Eagle River area?

[Strokem]

What's it looking like in the Eagle River area & surrounding areas as far as the ice, I've been watching the weather and it should be really making the ice, I love going up there and haven't been able to the last 2 yrs. but I really want to make it back up this year.
Any info is much appreciative!!!!

[eriksat1]

I am a couple hours west of there but I would imagine it is about the same as here around 2" of ice on most lakes with the big deep clear lakes still open water.

[Strokem]

Thanks Eric for the update, I was hoping to make it early to mid January, I'm sure by then things should be a full go. But I will just keep watching weather report and any fishing reports.
Once again thanks!!!!

[52isntbigenough]

What's it looking like in the Eagle River area & surrounding areas as far as the ice, I've been watching the weather and it should be really making the ice, I love going up there and haven't been able to the last 2 yrs. but I really want to make it back up this year.
Any info is much appreciative!!!!

I'm about 45 minutes NW of ER, in Land O Lakes. My neighbors ice fished our bay last weekend and said they were standing on about 4". Nobody was going out more than 1/4 mile. I'm heading back up on Christmas eve for 10 days. I'll try to post more info.

[eriksat1]

Looks like the for the next 4 days it will be going below zero at night, and next Saturday night close to minus -20°F we should have plenty of ice soon. Hopefully some of the snow blows off the lakes then we will be driving trucks on the lakes by Christmas. (Christmas wishful thinking)

[52isntbigenough]

Looks like the for the next 4 days it will be going below zero at night, and next Saturday night close to minus -20°F we should have plenty of ice soon. Hopefully some of the snow blows off the lakes then we will be driving trucks on the lakes by Christmas. (Christmas wishful thinking)

Man, I can't remember when I had enough ice at Christmas to do that. Has to be over 20 years. Seems like the last few years I was unable or lucky to ride my ATV out.

[eriksat1]

Last year we still had to walk out the 2nd week of January.

[esox_xtm]

I was @ St. Germain over the weekend. Very sketchy ice but we found our way out on 2.5 inches (max) on Sat. (12/10). Caught a few with enough walleye for a meal for, well, me!

With the weather coming if we can keep a big pile of wet snow off what's forming we should be good. I'd be happy to to walk almost anywhere by this coming weekend....

[Strokem]

ESOX thanks for the update, by the way the last time I was up there a couple years ago a buddy & Myself ate at a bar & grill there on St. Germain and I had ordered a steak on there menu and let me say it was the BEST Damn steak that I've had,,,,period!!!!!
Can't remember the name of the place but nice establishment.

[esox_xtm]

St. Germain has plenty of eating destinations. If it was on Big St., Fibber's gets the most press and has a resort associated with it. Guide Rob Manthei runs the joint and is a stand up guy. Clearview, just up the road from there is pricey but has better grub.

That's just a couple. Want a real steak experience? Get off the lake and head up to Blink Bonnie west out of St. Germain on 70. A time honored favorite for locals and touristas alike.

[52isntbigenough]

Rob and his wife have a good thing going there at Fibbers. The food is way better than just bar grub. Hell, I've eaten Mahi Mahi there.

[esox_xtm]

Rob and his wife have a good thing going there at Fibbers. The food is way better than just bar grub. Hell, I've eaten Mahi Mahi there.

Yep. You fish the tourney out of there end of Jan? Very well run and always sells out of tickets early. I've hit that a couple of time with my buddy up there and it's always a good time.

[52isntbigenough]

Nope...I fish the St Germain Chamber of Commerce Musky tourny every year, We usually stay up by me and fish a day then head down to St G and stay by Rob.

[esox_xtm]

I've fished that a few times. Lotsa fun. I got a cousin that has access on East Bay though I'm kinda partial to the big fish opportunities that West offers. Rob's a great host open water or hard. First class.

[52isntbigenough]

Some odd conditions up by me this last week. I saw ice depths of 9" to 2" depending on where I was. I primarily fished the Cisco Chain and Palmer. I rode my atv out on what I measured as 9" on the chain, parked, drilled a hole and had my butt pucker as I saw 2".

Even though conditions improved and we gained about 2" of ice throughout the week, please use caution out there.

[eriksat1]

Pretty even ice here, they staked all the lakes snowmobile trails. I had a good 9" inches of ice Sunday in the deep water part of the lake. Very little snow on the ice and going below zero here for a few days now. By the weekend we could have close to 12" enough to start driving out on with our trucks. Maybe you found a bad current area that only had 2 inches??

[bigern02]

I've had funky ice on my home body all year. Started out with my first outing, mostly 4" then you'd hit 2" or less. First ice so this was understandable. Wherever there was a skiff of snow you couldn't walk. Made for ice fishing like in a maze. Even later on after that real cold stuff I'd be drilling 6-8 and even 10 then boom just like that 3. I chalk it up to weird weather. First ice had snow right after. Then snow followed by rain/warm/slush and refreeze. With all that said my water is pretty small acre wise and seems to be levelling off this last week but I've heard pretty similar experiences on other bodies in my area. Stay smart and be careful.

[reup]

Woodruff...Clear Lake has 6 inches near shore, and 3 inches in 30 fow

Lake Tomahawk...Big Carr has about the same

Most of the ice reports on Lake Link seem overly optimistic, and I would be very cautious about taking an atv/snowmobile out on the ice on deeper large lakes.

Forecast for next few days looks good for making ice

Good Luck