April 14th 11:50 a.m.

April 24th 4:00pm

April 23rd

1 PM

May 2, 2:30 pm ice be gone

April 29th 3:56pm

May 4th 3:33 pm

With all the snow cover to keep afternoon highs in the 20s and low 30s, you might be right with a May ice out date........

Since the record keepers have started keeping track of that, the latest ice out date was May 7th, 1965 (or May 8th, 1975, depending on who you believe, Outdoor News or the DNR). We're on track to beat that right now.

Opener is on the 11th............................................

Ice out happens about a week to two weeks before the walleyes start to spawn, when the water temperature reaches about 42 degrees. If that's the case, spawning walleyes are going to be gettin' hammered by 50,000+ hungry anglers after opener on the 11th.

(I usually put the ones that aren't done right back in the water to do their thing, cuz when they're coming off the spawning beds, they're usually biting well enough to fill a limit from the ones that are done, besides, I don't like milt all over the boat. That way we aren't doing like they do with their nets, robbing the lake of a new generation of walleyes.)

If THAT's the case, though, there won't be many nets in the water if the netting season is only two or three days, so many of those fish will survive to spawn, which this fishery needs desperately to rebound.

It ( ice out day)used to be one of the funnest days to look forward to and celebrate. The last 13 years, locals dread the day. Talk of hoping for one more cold front to hold off the nets is common.

We need to do ALL we can to bring back those fun days...and we will!!

The way the weather is going, now and the ten day forecast, it ain't gonna be gone anytime soon! Gonna have to really get warm and rain and blow hard...to get it out of here by the end of April in my meager experienced opinion. One more 10 day cold stretch like we have now , no matter what happens, it could be here to see May Day! No rush to get the dock ready...

No nets after the Opener is a very good potential. First, the courts said the Tribal harvest can not be a public safety hazard. Wanna bet on how many props would have nets wrapped up in them, waves rolling over the transom, swamping boats, especially  after dark? 2nd, the fish per net ratio would be substantially less later into May and thereafter. Enough fish to merit the costs and effort compared to huge numbers in each net during the spawn--before the Opener? Odds are there would be way less netting if any at all after the sport angling season opens.......

Gill-netting needs to be banned during the spawn for conservation reasons/levels orderd by the rights granting court and banned after the sport angling season as it would  violate the acceptable public safety issues/levels raised by the rights granting court.

I stated May 2, at 2:30pm, but for the life and well being of the lake itself and Walleyes in particular, I hope it is May 15 at high noon. You can always launch a boat and wet a line, screw the nets.

If you click around on this link, you can follow and compare this year to 1950--if there is a comparrison at this stage of the game. Maybe no relevance?

http://www.farmersalmanac.com/weather-history/55391/1950/03/20/

March 17th and ADDING ice!   -14 this morning per Weather.Com in Garrison.  My oh my...

May 4th at Noon!

I would guess that we will be  at least two weeks behind a normal year of ice melting/rotting by the end of this week. April 24th is average ice out date. Or will it go from this late winter stuff to early summer and catch up to normal?

May 6th. 9:02am

moose-hunter wrote:

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Anyone looking to revise their guess with all the weather changes lately? Or are they just a lil' bump in the road?

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Yes...I would like to redo my pick! as there is still a good snow base covering the ice sheet on the lake. Once the ice is exposed it will start to melt and break down. But mother nature is going its thing right now!

A year ago the lake was "full of nets" so far this spring not yet.......thank you mother nature

May 1, 1000 am.  I was up to lake today and still have 4' drifts around house.   Got my boat and motorcyle out of storage today.  Think I might have jumped the gun but spring fever got the best of me.  

tat2jonnie wrote:

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Hah. I picked May 10th at 12:30 p.m. in the Outdoor News contest.

( Bet I win a new T-shirt! )

 

(and the nets are screwed...........)

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 That is funny Love you man!!!!!! ice ice baby!!!! hang on as long you can!!!!!!!

Im thinking there is not a chance in hell that lake will be ice free for the opener!  Prove me wrong mother nature!

Pauleye wrote:

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May 9th. 6:45 pm

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 We be having the "Thilbert T. Maanum" 1st annual crappie opener on lake X instead!!!!!!!!

I originally said May 1st but NO WAY THAT WILL HAPPEN!!! I chose May 9th at 11:48 am. Exact day and time I was born 48 years ago!!

moose-hunter wrote:

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So there are no nets if the sportfishing season is open?

If that's the case... I'll be hoping for a May 12th ice out. Sorry guys... It's for the lake.

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Looks like even my late guess was a bit optimistic.  With the wind mid week, you think it'll happen by the weekend?

The south breeze came up at around daylight today and the big ice sheet hit the north shore --with a whimper. It is piled across the paved road just east of Myr Mar and about 15 ft. high along shore but --so far--no big push like the east and south shores saw over the weekend.

And a few hours later--- The south wind moved the sheet about 6:45 this morning and then about 2 pm. this afternoon it really got a hold of it and moved it into 20ft. high plus piles completely blocking the road along the lake east of Myr Mar. The county had a dozer clearing the road from the early one and had to come back (as I type ) and clear it again. It also came into and almost got Doc's Resort's home and lakeside garage. (within 5 ft. of the home and garage--for now)

Boy, now that there is that much room for play to the east and south, the next NW wind( late Tuesday/early Wednesday) the piles should be high dow nthat way again. That will be the end of the ice show for 2013......

Glen Ertl wrote:

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you calling it wednesday Steve ??? Do you think the MTT goes this weekend ??

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 I doubt official ice out will be Wednesday. But I would say it will be dog gone close by Thursday if not out. After the NW wind settles down from late Tuesday/Wednesday, the next wind switch to the south or east will not allow the ice to make it  back to the west and north--it will be over--gone. If the wind lays down calm and does not switch after the wind on Wednesday, it could lay out there until the weekend and the east side will have ice on shore.

It is all about the wind.

It has really broken up today since I looked at it this morning!  Waves at Hawkbill!  We have a chance...  Look at the time lapse on the Fellegy camera.  I bet all that ice is gone in the morning....