Pool 4 might freeze !

Everts posted a pic today on the FB. Looked frozen shore to shore all the way up to the “Y” and locks. Also said they are basically closed. No access to ice through their property.

-J.

Anyone getting the chainsaw fueled up to cut a ramp open ? Hopefully by the weekend she’s a go ?

I heard they were ice fishing the channel in red wing the other day. I would say there is no way it’s open this weekend. Also heard they won’t be dumping any water from the plant until this weekend now from the first reactor

We just got word from the plant that they plan to begin discharging warm water within 12-24 hours. I don’t know how quickly the ice conditions will deteriorate, but between that and the warm weather forecast for the next week or so they may change dramatically and potentially rapidly.

Please use extra caution when recreating in the Upper Pool 4 area.

I bet it will be open to the lake by the weekend. There is still flow out there, night time temps barely getting below freezing. It can be shore to shore ice in the morning and wide open mid afternoon. River ice goes fast.

Mike W wrote:

I bet it will be open to the lake by the weekend. There is still flow out there, night time temps barely getting below freezing. It can be shore to shore ice in the morning and wide open mid afternoon. River ice goes fast.

What about pool 2 Mike ? Open by the weekend ?

I’ve spent a lot of years on the river, and this setup makes me more nervous than ever before for ice anglers. We had late ice and people wanting to get out, a short intense shot of cold, followed by the plant coming back on and warm weather forecasted for a full week or more.

If you are fishing anywhere near Frontenac, Point no Point, or straight out and up river at all from Maiden Rock in the next 10 days and moving forward…please pay attention and assume nothing. This isn’t actually a lake. Resorts aren’t plowing or staking “safe” roads. This isn’t a crack opening on URL and waiting to cross it with a bridge. It’s a river with moving water and more variables than ever with the plant + later than usual ice + warm weather coming.

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Spot on Bucky! There’s also a large nasty crack out from maiden rock that’s in 4’-5’ of water. The ice is moving on the lake more than I’ve seen in years past.

isu22andy wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Mike W wrote:</div>
I bet it will be open to the lake by the weekend. There is still flow out there, night time temps barely getting below freezing. It can be shore to shore ice in the morning and wide open mid afternoon. River ice goes fast.

What about pool 2 Mike ? Open by the weekend ?

This post is about pool 4.

buckybadger wrote:

I’ve spent a lot of years on the river, and this setup makes me more nervous than ever before for ice anglers. We had late ice and people wanting to get out, a short intense shot of cold, followed by the plant coming back on and warm weather forecasted for a full week or more.

If you are fishing anywhere near Frontenac, Point no Point, or straight out and up river at all from Maiden Rock in the next 10 days and moving forward…please pay attention and assume nothing. This isn’t actually a lake. Resorts aren’t plowing or staking “safe” roads. This isn’t a crack opening on URL and waiting to cross it with a bridge. It’s a river with moving water and more variables than ever with the plant + later than usual ice + warm weather coming.

We have agreed to disagree on some things early ice.

I agree with you 100 percent here and know you have way more experience than me and many others on this body of water.

Seriously to anyone following this thread please be careful. I don’t really like the mixture of warm water, warm temps and possible increase flow of water at all. Things could change quickly. Like by the hour. This could be a real sketchy situation that many may not even be aware of.

Yes – be EXTREMELY careful and remain diligent safety wise. There will be open water off the point within a week and irregular ice thickness conditions everywhere else out there. As an adult – you want to take the chances so be it – but PLEASE PLEASE leave your kids or youngsters at home. They are always looking for us at their young ages to make the right decisions for them. Like BuckyBadger, I have grown up in Frontenac for over 50 years and fished Methodist the same. It is going to get extremely dangerous REAL fast.

Flow is up – any predictions we will be fishing this weekend or staring at ice bergs flowing by ?

isu22andy wrote:

Flow is up – any predictions we will be fishing this weekend or staring at ice bergs flowing by ?

My prediction – Both.

-J.

I’m starting to see water behind the Ella J. Mostly water on the ice but water none the less.
The back channel looks sketchy at best.

And I agree…there will be an ice flow before we’ll be able to get a boat out.
Those dang transducers like to break off with floating ice…I was told.

The stage last night was up to a whole 3.5′.

Just got word one unit is up and running. Here comes the warm water

gregory wrote:

Just got word one unit is up and running. Here comes the warm water

Not sure if you seen the post on the book of face from the guys at the nuke plant about the water discharge statistics.

They’ve been discharging since Wednesday the 24th, just not at full capacity from the one unit. They were hoping to have that one at full power this weekend, that’s probably what you heard.

However, the water they discharge is never more than 5* warmer than the inlet temperature when fully operating. On Wednesday the inlet temp was 32.5* and discharging at 32.8*, Also they only discharge 200 cfs of water. So they only contribute to 1.5% of the flow and 0.3% higher water temp. I think the warmer temps and the runoff increasing the flow is going to make more of a difference in opening up the river than the reactor coming back online.

Regardless I’m excited to see the river open back up and hopefully get the boat out again.

I agree Justin. Only thing that will even open the river faster than the weather is boat traffic and someone with a chainsaw to get the ramp open.

Won’t be me this time but you’d be amazed how many acres of ice you can break up per hour. If your itching… go get it

As of this morning.
%
Prairie Island 1 29
Prairie Island 2 0

Last year we had lower stage and flow. Red Wing didn’t freeze anything like it did this year. Still knocking on fiberglass no one drops in on the Lake.

Reactor 1 is reported at 100% this morning. The MN side across from the Harbor Bar is flowing. I’m not sure how far up or down stream it’s open.

The back channel ramp had ice yesterday afternoon and it was to dark to check out this morning.

Get the saw out

I sure hope somebody down that way saws open a ramp before the weekend. Pool 4 guys were showing up on pool 2 last weekend. Ramp was filling up fast on Sunday.

Always wanted to fish 2 anyway . See ya this weekend . Looks like 4s about open so you maybe the crowd will be down.

I see somebody took an airboat out of Everts to bust up the ice. Mother nature is slow on busting ice. Good to see someone is pushing her along.

Ramp is open in 4 Mike . Your pool 2 haven is safe .