Early Ice Up

[Depthfinder]

With continued cold weather, we should have ice up even earlier than last season!!  Let's hope that the snow stays away once solid ice forms.

[yooperdave]

getting closer every day,,,, went and got new line for my reels,, ready to go

[Depthfinder]

Many lakes with ice on them and some froze over.  I will be checking ice conditions today on a small shallow lake.

[atallgiraffe]

Somebody on Sunday Lake in Wakefield when I drove by this morning. Lakes I've checked by me (Watersmeet) aren't quite ready for my comfort but I expect to be out Monday or Tuesday.

[Iceassin]

Somebody on Sunday Lake in Wakefield when I drove by this morning. Lakes I've checked by me (Watersmeet) aren't quite ready for my comfort but I expect to be out Monday or Tuesday.

How far from the bridge is this? Asking for a troll. 

[atallgiraffe]

Quite a ways west. 5 hours hours from the bridge to Wakefield, probably.

[Depthfinder]

Nothing safe here as of Saturday.  We checked a 100 acre lake with a max depth of 9 ft.  About 1" of ice.

[atallgiraffe]

Checked a lake near me this morning - 2-4 inches of ice where I checked but consistently 3-3.5 inches in a band around the shore and into a bit of a hole - will do some fishing this afternoon. Other lakes I've been checking are a couple of days behind, but with continued cold temps I suspect those will be fishable by the end of the week!

Where are you located, @Depthfinder? Closer to the big lake?

[Depthfinder]

Actually Iron River area.  We fish Watersmeet often!

[Depthfinder]

Did you get out there atallgiraffe?

[atallgiraffe]

I did! Fished that lake (Dinner) a couple of times, no luck. Lots of springs and really variable ice, had to spud my way slowly any time I went somewhere different, and couldn't quite get to where I wanted. No fish! Had one pike on but lost it and saw 3 dinky perch on the camera.

Will be checking some of the other small lakes around here in the next few days. I think a couple are ready to go but not great ice building weather for a few days here.

[Depthfinder]

Thanks for the information.  Yes that lake has some depth for sure.  I'm sure there are other small lakes that have enough ice.  But caution is the rule.

[atallgiraffe]

Some of the small lakes are good to go. 3-4 inches on Moon Lake, at least the east arm. The rest of it was open water for a while, iced over now but surely thinner, didn't walk out that far. Talked to a guy who fished Little Duck, said there was 2.5 inches (not quite enough for my comfort). Somebody was on Grass Lake though I didn't head out there myself.

Not sure how any of the bigger/deeper lakes are doing, except I did drive by Imp a few days ago and it was 90% open yet.

You find anything fishable over there yet?

[FinAndFeather]

Took a ride down H13 in the Hiawatha south of Munising on Saturday, just skim ice around the edges however center seemed like there was some more solid ice. Soon! Anyone been out in the Gwinn area yet?

[Depthfinder]

Yes Emily has 3" but we can't get out far enough.  It was 14 degrees Sunday morning and I hadn't checked after that.  But we are getting warm weather again this week.  I was thinking on trying Grass Lake.  There sure is a lot more water in that lake in the last couple years.

[atallgiraffe]

I've only been in the area for a couple of years, but from aerial imagery and the "aquatic" pines along the shoreline I gather that the water is quite high!

Have you fished that before?

Car is in the shop so I haven't been able to get out this week

[Depthfinder]

We just fished it from shore in late fall but could not cast out that well.  We were in the area.  Bass Lake has many small panfish in it and freezes over early.  Watch for the spring by the boat landing.

[atallgiraffe]

Checked Thousand Island today, skim ice at the launch but looked fully iced over.