Who thinks the ice will be out before opener? (North of Metro)

[iced over]

What are your thoughts/comparisons to last year?

[2thepointsetters]

Close to three feet of snow left up here and over 30" of ice. The 7 day forecast doesn't look overly warm either. It's not looking good for open water but it can change fast with warm temps and rain.

[ZachD]

Hard water forever!

[LegattoAD]

It'll be close, like it was last year, but we'll make it.

[Down Deep]

You know what they say about making financial investments----- Past performance is no guarantee of future returns. Last year, based on previous seasons, I was fully confident that ice would be gone Statewide by the walleye opener. We all know what happened. Most of the northern MN was either still locked in or on the smaller lakes the ice had just gone out a day or two earlier leaving very cold water conditions.

Even with the late ice out there was plenty opportunity to catch a fish on opening day on the St. Louis River, smaller lakes, Lake Superior, Rainy River, etc. There was still a problem. I remember the high temp on last years opening in the Duluth area was about 25 degrees with a stiff northeast wind. First opener in 35 years we drove down to the ramp at the SLR, and after seeing the cold, windy and water conditions decided that a hot breakfast and some hot coffee were a much better option. The weather improved by Monday and the boat went in the water. Plenty of walleyes were caught by everyone who was out there.

I still have about 3 feet of snow in the woods of my back 40 and bottomed out the auger the last time I fished a local lake. More snow and cold is forecast for the first week of April with no rapid warming trend in sight. So unless things warm up and the lake snow melts; who knows. I guess I'll be in there with the rest of you and hope the ice goes.

[monstermoose78]

I was out ice fishing yesterday and the ice is still to the top of the auger shaft and with more snow in the forecast. Plus it looks like it will be dipping below freezing most nights. It will be close but I would bet there will be people ice fishing for opener

[Fowlmouth]

It would be crazy if there was still ice for opener, making it two years in a row seeing as how before last year I could never remember the lakes being froze on opener.

[ClownColor]

It would be crazy if there was still ice for opener, making it two years in a row seeing as how before last year I could never remember the lakes being froze on opener.

Agree...we'll all be out in boats like normal

[2thepointsetters]

We had to add an extra extension to the ion this weekend on Lake of the Woods. There is a lot of ice left.

[foo]

West central MN here, I would say around April 28th if this forecast next week comes to be then it should be no problem. 2 weeks past the average I am going to guess.

[CANOPY SAM]

-3 degrees this morning here in TRF, and perhaps even colder in other parts of NW MN. How many days are there in January?

[CaptainMusky]

How many days are there in January?

:-)

I guess I wont have to worry about ice conditions for my last ice fishing trip April 10 - 13 on LOW eh?

I dont think there is any chance unless we get a major warmup and significant rain that lakes very far North of St Cloud will be open.

I hope I am wrong because that means I will have the boat out!

We are further behind then last year and there is far more ice in the Southern half of the state than we had last year.

[20lbSloughShark]

Looking forward on accuweather (take that how you want) it looks like 50-60 highs all next week and it will continue to climb. Once it starts going, it will go fast.

[pushbutton]

Think we only had a handful of days in the 40's last april...well, till the last week anyway. If accuview is accu, which it usually isn't, but lets say it is....we will be fine for opener

[foo]

It will be fine as long as that forecast doesn't have another huge cold swing in it---which it doesn't right now. How do people not remember last spring already? That was terrible---way worse/much colder than this years spring. We are ahead of last year by at least 2 weeks or more. Right before this last cold front the small ponds shorelines were pulling back. 50's and 60's and above freezing overnight will beat this ice up quick.

[fiskyknut]

We are ahead of last year by at least 2 weeks or more.

Maybe you are way down south there but up here we are a week or 2 behind last year !!

5 foot drifts in my yard from our storm and -5 this morning.. Brrr !!

About 40 inches of ice still on the LOTW.

[ThunderLund78]

If the lakes are still locked-up, expand your fishing horizons. My bro-in-law, who usually goes to Gull every year, obviously had to cancel last year. He got a tip from a friend to fish a fairly large tributary to the Minnesota river, right in the middle of town--a few miles upstream from the mouth. Water was still pretty high with the late melt but he walked the shore throwing shallow cranks into deeper pools. Caught a limit of Walleyes, not to mention a few very nice 30"+ bonus pike in a couple hours.

Pretty funny what might be lurking right in our backyards, pretty much in plain sight.

[Hawg]

2 the pointsetter? I have an Ion and love it. I'm curious how many holes you're getting on a charge with that much ice?

[James_R]

Yeah, I see a lot of disappointed weekend warriors come opening day. It's looking a lot like it did last year.

[2thepointsetters]

2 the pointsetter? I have an Ion and love it. I'm curious how many holes you're getting on a charge with that much ice?

Around 15

[Fowlmouth]

Prior to last year can anyone recall the last time lakes were frozen on opener from say central minnesota to the boarder?

[tacklejunkie]

Prior to last year can anyone recall the last time lakes were frozen on opener from say central minnesota to the boarder?

I remember Pike Lake near Duluth having ice on opener I think around 2008

[CaptainMusky]

Prior to last year can anyone recall the last time lakes were frozen on opener from say central minnesota to the boarder?

from central mn north? Not in my lifetime do i remember that. 1997 I believe many lakes in the bemidji area (possibly further south too) were still had ice.

[Down Deep]

When the opener date cycles to the early part of May like it was last year and this year I can recall the lakes on the Gunflint Trail have been locked in. We fished Vermilion in the mid 1990''s and I recall ice covering part of Frazier Bay on the opening day. It was gone on Sunday. I would assume that during that year the northern most lakes like Kab, Namakan, Rainy and LOW would have suffered the same fate. 2013 year was an anomaly because of all the April snow we had up north (50+ inches), but it was an earlier May opener. Had it occurred a few days later the ice would have been gone on most of the lakes.

Today (Friday) we've had about 7 inches of snow so far with a couple more forecast. Temps are going to be in the mid to upper 40's with lots of sun for the next 5 days. That will burn through lots of snow. All that melt water hitting the ice has got to erode it. I hope that after today the #%@&ing SNOW is done

[CaptainMusky]

I hope that after today the #%@&ing SNOW is done

understatement of the year. ;-)