Ice rescues on Upper Red, Lake of the Woods drowning are low points in difficult ice-fishing season in Minnesota

Battle Lake, Minn. — On Monday, Mike Burville rang in the New Year by cutting a few holes through the ice on 547-acre First Silver Lake just north of Battle Lake in Otter Tail County.

Burville wanted to dust off his ice-fishing gear, but in a responsible way. A smaller lake would have better ice conditions, he thought, unlike some of the county’s larger waters that remain open in some areas. His scouting paid off.

“I stayed pretty close to shore and found about 7 inches of ice,” said Burville, who owns a cabin on West Battle Lake, which, he said, still had open water. “I caught a few small perch; it was just good to get out. There were probably six others out with portables when I was there.”

Sounding the alarm

Burville’s anecdote illustrates how variable ice conditions are, not only throughout the state, but even in the same vicinities across Minnesota.

That’s why local and state public officials are sounding the alarms and warning ice anglers of “poor” or “degraded” ice conditions throughout the state after widespread rain, wind, and unseasonably warm weather blanketed Minnesota last week.

The iffy-at-best conditions, even on northern Minnesota lakes that typically have enough ice now to support vehicle travel, have caused anglers to cancel fishing trips or plan others farther north, in some cases into Canada. The poor ice conditions have also hurt fishing-related businesses, including bait shops, guide services, and resorts. Most contacted by Outdoor News say business is down considerably.

“We canceled our trip to Lake of the Woods until February,” said Jared Wiklund, public relations manager for Pheasants Forever. “It’s not worth going that far until ice conditions get better.”

Colder weather coming

The good news is that colder weather has arrived, especially in north-central and northern Minnesota.

In Baudette, for example, the long-term forecast has high temperatures this week hovering in the 20s and lows in the upper teens. After Saturday, daytime and nighttime temperatures for several days get progressively colder and into single digits – an arctic blast the Minnesota DNR says the state needs to make new, clear ice.

Access prohibited on parts of Upper Red Lake

That can’t happen fast enough for law enforcement officials and resort owners on Upper Red Lake, one of the state’s premiere early ice-fishing destinations.

Beltrami County is currently prohibiting vehicle access to parts of Upper Red within its county jurisdiction, following multiple rescues recently of anglers who fell through unstable ice or were stranded on ice floes.

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In an interview Tuesday morning, Beltrami County Sheriff Jason Riggs said the order went into effect late last Saturday and includes snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles. Public county access points on Upper Red Lake have been posted, Riggs said. The order does not include resort operators, he said, who still have “limited use” of ATVs to check ice conditions and the welfare of their ice-fishing clients.

“This decision was made purely out of public-safety concerns,” Riggs said. “It’s not something I wanted to do, but felt needed to be done. One guide service wasn’t overly happy about the decision, but most people have been supportive. They know public safety comes first.”

Riggs said the vehicle-prohibition order was influenced by last Friday’s rescue of roughly 120 people from an ice floe on Upper Red Lake. Emergency responders also had to rescue about four people in canoes who fell into the lake while trying to rescue the stranded group. Riggs said there have been seven rescues in recent weeks on Upper Red that required public safety officials. He estimates each rescue costs about $10,000.

“We’re putting a lot of stress on our first responders to make these rescues,” said Riggs, adding that some responders have had to travel “a considerable distance” to get to Upper Red Lake.

No consistency to ice

In addition, Riggs said the county has organized an ice-assessment team for Upper Red.

It includes county officials, local Minnesota DNR staff, resort owners, and tribal officials, among others. Riggs said the team, which planned to meet Wednesday, will collaborate on ice-safety issues, including when to remove vehicle restrictions on Upper Red Lake.

Ice assessments will be aided by aircraft and drones and possibly airboats, Riggs said, adding that public updates will be made “as soon possible” on social media and elsewhere.

As they are across most of the state, ice conditions in Beltrami County are highly variable, and ice anglers need to exercise extreme caution when venturing out.

“Some lakes around here have 10 or 11 inches of ice, while others, which had breaks in the ice, have an inch or two,” Riggs said. “There’s just no consistency anywhere, and anglers need to keep that in mind.”

Riggs said he’s hoping expected colder weather during the next 10 days will improve ice conditions on Upper Red Lake and elsewhere.

“We’re really hoping Mother Nature cooperates,” he said.

Generally speaking, ice conditions are poorer in central and southern Minnesota, DNR officials say. Many lakes have open water.

Smaller bodies of water do have marginal ice, but last week’s warm weather and rain deteriorated conditions further. According to the DNR, agency conservation officers and county sheriff’s deputies across the state have responded to instances of fishing houses and recreational vehicles breaking through ice.

DNR officials are encouraging ice anglers to follow ice-safety guidelines to the letter.

To minimize risk, wear a life jacket or a float coat and carry ice picks, rope, an ice chisel, and tape measure. Check ice thickness regularly. Always bring a cell phone or personal locater beacon. Don’t fish alone, if at all possible. And always let someone know where you plan on fishing.

Man drowns on Lake of the Woods

A passenger died after a commercial transport vehicle crashed through the ice on a Minnesota lake.

The transport vehicle, commonly known as a “bomber,” crashed through the ice the morning of Dec. 28 on Lake of the Woods, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. The body of a male passenger was recovered about seven hours later by a dive team, the sheriff’s office said.

The victim later was identified as John F. Frey, 78, of Prairie du Sac, Wis. Paul Colson, owner of Jake’s Northwest Angle Resort, told the newspaper that a neighboring resort was operating a snow bus when it broke through the ice. Colson said around five or six passengers were able to escape with the help of the driver.

Bombers are equipped with caterpillar tracks.

They are used on the American side of the lake to haul customers to and from ice-fishing locations away from shore.

The Minnesota DNR said ice conditions had deteriorated in recent days. Beltrami County Sheriff Jason Riggs said on Facebook that “few, if any, areas of the state have the ice thickness necessary” to hold structures placed on the ice for fishermen, often known as wheelhouses.

— Associated Press