As we bid an unusually warm February goodbye, and welcome March with hopes of more snow and cold enough temperatures to keep it around until April, it sounds optimistic, but that was the pattern last winter, and it could easily happen again.
I often talk about the “unique” conditions we face in the great north woods of Minnesota, but the warmer trends have caused situations that I had never considered possible. Saganaga Lake is rumored to have a section of sunken ice that has flooded with over six feet of water. The warm weather melted a lot of snow, causing an abundance of water with nowhere to go. Heavy rainfall caused the ice to sink inward, like a giant bowl, from the added weight of the excess water.
These situations are rare but have been known to happen, on a slightly smaller scale, on many of the bigger bodies of water. The bowl could either stay open for the remainder of the winter or re-freeze, leaving a pocket of water between the surface ice and the real lake ice. This situation is dangerous and can swallow snowmobiles and ATVs with little warning.
Lake conditions are always touchy, but this season has been ideal for abnormal situations that could potentially be dangerous. Fresh snow will often mask these problem areas, and a fun day of snowmobiling or ice fishing can instantly turn into a serious situation. Even if you are lucky enough to survive the initial plunge without becoming hypothermic, extracting the sled from partially-open water is not an easy task – especially if the machine has to be left overnight and freezes into the surface water. It takes a lot of muscle and a little courage – that is how you find out who your “real” friends are.
Meanwhile, keep it safe on the ice. Many of the lakes in Cook County melted down to bare ice, flooded, then re-froze when the temperatures dropped. The ice is still thick enough to enjoy some beautiful March fishing, but it would be wise to keep a close eye on the changing conditions as the end of the season approaches. If it is anything like last year, and I believe it will be, the ice will go fast.
Cory Christianson has worked as a fishing guide on the Gunflint Trail since 2000. If you have any fishing or wildlife reports or stories to share, send an email to: christiansoncory@hotmail.com or call 218- 388-0315. You can also visit Cory’s website at Gunflintfishingguide.com.
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