Anyone up in the Red Lake area who can help me out with a question about ice out?

[TennesseeGuy]

Ice is crappy and weak. A little time and a day or two of strong wind should do it in. You'll be okay, just don't stay up so late worrying.

 

I'll be hitting Little Vermilion May 16.

 

Going in a day or two later wouldn't mess up my trip. I'm gonna have a good stay. Always do. Life is great.

[Whopper]

Going in a day or two later wouldn't mess up my trip.

 

Speak for yourself, although I did lose a day last year . This year will be different we'll be on time and on the water.

 

Life will be good!

[bucktail]

As of last weekend it was mostly frozen over. Boss did a boo around in a float plane and thats what he saw.

[irishfield]

Ben is still iced in at Lac Seul

[rickster]

Rainy Lake and Lake of the woods are mostly out as of today so I venture to guess early next week for the lakes aroud red lake and ear falls to be out

 

 

Rickster

[danc]

Less than a week to go and here's a satellite shot from today of the lake that I plan on fishing next weekend. Not looking good.

 

[[email protected]]

What lake is that Dan? There are some weather sites predicting rain with cool temps for the Red lake area on Mon. and Tues. but a couple others that are not reporting any chance of rain at all on the same days so who knows,the rain would certainly help get things moving along much quicker.

[danc]

This is the south end of Lake Nipigon kinbud. At this point I'm not very optimistic about heading out next weekend. Where you're going is further north, but typically warmer. You might have a chance, but it's gonna go down to the wire. I hope things work out for you.

[[email protected]]

Yeah the reality that the trip might not happen is really starting to hit me,can't reschedule either due to the huge pain in the ass of working out the time off to get up there so if this doesn't happen i guess i will have to wait until next year for my Canadian adventure. On another note i am really starting to build a hatred of the various weather forecasting websites,a week ago i was worried but then all the forecasts looked like we would have plenty of warm weather(60+degrees) to melt the ice so i started feeling better and then boom,they change drastically and it now looks like nothing but upper 40's and low 50's all the way till we are supposed to arrive which i am not sure will be enough to get rid of the ice in time.

[grt1]

good morning from the great North West. Last night was the first night the temperature stayed above zero and the lake didn[t refreeze where it has melted.

 

Gullrock, south of Red Lake, is opening around the mouth of Bug River and the ice is slowly coming off the shore. My neighbour was working on his dock yesterday told me there was still 2 feet of ice but it has mostly crystallized and is ready to go if we get some wind and rain. The biggest thing is we have to stay above zero at night. So lets hope the weather man has a little mercy on us.

 

There is a little lake near red lake that after that opens up , our lake is usually 7 -10 days after that. Well that lake opened on Friday, so maybe spring in all it's glory is going to make an appearance after all.

[Rybren]

Boy, it sounds like you guys are having a really late breakup this year. I lived and worked up that way in the mid-late 70's and early 80's and I can't remember a year when we didn't have our planes in the water by the first week of May.

 

So much for global warming.

 

I'd be really surprised if you didn't have open water by the 20th. Keep your spirits up and remember to bring lots of warm cothes - it can get very cool even into early June.

 

Good luck.

[TennesseeGuy]

I expect to fly to Little Vermilion (relatively shallow lake) Friday - May 16.

 

I'm sure we'll see lots of ice on deeper lakes. I haven't missed an opener beginning in 1984 and we've gone through this a couple of other times.

 

I'm not alarmed by our trend toward global cooling. It'll turn around in a few years and we'll be looking at global warming again.

[danc]

On another note i am really starting to build a hatred of the various weather forecasting websites,

 

I'm not sure why they even try to predict the weather 2 weeks in advance Kinbud. The percentage chance of them being right is next to zero. On a positive note, once the ice starts going, it goes very fast. Sometimes in a day. Keep in touch with grt 1. He's the best contact here. I really hope that you can pull this one off though. My fingers are crossed for you.

[[email protected]]

Hell Dan,they don't even seem to be able to predict it correctly just a few days in advance.

[[email protected]]

Good news,Enid of Viking Outposts reports that they had a pilot fly up to their lakes 90 miles north of Red lake and all of them were mostly open water as of today. I hope that the larger lakes in the area soon follow suit.

[grt1]

I went into Red Lake this morning and took these pictures from the government dock.

 

 

 

Edited May 12, 2008 by grt1

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Wow grt1 that ice still looks like it is a ways away from breaking up. Supposedly some other parts of the lake(far western side) are opened up enough to land float planes and fish the shallower areas according to a blog posted last night. Also in another blog posted yesterday they had some video of a boat in the water along with some VERY weak looking ice in the Howey bay area of the lake so maybe the water at these government docks is just really deep and will be one of the last areas of the lake to thaw? Also got some very encouraging news when i asked one of the bloggers who had sent a pilot up north to check on the lakes up that way about the conditions the pilot saw when flying over Nungesser,this was the answer that i was given: "From what Craig saw from the air, you will definitely be fine at Nungesser. Your outfitter may not have much time to get the camp ready and there may be a few bits of ice left, BUT YOU WILL BE FISHING!" so this person seems to be pretty sure that i am good to go based on what they saw from the air but being the pessimist that i am on stuff like this i will not feel better until i actually hear it from Kevin himself.

[Basskicker]

Who ever was heading up for the 16th better pray for a miracle!!! I know the ice goes fast when it really gets going, but I'd say it'll probably going to take until the 20th for sure...if your lucky......by the looks of that....you could still go ice fishing!!!

 

Jason

[[email protected]]

Basskicker, i am pretty sure the guys going up on the 16th are going to Little Vermillion lake which is much shallower than Red lake which they said causes it to thaw much sooner every year. So if the reports of many smaller and shallower lakes to the north being ice free are true then it looks like they will be good to go.

[grt1]

I stopped today at my neighbours across the lake at Bug River, He has water all around his docks but says he is afraid to put his docks in because of the amount of ice left in our bay and is worried the wind will bring it in on them.

 

He also told me he has swung most of his first week customers to other weeks but still has two big groups coming for opening weekend because they are insisting on being here opening weekend, He is hoping the ice goes by the 20th.

 

As for Howey Bay , it is not deep, maybe 30 feet at the deepest. The main portion of Red Lake opens about 5-7 days after Howey Bay. The planes are taking off of the Chukuni River between Red Lake and Keg Lake. It always opens first.

[[email protected]]

Thanks for the info grt1,i am just hoping what i heard about Red lake being the last lake in the area to open up is true and that Nungesser is well ahead of what they are seeing there because those pics you took make it look like it will be awhile before that part of the lake is open. Kevin has been saying for almost 2 weeks that he expects ice out on Nungesser to come no later than the 18th,it sure is starting to look like he knew what he was talking about based on the observations of the pilot who went on the scouting mission yesterday!

[BryonG]

You will have a great time at Anglers Kingdom. I was up there last fall the end of Sept. Very cool piece of water.Kevin will put you on fish.The only problem you will have is not wanting to come back home

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Yes Chef i saw your post with all the pics and it made it even harder to wait for the trip,that is why i have been freaking out so much about this ice situation because i am just so damn ready to get up there and actually fish somewhere where there is a pretty decent chance of putting a 40+" Pike in the boat rather than these over fished waters around where i live where you would be lucky to get a 30 incher along with a few hammer handles. Just praying for this ice to melt so i can get up there and see what it is all about.

[TennesseeGuy]

Ben, believe me when I tell you Kevin will find a way to get you to camp and put you on some good fish.

[BryonG]

No worries..........All will be fine.......I am headed for the Winnipeg river next week myself.When you cross the border everything is fine..The Fishing Gods will look after the little things