Does anyone have an ice report from the Winona area? I am going to be up there this Sunday. I am especially hoping to get out on the airport lake, AKA Bartlett Lake.
It takes the airport lake a long time to freeze, so I suspect those backwaters were still open when it snowed last weekend. If so, that would actually help freeze it up this week since there is no snow insulating the ice.
We tried to get on Airport on Tuesday but it was still sketchy at best…..(one or two hits with the spud and we were through 
)….nobody had been out there yet, but there was a continuess string of vehicles driving in to check it out…….obviously people are itching to get out there.
There have been guys out along praire island road…..we tip toed our way on to the back hole at McNally’s yesterday…..maybe 2″ of crappy ice there……and the fish weren’t even biting….MN City boat club has had ice all season and has been hammered accordingly (as it’s been the only place people can fish safely).
I did see a fish house on Lake Winona tonight.
At least the weather has been staying cool now…..it’s gotta be making ice….gonna try to get on bartlett again in the morning, will report back as to the sucess of the venture 
Bartlets doesnt have that much ice at all, i was quite surprised. Mn city boat club has been getting pounded, but they are still catching fish though.
I was there yesterday- Jake and Andy pretty well summed it up. The only thing I can add is that trere were a couple guys out on Bartlett but they walked along the shore before they went on ice. Checked some other areas I’ve had decent luck in that area before-same story-thin ice or nothing biting. I’m going to wait till middle of next week to check that area again. Almost all the areas I fished were full of shad. Good luck
A buddy of mine found 4″ to 5″ at the airport lake backwaters in Winona today. He said there were a fair amount of people out on the ice. I am going up there tomorrow morning to punch some holes in it. I’ll be carrying a spud bar and picks, just to be safe.
Let us know how the ice is. Guess it must be an age thing but I don’t like going on ice unless its at least 4 inches.
I wish I could tell you if the ice report from Bartlett was accurate. 
The combination of snowy roads, poor visibility, uncertain ice buried under a blanket of snow, and the need to drive 150 miles back to Hawkeye City some time this evening made me turn around a mile out of Harmony and go back. 
At least I saved some gas money. 
This snow is not going to help make safer ice, whatever your personal definition of safe ice is. A bad ice-fishing winter just got a little longer, I am afraid.
Don’t blame you. Looks like we are getting more snow than they predicted. They uped it to 6 inches now and looks like you are getting hit harder down that way. Hopefully we can get some ice time in sometime this year. I’m thinking of maybe heading over by Faribault this week. Sounds like some of lakes over there have more ice than we do on the river. Good luck.
Went out to schnieder today and there was 4-5 inches on the lake. The slough getting out there was a bit touchy but we made it. Got out there at 930 and at about noon everyone must have seen the trucks parked there cuz the Herd showed up. Fishing was pretty slow. I think we pulled in about 7 nice gills.
Any body been on Bartlett or any reports since middle of last week. Ice was a little thin for me then. Hope to get out tomorrow. Thanks
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
