seeing you!

thanks same here, can’t wait to get up there!