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Glad everyone made it to shore safely!
2. ND: 6 people rescued from Devils Lake…
…after two vehicles broke through in separate incidents:
> Lake Region Search and Rescue and the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office responded to the towers area on Devils Lake for a SnoBear that went through the ice after crossing a pressure ridge. One man was found standing on top of the submerged SnoBear and brought back to shore.
> Sheriff Lang says, a short time later, a side-by-side went through the ice after crossing a pressure ridge near the Doc Hagen’s area in Six Mile Bay on Devils Lake. When deputies arrived at the boat ramp, they learned someone had helped about 5 people to safety.
Wet and cold, but no one was injured.
3. ND: 40th-annual DLVFD Ice Fishing Tournament is this weekend..
On Six-Mile Bay. Apparently organizers found 21.5” of ice in the event area. Proceeds from the tourney are used to buy equipment for the Devils Lake Volunteer Fire Dept = awesome.
4. MN: Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza announced…
…a hybrid approach for the 2024 tournament as there wasn’t expected to enough ice in the usual Gull Lake contest area. So now they’ll be…
> “…using FishDonkey as the platform, keeping the Feb 3rd date but with extended contest hours. Participants will register for the tournament, uploading a picture of their ticket, which is needed to qualify for the event. This hybrid model extends the tournament across multiple Brainerd Area lakes where participants can still compete and experience the thrill of the Extravaganza from the safety and comfort of their chosen locations.”
I’ll have more info coming soon, but they have been posting lots of updates on their FB in the meantime.
5. MN: Should the DNR extend winter walleye fishing…
… now that better ice is here? 🤔 Interesting topic brought up by Dennis Anderson in this StarTribune write-up, few excerpts below:
> After 28 yrs of owning a resort on Mille Lacs, Kevin McQuoid sold his business a couple of years ago. But he still knows how important ice fishing was on that big lake to his operation’s bottom line.
> McQuoid: “About 60% of our annual income on Mille Lacs came from about Christmas until the end of Feb. Once good ice gets on the lake, you really have to push it until the end of the winter season to make the business work.”
> The problem this year is that good ice, varying between 8-12”, is just now taking hold on Mille Lacs. By Wed this week, side-by-sides were pulling smaller wheelhouses onto the lake.
> McQuoid: “When we owned the resort, we had 35 rental houses, and we took care of about 150 private houses. That’s a lot of work but also a lot of business. With the weather we’ve had and lack of ice, everyone on the lake is about 3 weeks behind.”
> The same tale of winter woe is being told and retold to the Canadian border.
> Retail sales of ice fishing gear are down, resorts have had multiple cancellations and motels, restaurants and gas stations have lost significant income because ice anglers have been forced to stay on shore – rather than on frozen water, drilling holes and fishing for walleyes.
> Thus a question is being asked among anglers and winter tourist operators alike:
> Why doesn’t the DNR extend the walleye season a couple of weeks this winter past the Feb 28 scheduled closure (except on MN-CAN border lakes, where the season runs to mid-Apr) to give anglers more opportunities to fish, while also allowing resorts and others businesses to recoup some lost income?
6. MN: How the DNR will spend nearly $150M in one-time funding.
> Nearly $150 million in one-time state funding will go towards improving MN’s public lands, fisheries, camp sites, boat launches and more, according to a new spending plan unveiled by the MN DNR.
Few fishy highlights:
> The largest share of the funding ($60 mil) will go towards enhancing fisheries and fishing infrastructure. These investments include $24 mil for the aging Waterville Hatchery and $19 mil for the Crystal Springs Hatchery.
> The $35 million investment for boat access will support 40-60 large-scale projects and 75-125 small-scale projects.
7. MI: DNR stocked 15.5 tons of fish in 2023.
> …6 different species totaling 1,076,204 fish and 14.5 tons at 103 locations throughout the state….
8. IL: Walleye anglers + fisheries biologists = teaming up…
…for Midwest Walleye Challenge, Mar 30 – Jun 30:
> IL DNR has teamed up with other states, provinces, and developers and researchers at Anglers Atlas to launch this year’s competition.
> Information gathered through the competition will assist Illinois in providing anglers with important data and add to biologists’ knowledge of various waterbodies
More info/rules/register here.
9. How did Minn Kota get its name?
> “Our Mankato headquarters is right down from Fargo, North Dakota, where O.G. Schmidt invented the first gear-driven electric trolling motor in 1934. The idea took off with anglers looking for more boat control, and Schmidt named his growing company for the land he called home. In the heart of fishing country, on the MINNesota and North DaKOTA border, Minn Kota was born.”
Things have sure come a long ways!
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