Things are set to get sloppy…

Now its going to get messy with 50’s coming!

How long till the bottom falls out?

James Holst wrote:

We had this same scenario last winter when we had a big warm up that trashed a lot of ice and then it got cold again making fishing in boats miserable.

That was the worst, if I remember correctly March was warmer than April and I KNOW the Rainy was one of the coldest years I’ve experienced. Hopefully everything is a month earlier, warm February, cold March to prolong ice fishing, and April is downright tropical

Anything south of Mille Lacs will not be good after this weekend. Looking forward to the late ice sled pulling experience here in the metro…

I’m South south of the metro. I don’t think that 17 plus inches of ice is going to become unwalkable in 4 days of 50 plus. It will be a mess but I think we will be able to walk on it. Had my truck on it yesterday.

I think it may be a good idea to take my wheel house off Mille Lacs after this weekend.

Austin Root wrote:

I’m South south of the metro. I don’t think that 17 plus inches of ice is going to become unwalkable in 4 days of 50 plus. It will be a mess but I think we will be able to walk on it. Had my truck on it yesterday.

Austin were you on Madison? I drove down to see my daughter (in Good Thunder) and it looked like there were 500 houses out on Madison. Interesting to note that Elysian was pretty much empty.

SR

No I was on Jefferson. I just hope enough ice to walk on will make it. I’m not ready to be done fishing yet.

Good. If I had my pick there would never be an ice season haha. I never understood it. I always figured people ice fished because there was no open water. It boggles my mind that it is the preferred method of fishing by some.

The 20 inches of snow we had today along with the 6 inches 3 days ago and the 8 inches on the way Thursday have us sitting in the chair.

Jonesy wrote:

Good. If I had my pick there would never be an ice season haha. I never understood it. I always figured people ice fished because there was no open water. It boggles my mind that it is the preferred method of fishing by some.

Are you lost? There are other forums for guys like you. Can you catch fish sitting on a couch watching football while playing cards and having a warm meal in a boat?

Reminds me of when my grandpa asked me if the father in law ice fished. when I told him no his response was Fred doesn’t know whats good.

With the rain in forecast Monday I would be concerned to go on any metro lake after that. Might be time to take the cover off the portable and put it in the rafters Seems like I just got it out

Phone says 57 on sunday can’t remember anything like this in february

How much rain is in the forecast? That’s not my concern I just don’t know if our 14 inches of ice can handle 5 straight 50+ degree days.

Austin Root wrote:

How much rain is in the forecast? That’s not my concern I just don’t know if our 14 inches of ice can handle 5 straight 50+ degree days.

Actually rain at 50+ degrees will only accelerate the melting process.

I know. That’s why I was wondering how much rain is coming. I seen several trucks on the lake still today.

The latest says .5″ of rain on Monday. Unfortunately that will tear the ice up, especially with these temps

Nothing worse than honey comb ice safety wise.

The timer is ticking. What so many people are neglecting is the idea that a foot of solid ice in the middle of a lake means nothing. The shallow water and shore accesses melt first. It takes relatively little sunlight to heat up a few feet of water. The melting shorelines draining on those shallow areas only compounds the problem.

I’d say most lakes South of the Twin Cities are on borrowed time. A thick slab of ice may be “safe” in the middle of deeper lakes, but getting to them will be tough after the next ~10 days. Once the slightest bit of open water is exposed to a steady wind for a day, it’s over.

Im going to go for it this weekend. After that I will play it by ear and when its over and I cant get out anymore I might plan 1 trip north and after that im going to change the lower unit gear oil in my boat motor and get ready for some pre spawn crappies!

eyeguy507 wrote:

Can you catch fish sitting on a couch watching football while playing cards and having a warm meal in a boat?

No, but I can’t catch fish doing that in ice shack either

Guess I’m going to have to bring my waders to the DU fishing contest on Mille Lacs this weekend……..

So Snow is in the forecast next week maybe 1-3in Friday, so 50’s to snow, love Minnesota haha.

sticker wrote:

Nothing worse than honey comb ice safety wise.

Open water is pretty unsafe to walk on too…unless you are of a higher power off course…or Bruce Almighty

mahtofire14 wrote:

Guess I’m going to have to bring my waders to the DU fishing contest on Mille Lacs this weekend……..

There’s nearly no snow on ML and it’s currently only 11deg up there. As far as your Saturday fishing contest is concerned, 24hrs of warm weather isn’t going to do a thing. Bring ice cleats though!!

20″ of ice after 5 days of 50+ and above freezing night temp is going to be more like 12″ to me. It not about ice melting all the way down, it is that for all them cracks, it not refreezing back up weakening the whole system.

I would advise caution anywhere in the Metro and south. Unless it your local water and you know it well, best to be safe. I know I be pulling sleds on Sunday, it gonna be 50+, pulling a 100# sled is gonna be a breeze with all them standing water.

If we can make it till next Friday with walkable ice the extended forecast doesn’t look too bad.

Isn’t honeycomb ice mainly due to sunlight that’s amplified bc of its angle later in the ice season? Would it honeycomb bc of standing water?

Don’t want to play down the weather it just seems the ice terrorists have taken over this year in general. There’s a huge slab of ice with 32ish degree water underneath, other than the accesses, should a guy really be concerned?

The rain concerns me also the 6 says of 50+ degree weather. But I think there is a chance that it will make it in southern mn

Warm,dry winds with sun destroy ice the fastest.I have seen lakes with 18″ of solid ice go to honeycombed slush after that.Randy W will tell ya that.

Mm 714, the ice I drilled through today looked like shaved ice, not a good sign, although I didn’t measure it there had to be close to 16″ of it and that was just where I was fishing not to mention the route to get there.