Almanac: Late ice-out testing opener limits

It's definitely a late ice-out this spring for Minnesota lakes.

Ice went out on Lake Minnetonka in the Twin Cities last Wednesday -- 12 days later than normal. And as of Thursday, ice still covered most of the larger lakes in the northern half of the state.

The key question for anglers and businesses is whether ice will be gone from all of the lakes, including those in the far north, by the May 10 fishing opener.

The answer: It depends on the weather.

"We're 10 days to two weeks behind in southern Minnesota, and if that pattern marches northward, it could push us awfully close to the May 10 opener," said Greg Spoden, DNR climatologist. "We're hoping for some warm and windy weather."

Average ice-out for Vermilion and Lake of the Woods is April 29. Ten days later would put ice-out on May 9. The average ice-out dates for Leech, Red, Fall and Shagawa lakes is April 27; it's April 28 for Kabetogama and May 7 for Gunflint Lake on the Gunflint Trail.

Some smaller lakes in the north-central region are ice-free. In the Aitkin area, for example, ice went out on the smaller lakes by midweek, and larger lakes, such as Farm Island and Cedar, were expected to be ice-free soon, possibly by today.

"I'm sure the ice will be gone by the opener," said Rick Bruesewitz, DNR area fisheries supervisor in Aitkin. "But the water likely will be cold."

And that could make fish less active and less likely to hit anglers' lines.

Average ice-out on Mille Lacs is April 24. Bruesewitz said, given the forecast, the ice may not go out until next week.

That could delay walleye spawning -- which also could hamper anglers -- though Bruesewitz said he thinks most spawning should be done by the opener. The late ice-out also could mean the Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa still will be netting fish when the angling season opens. The band already has started spring netting.

Meanwhile, at Lake of the Woods near the Canadian border, Chi Chi Lundsten of Angle Outpost Resort said that the ice was 40 inches thick over the winter but that now there are small areas of open water and pelicans, loons, seagulls, ducks and geese have returned. She's optimistic the ice will be gone by May 10.

Janelle Trueblood lives with her family in the woods near Aitkin, so she sees plenty of wildlife. But she'd never seen anything like this.

"I saw his jumble of feathers flying in, and all of a sudden there were two eagles hanging upside down on a small tree in our backyard," said Trueblood, 34. "They were clamped together with their talons, about 20 feet up."

She grabbed her binoculars and a camera.

"They were both adult eagles, about the same size. They were hanging there, pecking at each other, still fighting it out. There was blood on one beak," she said.

Then they quit moving, and she feared they might die. She called DNR conservation officer Bob Mlynar of Aitkin. Before he could respond, the eagles fell from the tree after hanging there for 20 minutes, Trueblood said.

"I don't think I'll see something like that again in my lifetime."

• Bear hunters must apply by Friday for a license for this year's hunt, which runs Sept. 1 to Oct. 12. The DNR is offering 11,850 in 11 permit areas. Bear hunting information is on the DNR website at mndnr.gov/hunting/bear.

• Moose hunters must apply by Friday for a license. A total of 247 bull permits are available in 30 zones in northeastern Minnesota for this year's hunt, which runs Oct. 4-19.

• A 1-pound, 2-ounce crappie caught by Andrew Hedlund was the biggest turned in Saturday at the 41st annual Gander Mountain Crappie Contest at Lake Minnetonka. Thirteen-ounce fish caught by Quinn Smith and Calista Smith tied for first in the youth division.

• The Rainy River is open all the way into Four Mile Bay, and anglers were taking advantage of good sturgeon fishing.

• North Shore anglers have been catching steelhead, loopers and salmon, conservation officers report.

Doug Smith • dsmith@startribune.com