Hello to Bobber and the Ertls.
But happy the lake will be spared of tribal netting. I'll take that trade off any time....
With a collective sigh of relief, it seems the entire state of Minnesota has embraced the better late than never spring weather that finally decided to arrive last weekend.
But juxtaposed to the summer shorts and t-shirts, fresh out of winter storage, is the glaring layer of ice still covering the big lake. And as fishing opener inches closer, the question that seems to be on everyone’s mind is Will 2018 break the ice out record set in 2013?
Past ice out records
Although records for ice out on Mille Lacs are sketchy prior to 1979 – the year that the Messenger officially started keeping track – all signs point to 2013 (May 16) as the latest ice out on record, narrowly beating 1950 (May 15) by one day.
The record-setting late ice out in 2013 was something that started generating hype as much as six weeks prior.
In the March 27, 2013 edition of the Messenger, an article titled “Another record ice-out this year?” graced the front page. When that edition hit newsstands, the average ice depth observed by fishing guide Brad Hawthorne was 32 to 38-inches. Contrasted in everyone’s minds that spring was the notable precociousness of the year prior in which Mille Lacs ice out occurred the earliest on record: March 26, 2012.
It was in the May 22, 2013 edition of the Messenger that the record became official: “Ice out on May 16 wasn’t cause for celebration for those who lost business,” a front page headline read.
Between March and May of that year, various articles and editorials mused on the length and intensity of winter and the late arrival of spring. Sound like a familiar scenario?
Isle Bay observations
According to journal entries taken by Tim Chapman of Chapman’s Mille Lacs Resort and Guide Service, there are many reasons to believe this spring will give 2013 a run for its money.
As of Wednesday, April 18, Chapman guessed there was approximately 30 to 36-inches of ice in the area of Isle Bay adjacent to his resort – a guess based on reports from clients using the Chapman’s lake access. According to one of his clients, the power head on his 36-inch auger was touching the ice when he finally broke through.
“You gotta figure we are at least two weeks behind where we were at this point in 2013,” Chapman said. He cited numerous indicators, including the fact that in 2013 they halted truck access on April 6 while this year trucks were allowed until just last Friday, April 20. Beyond the impressive ice thickness, there were other, more subtle signs of a late spring as well. “In 2013 I saw my first seagull on April 4,” Chapman said as he paged through his journal. While he hadn’t seen one yet this spring, he said he finally heard them for the first time on April 18.
So what does this mean for fishing opener?
This will be interesting to see if the improved temperatures may affect the solid ice on Mille Lacs.
MM Malmo Mike
