Ice thickness

[Nilsfisher]

How thick is the ice on some of the local lakes? I'm thinking about going out tomorrow but if its crappy ice, I might not go.

[mww24]

I fished blue lake in crown sunday and had around 7 of clear ice. i fished chisago on monday and had 7 or 8 but didn't make it to the middle of the bays. I would proceed with caution with these warm temps and windy weather. The ice was very noisy both days. stay safe check the thickness often for yourself. A lot can change very fast.

[Nilsfisher]

yeah, I think i'll hit crooked in coon rapids once the sun comes up. I've had pretty good luck with that lake and with the sun up, it will be easier to see and to test holes.

Thanks.

[amateurfishing]

i was @ blue/zimmerman yesterday & east twin/elk river....ice was fine (6-10) both places but making plenty of noise if any wind came up. also not a single bite @ either place (or fish found on locater)

[harvey lee]

I fished a lake by St Cloud and the ice was from 7.5 to 10 inches.

Most should be safe for walking but with the recent warm temps and then wind, I am sure there are some iffy spots on most lakes.

I have been fishing near spots where others have walked and I do check the ice depth from time to time to make sure. I wear my Artic Armor suit just incase but if you do not have one, a life jacket surely won't hurt. last summer I purchased a inflatable life jacket and that works fine also in the winter just for safetys sake.

[GotALunker]

just went out to the closest lake to me...fremont in zimmerman...walked out about 30 yards and had 8 inches

[KrabbyPatties]

I was on a little lake north of Grand Rapids on Wednesday and had about 14" out there. It was making a lot of noise too.

[McGurk]

*jumps on soapbox*

NO ICE IS EVER SAFE no matter what you read, hear, see, judge, guess, stomp on by shore, or even walk on. If you want to see what the ice is actually like where you want to fish, like you will need to CHECK IT YOURSELF! Use your spudbar, drill some holes, check old holes as you go, whatever it takes! Even with airjer's awesome icemap you simply cannot assume a lake is fishable from what some dude on forum writes. This is a helpful tool, but for the next few weeks until we start to see some seriously cold weather you can't simply assume a lake will support you, your gear, your 4 wheeler, your snowmobile, your permy, your car, or your truck. You need to check it yourself, the whole way, and on a warm day you'll probably want to check it on the way back out, too.

If you are worried about a wasted trip to the lake, just go anyways, and see for yourself. It will probably be OK for walking and light gear, but check anyways. This year, more than most, we all need to stay smart about our fishing for the next few weeks. It will get better but for right now just take precautions and DON'T BE "THAT" GUY!

*hops off soapbox*

And after you check your requested lake, post what you found here so I can see where you went and if it is safe. J/K!

[Nilsfisher]

I hit the lake this morning. most of the lake had about 7-8 inches. there were a few spots that had about 4-5. I parked myself on the 7-8 inch spot, 15 feet of water and caught 6inch sunnies, one after the other. the ice was cracking pretty good though. around noon it was cracking enough and more frequent for me to get off the lake.