Author Topic: Kenora area ice report  (Read 5174 times)

Offline Snakehunter

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Kenora area ice report
« on: Dec 08, 2011, 04:00 PM »
Got out today looking for deer in the Rush Bay area. Wind was howling and the deer were holed up so I went and checked a few fishing areas for ice.
Rush Bay is frozen completely over. No traffic on ice yet and ice looked really new. Should be safe by the weekend for walking on, at your own risk of course. Clytie Bay on Shoal Lake is completely frozen as far as the eye can see. I would wait a week or two to go out on this one as it usually is last of the area lakes to get solid. I typically wait for the new year anyway.
Crowduck is solid as is some of the smaller bays off Echo Bay. Echo itself is not yet solid. Clearwater Bay is totally open water. Pyes Landing is solid, but beyond there it is completely void of any ice. With the wind this week it will not even get a skim of ice. I am guessing Clearwater Bay will be two to three weeks behind normal, based on the warm weather we had in October and November.

Lake of the Woods is frozen all over the northern area, out to Treaty and the Tangle. No idea of ice thickness out there though. Recent freeze up so I would not venture out there. No report on the Manitou stretch, but with the winds lately I doubt if it is frozen much. Friends tell me there is 4-6" of good ice off most of the landings. Typical winters see me driving my truck out there as early as the 17th but I doubt it this year. I am guessing it will be at least Christmas as long as the weather stays as cold as it has been and the snow stays off.

All the little pi$$hole lakes around here are frozen solid. Should be absolutely no problem for foot traffic and I would say snowmobiles would be okay by the weekend. Lack of snow might be a bit of a problem though. Quads - go at your own risk.

Hopefully this cold snap will continue and we avoid any significant snow.

See you out on the ice soon.
Glen



Offline Boatless

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Re: Kenora area ice report
« Reply #1 on: Dec 08, 2011, 04:05 PM »
Good stuff. Thanks for taking the time!

Offline Snakehunter

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Re: Kenora area ice report
« Reply #2 on: Dec 08, 2011, 04:12 PM »
Weather is gonna be unsettled for the weekend. From minus 19 with a windchill value of minus 27 on Friday to a forecast high of plus 1 on Sunday. **censored** ::)
Other than that, typical winter values. Heading out on Tuesday and/or Wednesday for another try for deer. As soon as tag is filled I am fishing.



Offline viciouscircle

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Re: Kenora area ice report
« Reply #3 on: Dec 08, 2011, 11:29 PM »
Nice report Glen.

I'll be fishing this weekend somewhere for sure...but i dont have a quad so am somewhat limited to venues.
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Offline Snakehunter

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Re: Kenora area ice report
« Reply #4 on: Dec 09, 2011, 07:35 PM »
I know of a couple walk-on lakes for speckled trout and splake. Let me know if you want to get out during the week sometime soon if your schedule permits.



Offline 2356brent

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Re: Kenora area ice report
« Reply #5 on: Dec 10, 2011, 10:59 PM »
Greetings all,

FYI - Clytie has 4-7'' as of this evening, but i didn't venture further than 200 yds from the shoreline. 

Offline Snakehunter

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Re: Kenora area ice report
« Reply #6 on: Dec 10, 2011, 11:32 PM »
Thanks Brent. I just talked to a guy at work and he tells me a friend of his who lives on Shoal drove her truck across it yesterday. A bit early for my taste :o



Offline Boatless

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Re: Kenora area ice report
« Reply #7 on: Dec 12, 2011, 09:48 AM »
Rush Bay was a solid 12" all the way across. Clytie bay was about 8" by my eye about 300 yards out. We just fished the first point for a couple hours to end the day.

Pretty tough fishing Saturday. No crappies, just perch and pike; mind you some of the perch were jumbos in the 11-12" range. Shoal was really quiet with only a couple bee's landed.

Offline viciouscircle

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Re: Kenora area ice report
« Reply #8 on: Dec 12, 2011, 10:01 AM »
Rush Bay was a solid 12" all the way across. Clytie bay was about 8" by my eye about 300 yards out. We just fished the first point for a couple hours to end the day.

Pretty tough fishing Saturday. No crappies, just perch and pike; mind you some of the perch were jumbos in the 11-12" range. Shoal was really quiet with only a couple bee's landed.

Good to know Ben.......nice report!
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Offline 2356brent

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Re: Kenora area ice report
« Reply #9 on: Dec 12, 2011, 08:12 PM »
Boatless - I assume that was you in the blue clam Saturday PM?  I was the ill-prepared angler cutting indiscriminate holes in the ice w/a chainsaw after forgetting my auger. 

Glad I wasn't the only one that didn't achieve  success.

Offline Boatless

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Re: Kenora area ice report
« Reply #10 on: Dec 13, 2011, 08:42 AM »
That would have been me. I didn't see you though. I do recall hearing a chainsaw while leaving RB come to think of it.

Offline firefighter

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Re: Kenora area ice report
« Reply #11 on: Dec 13, 2011, 03:31 PM »
Rush Bay was a solid 12" all the way across. Clytie bay was about 8" by my eye about 300 yards out. We just fished the first point for a couple hours to end the day.

Pretty tough fishing Saturday. No crappies, just perch and pike; mind you some of the perch were jumbos in the 11-12" range. Shoal was really quiet with only a couple bee's landed.

What gives with the crappies on Rush Bay. Caught them there in the spring but don't know what to look for with ice. Fish them deep, suspended, over structure, weeds? ???

Have made a few vain attempts but never seem to mark anything of the like when I've tried. Only perch and hammer handle northerns. :(

FF
He who hesitates is lost...

Offline FishSean

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Re: Kenora area ice report
« Reply #12 on: Dec 13, 2011, 04:02 PM »
I was out on Laurenson's on Saturday, we had 10 inches of very good ice.  Fishing was very slow though.  No crappies that we could find.
Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught.

Offline Snakehunter

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Re: Kenora area ice report
« Reply #13 on: Dec 13, 2011, 06:30 PM »
I saw a bunch of guys on Laurenson on Saturday.  I usually fish the hump further out towards the middle of the lake, south of where the snowmobile trail usually goes. Usually somebody gets into the crappies.



Offline FishSean

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Re: Kenora area ice report
« Reply #14 on: Dec 14, 2011, 06:06 PM »
Yeah we started out fishing the large rock face on the North shore and eventually made our way to the hump in the middle but nothing except a pike and perch.
Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught.

Offline FishSean

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Re: Kenora area ice report
« Reply #15 on: Dec 19, 2011, 11:48 AM »
Anyone make it out fishing in the nothern part of LOTW this last weekend? I would like to hear how you did... I was stuck at the inlaws Christmas party this last weekend.  :-\
Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught.

Offline Boatless

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Re: Kenora area ice report
« Reply #16 on: Dec 19, 2011, 02:23 PM »
Not I. Christmas parties all weekend...

Probably won't make it back to the area until the 2nd weekend in January for lakers.

Offline Snakehunter

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Re: Kenora area ice report
« Reply #17 on: Dec 19, 2011, 05:27 PM »
Report from a friend who took his quad out south of Wolf at the Welcome Channel inlet says ice is good out for a way. Saw some open areas way south though.



Offline FishSean

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Re: Kenora area ice report
« Reply #18 on: Dec 19, 2011, 10:59 PM »
Nice, thanks for the info, yeah I'm in Moore Bay and cannot see myself getting out there for awhile yet with this nice weather!!
Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught.

Offline Boatless

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Re: Kenora area ice report
« Reply #19 on: Dec 20, 2011, 08:45 AM »
Looking forward to hitting the ice roads at the end of January this year!

Offline FishSean

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Re: Kenora area ice report
« Reply #20 on: Dec 27, 2011, 04:16 PM »
 :-\ with this weather, who knows ...
Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught.

Offline Silas

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Re: Kenora area ice report
« Reply #21 on: Dec 27, 2011, 05:04 PM »
Ice Report from a friend for the Sioux Narrows area:

"Open Water from North East side of Bell Island to the Aluneau over by Ghost and Brule Bay. Even if it skims over for New Years, Probably not a good idea to be heading over there fishing. Either be on an inch of ice or you'll need a boat. Be careful. Stay away from deep water in Whitefish Bay"

Offline grog

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Re: Kenora area ice report
« Reply #22 on: Dec 27, 2011, 06:24 PM »
Report from a friend who took his quad out south of Wolf at the Welcome Channel inlet says ice is good out for a way. Saw some open areas way south though.

Hey Snakehunter - I see you are in Kenora, any word on what the ice might be like on Silver Lake?  its usually marginal ice on cold years so this year might need a boat for opener of trout?

and any hints as to where you were out of nestor falls? I will be there looking for a crappie soon.

good luck ---

Offline FishSean

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Re: Kenora area ice report
« Reply #23 on: Dec 28, 2011, 03:29 PM »
Reports from a neighbor tell me that they have started the ice roads on the West side of the lake...
Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught.

Offline Snakehunter

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Re: Kenora area ice report
« Reply #24 on: Dec 28, 2011, 10:08 PM »
There's a road off Kendall Inlet but I don't know how far you can safely go. Report on the radio say's there was a problem near Billy Goat Island.
Manitou still has some sketchy areas. Guys are quadding from Kendall out the Welcome Channel to Houghs but I hear the fishing sucks out there right now.

I was on the lake with my van on Christmas afternoon but only out to Coney. I measured a solid 12" of clear ice. Road only goes a bit farther out. Not over Treaty yet as far as I know.

For the area trout lakes I doubt they'd be safe yet. Maybe the smaller ones but for sure Silver Lake would not be too solid IMHO. Clearwater Bay only just skimmed over these past few days.

I am going out again this week so I will report on the ice conditions later.

Stay safe,
Glen



Offline Boatless

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Re: Kenora area ice report
« Reply #25 on: Dec 29, 2011, 08:44 AM »
Dang, I hope we get some cold weather in the next week. Jan 7th is coming up quick and I'd like to hit one of the larger lakes for trout...

Offline Snakehunter

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Re: Kenora area ice report
« Reply #26 on: Dec 29, 2011, 01:26 PM »
The local radio reports that a Minnesota man on a quad went through the ice a couple days ago near Billy Goat Island. He used hand picks to pull himself out and he is okay.
Not sure what to make of these reports because the area he was in has several current spots. Locals know where to go typically.
Just a few hundred yards from this particular area toward The Tangle is treacherous ice all winter.

If you are not familiar with the ice conditions or the potential for encountering current areas - stay off or go with a local.

My 2 cents.........
Glen



Offline briand

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Re: Kenora area ice report
« Reply #27 on: Dec 29, 2011, 03:29 PM »
Thank you for the report.
If Silver has bad ice, then Winnange and or Gorden would not be much better.
Any word on the ice on the wpg river up by minaki area ??

Offline Snakehunter

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Re: Kenora area ice report
« Reply #28 on: Dec 29, 2011, 11:33 PM »
I was at Gordon 2 weeks ago and it was wide open with only shore ice. Did see two cow moose by the road. Wish there was a calf!!
Not sure about Winange, Teagu etc. but I doubt they'd be much better.
Gotta hope it chills off soon and the snow stays off. Going to be around zero on Saturday. This is really unseasonable weather.



Offline Boatless

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Re: Kenora area ice report
« Reply #29 on: Dec 30, 2011, 08:46 AM »
Looks like we'll be catching dinker trout on one of the smaller lakes at this rate... Or just head back to Western MB and catch big bows and browns.

 



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