The cold temps have been steady so the ice conditions have been relatively stable. The crack that opened last weekend as the cold snap hit is now 8ft. wide from original edge to edge. The warming temps later this weekend will no doubt buckle things pretty good as the ice sheet gets bigger again. Thanks for your patience if we are having to work on the bridging over the crack this coming Sunday--for sure.
We got a couple skiffs of snow that has mostly blown of the lake. Snow drifts around the houses are hard and deep but cross country travel in all directions is good to go due to no snow and almost glare ice.
The drifts have caused some flooding so if you have any doubts about how high your house is blocked, raise it before you drill holes.
Fishing reports are about the same, "good", bad", "great", "slow" and some even "nothing". Deep water (29-30ft.) along shore still is more consistently good than the mudflat bite. Rattle reels are still out fishing the jiggers.
Bobber can you explain why the hard drifts can cause flooding around the houses when drilling holes? This is the second year I have had my house and of course with average weather at best I have used my house only a few times. I brought my house out the weekend after Christmas and have only used once a couple weeks ago. I have it blocked up on a 2x6 and 4x4 on top of the 2x6 so I am off the ice 5 1/4".
Do you think I need to re-block? I have a 10x16 house.
The ice directly under the house does not freeze as much as it does away from it. As its insulated by the structure and the snow banks. Under the house you might have 15-16 inches of ice and aways from it you might find 23-24 inches! And with the weight of the snow banks around your house is now causing it to flood.
Its always a good idea to kick open one end of you banking allowing the cold to get in under the house when its not in use. This will allow the ice under the house to increase in its depth also!
Get my drift?
blocking will depend on how much water you have on top of the ice under the house?
It's my day off today...but I'm home on the PC watching the guys back at The Red Door work on the pressure ridge under the bridge! It was once a big wide crack! now that crack has closed up and it's now a pressure ridge. Sure glad we have that backhoe at the resort!
