I did a double take Sunday morning about 11:30 a.m. while I was westbound on County 37 from County 25. What caught my eye was a lone angler with his winter fishing gear in his sled on the shore of East Maple Lake looking like he wanted to kick off the winter season. I should have stopped just to see how deep the ice was, but I figured that would only embarrass him so I continued on to Maple Lake. We haven’t had enough cold nights to make much ice, but there was a report of an ice skater with a kite skating on Pelican Lake Sunday. My informant said he or she was out there for about 2 hours enjoying the new ice or checking various areas for safe ice!
According to the Department of Natural Resources, 12-15 inches of solid ice is needed to safely drive a truck onto a lake or pond. 8-12 inches is needed for normal passenger vehicles. For snowmobiling, a minimum of 5 inches is recommended. And finally, for anyone walking or ice-fishing, 4 inches is what is needed to make the ice safe. The winter ice fishing season lasts from safe ice into February and sometimes the late ice in March can be great so my advice is don’t get in a hurry. The mild weather this week won’t be making much, if any, ice in this area, so spend your spare time sharpening your hooks, putting on new line and arranging your winter tackle box. . . In the meantime, if you’re a muskie fisherman, you can dream about catching a Muskie next summer like the one caught on Mille Lacs last week.
To read the rest of Harold’s column, pick up a copy of the Messenger today!