MN Ice Fishing Industry Looking At Another Rough Weather Week

For those who got out on the ice this past weekend, I hope they enjoyed it, as the possible future weather forecast is bleak for getting back out on the ice this upcoming weekend. For those who make a living chartering ice fishing trips, this has been a winter to forget.

Tomorrow 2-5-24 we will be closing our access until at least Friday to get through this warm spell and rain we have coming. We will evaluate the ice Friday and make a decision for the weekend. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. We will still have the bait store open everyday for bait and tackle!

The guys out at Garrison Sports Bait & Tackle were one of the first posts I saw about the upcoming week, and they are taking the wait-and-see approach that I'm sure plenty of other businesses are taking.

The upcoming forecast for the St. Cloud area is calling for temperatures in the low to upper 40s this week, with a chance for rain on Thursday and Friday. On Friday we are expected to cool down to highs in the upper 30s, with highs for the weekend to be in the low to mid 30s and overnight temps dipping down to low 20s.

These are not fantastic temps for making new ice, and depending on how much rain we get, many area lakes might be back to square one for making ice.

A 2002 study by the DNR showed that coldwater fishing in Minnesota generated:

Total expenses at home were $29.37 per person daily. The largest expenses en route and onsite were lodging, prepared food, and gas, with expenses away from home totaling $56.57 per person daily.

That's real money going into the local economy, and if you multiply that by how many seem to enjoy ice fishing in Minnesota that number only grows. So having a season like we've had is going to hurt not only these local businesses but also other businesses that see the ripple effect.

You can read more about that study by going here.