How to go about finding first ice?

Ok I know go look for it. Here is what I mean. I try to go north for first ice. I call the local bait shops DNR resources. I believe many don’t want to say hey the ice is A ok I get it but how do you all go about finding fishable ice? I live near Hutchinson and find going up to Lake Reno and Mary near Glenwood is about as far as I would like to go for a one day trip. Some bait shops are rude some won’t even talk to you I get it phone calls don’t make money but when I get a good shop I always patronize them. The local dnr info has been very limited from what I have found. So how do you guys do it call, drive all over putting miles on, wait till it comes to you?

Just text me! I’ll let ya know. Mary has ice on the edges right now.

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Joe Scegura wrote:

Just text me! I’ll let ya know. Mary has ice on the edges right now.

Is that your yard Joe? Man i am jealous! I think i need to align my decisions in life with yours lol

Joe that would be awesome hoping to go up around thanksgiving if conditions are right. I always go to the bay called little Mary

ice report app is a useful tool.

Eyeguy tell me more about ice app is it for your phone? not to tech savy

eyeguy507 wrote:

ice report app is a useful tool.

Is that the one where users can report ice conditions in an area?

Dan wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>eyeguy507 wrote:</div>
ice report app is a useful tool.

Is that the one where users can report ice conditions in an area?

Yeah you can drop a report anytime you are at a lake. It’s pretty helpful. Have to pay attention to the date they were reported though.

Yes app for android but might have one for iphone by now. If someone goes out and chooses to report ice thickness, it will populate on a map and you can zoom right in on the lake. Check back in a month and most of the ice belt will likely have many reports. I use it early ice and late to get an idea what is going on. Of course people aren’t always reporting and ice isn’t always consistent. Red lake will be walkable around Thanksgiving and you’ll see a bunch of reports there first.
Not much for ice yet…..

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I used that app on my iphone last year – it’s a great starting point

Maybe we could just start a thread or have a dedicated category on this site where we could list ice thickness and dates , lake names or possibly just general locations of lakes and maybe lake size or something .

BackwaterICE wrote:

I used that app on my iphone last year – it’s a great starting point

Gives away the good fishing spots tho. I usually report from my truck!
I noticed last year hardly anyone reporting from ML but they had ok ice out to Hennepin island early on. Sometimes calling resorts is best for the big lakes.
A lot of lakes I fish aren’t even on the map so you just got to check for yourself.

crappie55369 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Joe Scegura wrote:</div>
Just text me! I’ll let ya know. Mary has ice on the edges right now.

Is that your yard Joe? Man i am jealous! I think i need to align my decisions in life with yours lol

@crappie55369

Hi Crappie, ya thats the front yard. Watching the ice form, watching the ice melt, watching the wind, and watching it when its calm… Watching the water everyday and how alive it is sure is enjoyable!

mrpike1973 wrote:

live near Hutchinson and find going up to Lake Reno and Mary near Glenwood is about as far as I would like to go for a one day trip.

Think Shallow.
Lakes you might be familiar with in west central MN that average 4-10′ deep will often have the best ice first. PM me and I’ll share some lakes that are popular first ice good bets.

After reopening the last two weeks with the wind and warmth, I saw a number of bays and smaller ponds skimmed this morning in the OT/Becker county area.