The Minnesota Fishing Opener is just over 3 weeks away.  An update yesterday from guides at Fortune Bay Casino show how much ice is still on the lake, and it is not looking good. 

According to the test holes they drilled yesterday April 17th, Everett Bay still has 33 inches of ice.  That's a lot of ice for this time of year.  However, there is some hope as temperatures are finally starting to climb.

Nearby Tower's forecast has highs in the upper 40's and mid 50's which will melt a lot of ice.  Rain can help too, and there are some chances of rain coming up as well.

Here's hoping that that ice will melt as many businesses on Northern MN lakes really depend on fishing opener income to keep their businesses going. It still is possible too, with warmer temperatures, as soon as ice starts to "honeycomb" the ice can melt very quickly.  Also just because there is 33 inches of ice in this location, it's important to remember lake ice thickness can very across the lake and conditions can deteriorate rapidly.

 

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