It could stay this temp all winter, mostly I walk out and when people start driving the bite gets very slow anyway.
I’m not a metro angler whatsoever, but I agree 100%. I’d ice fish on 4-5″ all winter on Pool 4 and 5 if I could. Enough that it’s safe (within reason if you’re doing your homework), but yet not every person is out with vehicles, side by sides, etc. Once vehicles start coming out my ice gear comes back out of my truck until the crowds are done and the late ice bite turns on.
Also, they are probably not intelligent enough to find this forum, but to the a-holes on the west side of Lake Harriet who keep leaving a full pack of cigarette butts on the ice inside of the footprint from your abandoned shelter, I hope you fall through the ice.
Smoke em’ if you got em but WTF, bring a coffee can along for god sakes.
Got out for the first time this weekend on a north metro lake. Had perfect conditions for sled pulling and the weather was awesome yesterday. Had 5-6 inches everywhere except for thin spots on pressure ridges. Went out at 5:00 am for the morning bite. Me and my buddy caught 3 walters the biggest at 18.5 others were 14-15 inches. All fish came on Northland Macho Minnows. Not a bad first day for metro eyes.
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Forgot to mention that we saw a car and truck on the ice a little bit offshore probably half a mile from our spot. Absolute insanity I have no idea how they did not go through. Saw something like this last year on Bald Eagle when someone attempted to drive down the landing on 4 inches of ice. Always amazes me how stupid some people are.
Had perfect conditions for sled pulling and the weather was awesome yesterday.
Nicely done! And I could not agree more about current sled pulling conditions. Sadly it sounds like we may be in for some trouble, but it makes a world of difference when you have clean ice vs. a foot of snow to work through.
I’m not sure how far north this goes but depending on how this rain/snow mixture shakes out over the next few days, we could have some amazing ice in the metro once it drops down to single digit lows on Saturday. I’ve lived near the Chain of Lakes for 25+ years, and it seems like every 3-4 years or so we get magical conditions that result in perfect, glass ice across the entire lake with no-to-light snow cover that lasts for a week or more until some storm comes and wrecks it.
With a string of single digit night-time lows coming up right after this rain, I’m feeling optimistic! (Of course this could also leave us with a 2″ layer of crappy slush ice but my hopes are high.)
Drove by Harriet today, and agree, could be skating to your spots by Saturday or just across the lake for a laugh.
Not looking good 
Anyone looked at any lakes near the metro today? I’m afraid this snow is going to ruin us with so little ice. Was honestly hoping it just kept sleeting/raining until it got cold.
Anyone looked at any lakes near the metro today? I’m afraid this snow is going to ruin us with so little ice. Was honestly hoping it just kept sleeting/raining until it got cold.
If the ponds by my office are any indication we should be just fine. This snow is so wet and heavy, and the temp warm enough, that it’s melting not accumulating. After the cold snap we may double the amount of ice with all the water on top!
Just hit a lake in the west metro. About 2 inches of slush on top of the ice. Ice seemed fine underneath. Not a soul out there. Bite was great
Just hit a lake in the west metro. About 2 inches of slush on top of the ice. Ice seemed fine underneath. Not a soul out there. Bite was great
what were you seeing for ice thickness?
Overheard a guy at the fishing shop buying bait and said he was fishing Minnetonka.
He was buying minnows and said there was 5″ inches of ice.
what were you seeing for ice thickness?
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6in but was not out in the main lake
I had a rough day, 4-5 inches of thick slush on top of the ice on most of the lake. It was rough going pulling the sled. Only had about 3 hours to fish and with the slush conditions, it really limited my mobility so I had a pretty rough bite. I was surprised to find 8-9 inches of ice this was on a north metro lake.
Just walked on a lake in South Metro. Not very South. Several inches of slush with maybe an inch or two of snow. I am going to let it harden for a day or two then it should be good. Didn’t check how much ice but saw snowmobile tracks from before the snow.
It would be a bear to haul a sled at the moment even with a smitty.
Just went out to check Harriet. There is a ring of crusty snow (on top of slush) around the lake perimeter that corresponds roughly to the shallows, and then out deeper, there is a ~3″ layer of slush with no snow cover.
There was one brave soul who pulled a shelter out there through the slush, but this could turn out to be much better than hoped once we hit Sunday. Sounds like the lows tonight are in the high-teens so not sure if that will be good enough to freeze up the slush in time for tomorrow but I for one aim to find out.
I am guessing tomorrow will be a crusted layer of slush but will not support much weight and you will just break through. Yesterday there were definitely pockets with little slush to set up a shelter. It is gonna be brutal pulling a sled but as long as you got a good pair of waterproof boots that go up to your knees you will stay nice and dry.
Echoing what others have said. Was out tonight in the NW metro. 4-5 inches of slush. There was 6-7 inches of solid ice below. By dark, it had crusted enough that the smitty stayed on top of the ice, but walking still sucked. Tomorrow will likely be the same or moderately improved, but by Sunday it should be hard enough to stay on top in most places. It was a good bite, at least!
So when I was on the ice Wednesday after the first big snowfall I saw little 1 inch holes all the way through 5-6 of solid ice like I could drop my lure all the way through. Anyone know what those are? Kinda scared me seeing holes in the middle of the bay right next to where I was fishing.
Perfect circles? Probably someone checking ice thickness and quality with a 1″ auger
We should have a good situation forming soon.
The slush has frozen up enough to stay on top in most areas. It’s great for walking in most areas and will only get better this week.
Had great ice for walking out this evening in the north metro, slush has frozen making for good walking. Christmas came early for me caught this 27.5-inch beast healthy metro walleye. An epic fight pulling lots of drag thought it was a Pike until it was right under the hole. She was released hopefully to become a trophy in a couple of years. Been a good start to the season so far.
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Nice metro fish!
Damn son. I’ve only been out four times searching for walleye this year but all I’ve been able to find in the metro are perch and crappie.
Someday my time will come — that looks like a Red Lake walleye. Are you fishing live bait?
edit: also, as should be obvious by now metro area ice is basically perfection right now, and should stay so for at least several weeks unless we get a big storm. IIRC I could not safely get out until Dec. 26 last year so this has been an AWESOME few weeks of early ice
Almost all my walleye this year have come on the Northland macho minnow at sunrise or sunset. Then I always have my dead stick down in the shack. When fishing with a couple buddies for our second lines we throw out a couple of finicky foolers and 1 dead stick in the shack.
Walking angler fell through in 4-5′ of water on a northeast metro lake yesterday, about 3pm. Careful
Walking angler fell through in 4-5′ of water on a northeast metro lake yesterday, about 3pm. Careful
I saw a bunch of posts like that on IFM on FB, made me wonder if all the water we got last week wasn’t draining thru and causing these big holes. Sounds like the slush isn’t too bad in the metro? With the upcoming temps, hopefully any remaining slush gets locked up.
I saw a bunch of posts like that on IFM on FB, made me wonder if all the water we got last week wasn’t draining thru and causing these big holes. Sounds like the slush isn’t too bad in the metro? With the upcoming temps, hopefully any remaining slush gets locked up.
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Bubbling holes are everywhere on the lakes I have been on. Yeah slush is/was bad in North/Northeast metro. Probably obvious but areas to look out for are any lakes that had later areas of open water. That is where this guy fell through.
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