Mille Lacs

Hey Bob, where you able to get out and check the ice today?

Sorry, the phone rang! today and had to do a little work…….I’m out tommorrow……..I did see portables to the south/off Hunters Point and one portable to the north of Agate Bay……….

hey bobber,

I am heading up there tommarow and looking forward to maybe wetting a line. It is funny, my dad has a house just south of eastside (pink flamingo). Maybe one day this winter, we could hook up for some breakfast at westerlands.

shane

for sure!!! lets do it……..

Bob, please tell me it is nasty weather up there so I don’t feel so bad about not going out today. Tuesday for sure though.

20+ mph winds and 9 above right now…………..making ice!

I recieved reports that there was some open water near Barnacles and or Myr Mar on the northend of Mille Lacs today. We have had some strong NW wind around 20+ mph all day. Making it very harsh out side………this strong wind probably broke open this area on the northend.
We have 13-18 below for an overnight low temerature! Hopefully that will close up any of these open areas once and for all………I’m not going on the lake till maybe Monday. I went floating on an ice flow one year……….and I’m not planning on one this year.

Just pack a long rod too Bob.

Bob, a T-8 makes a nice trolling motor for ice flows. Glad I’m waiting until Tuesday.

well if anyone was up around the east side of mill lacs today and saw 2 quads running the ditches. a yellow one and a red one, I was running the red one. i was also on the lake right out in front of my dads place checking ice thickness, he is just south of east side resort. walked out about 100 yards and the ice was roughly 8 inches thick. I was wearing my FLW guide wear, red and black and wearing a black and blue helmet.

shane

Putz, remind me to tell you the story of when we went for a ride on an ice flow….no humor in this baby

I believe you, Bob. I once went fishing on a small lake in late March where I needed a board to get from shore to the ice. While I was fishing, the ice on the whole lake shifted about 2 feet. Pulled my bobbers under and I almost fell over. Scared the crap out of me. Obviously, it shifted the wrong way so I got wet feet getting off the ice.

You weren’t one of those that made our local news here some years back, were you?

Sometime ago (15+/-) years ago, I walked out from Barnacles with a friend to fish the sand break early in the season. If I remember right, we had about 6-8 inches of ice. Anyway, No real wind to speak of, just a very light breeze, and a very light snow was falling. Long story short, we decided to leave about dark while we could still follow our trail in to shore because the snow was getting pretty heavy, and it was getting dark. Well, it sure is upsetting to follow your trail in the snow right up to open water!!

We followed the edge west till we found a spot where the flow was grinding against the shelf ice and made it across. Walked towards some lights knowing it was the shore, and found out we were west of Knox Point.

last night there was a truck and a car on the ice in cove bay. they pulled out what looks like a 8X10, old trailerhouse converted into a fishhouse. today there is a few brave souls out there and somebody pulled out a wheelhouse with a atv. i was out on friday and had between 6in to 12in of ice. just rember that ice is never safe and check the ice for yourself on your way out. yesterday there was 10 or so portables out there till about noon, thats when the emps started to drop and the wind picked up. i can only guess that the fish were not to active. by 3 or so in the afternoon there was only a few people left….tom f

Hey thanks Puddlepounder for the update, I to have stayed indoors and out of the cold/wind…….Today I see three ATV’s out about 1-2 miles NW of Lakeside. I also can see some steam on the lake out in the middle! that means there is still some open water…….I don’t know if I’ll be watching the Vikings or checking ice conditions today?

Jack, once you have experienced seeing open water between you and the shoreline of which you need to get to, you than will have a greater use of caution when on first ice. I think you know what I mean………I sure remember My experience back when it happened Dec. 8th 1991 just before game time!

Hook and I just off the lake……we found the ice to be around the 8 inch mark. We did cross one area that had spidered cracks going in a number of directions with the worst being around 8-14 inches wide, This one I will need to check AM tommorrow and hopefully have it heal up?

It was good to see that much ice! With the weather forecast this week, we can only hope that the local resorts get safe enough ice to pull houses next week. That week between Christmas and New Years can be a make it or break it!!!!! Tommorrow we also plan to make a make shift drag to make a path out to our fishing spot. Hook might try and plow it with the ATV? The area SW of Picard Point where we were today is very rough. I was idling on the ATV and taking it pretty slow…….

As always, be sure to check with your local resort or bait shop for currect ice conditions. This time of year the lake is changing daily. I’ll keep ya posted here on IDA…..

ground blizzard!!! the wind is howling and blowing what little snow there is from one end of the lake to the other. there is one guy putting his wheelhouse out this morning. must be hardcore or just really needs something to do. yesterday i only got a few really really small perch and had one flag on the tip-up, nothing when i got there. that was in cove bay out by the end of the point.

Hey Puddlepounder, Hopefully it will be warm at Hunters Point tonite for taco’s!!! This weather sure sucks for fishing trips..but the greatest for the resorts in making ice. I see that Liberty Beach has a few houses out. Also heard that Mac’s is putting out thier roads and have been plowing with the trucks.

The lake also has some open water on the northend……..a few areas just will not freeze with these winds we are having. The weather report calls for -16 BELOW tonite,tommorrow nite, and again for Thursday nite! I think I’ll be on the couch with the fireplace going……….

Puddlepounder and I had Taco’s at Hunters Point tonite with our wives. I had a chance to ask George about his ice fishing plans. He said that he is going to wait till Christmas to pull any houses on the lake. He has been getting the lake cleared out front and will be ready come the end of this weekend.

Tom, Great time meeting up with you two! thanks again……

Bob, sounds like I made a good decision by not coming up again today. Took the Otter out for her maiden voyage on a local lake and she worked pretty well. I have a few things to learn yet but I was warmer than I would have been if fishing outside. No fish but good experience.

Which Otter did you get ?

Hi, Dave. Went with the medium cabin. It’s a little harder to load but I learned some tricks last night. I’m just a little claustrophobic (amoungst other things) so the extra room is worth it.

i was out this afternoon on the southside rocks and caught a few fish with a 26 incher being the biggie for the day. this weekend was slow for us. we did get 5 slots but that was about it. we let a few small ones go also, i like to see the small ones too. i might take a trip out to the flats tomorrow, i herd some talk……tom f

when word gets out that the bite is on it don’t take long for the guests to arrive. we had at least 6 people staying with us since thursday. it was good to see some old friends that came up from the st.james area. the fish on the flats bite good but they were really small. most being 10 to 12 inches. you had to weed through them and you could put together a limit of 14 to 15 inchers. the southside rock fish were bigger, with a 26″ being the big fish for the week, but you didn’t catch as many. bobber must be part bloodhound, he found me out on the flats saturday. there were thousands of people fishing out there and he found me just driving his sled around. iam taking a little brake today and tomorrow….tom f