Last week's snow storm that dropped more than 14 inches of snow in Central Minnesota is still causing havoc with Central Minnesota lakes.  Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News joined me on WJON. He says the slush underneath the snow and the inability to easily get around lakes is making ice fishing very challenging.  He says many people are just choosing to not ice fish right now. Schmitt indicates there are very few fish houses on area lakes and not many roads or road systems on Central Minnesota lakes. He says conditions in the Twin Cities may be worse.

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Schmitt says access on lakes in northern Minnesota is better right now but not without challenges.  He explains there are plenty of snow drifts and slush issues to deal with there too.  Schmitt indicates there are plenty of situations where accesses are snowed in.  He does say many northern Minnesota lakes have road systems while Central Minnesota lakes do not.

Ice depth is still varying quite a bit on Central Minnesota lakes.  Schmitt says you may encounter 15 inches in one spot but only 9 in another on the same lake.  This makes it difficult to feel good about driving trucks onto lakes and the snow and slush makes it difficult for other types of vehicles.  Schmitt says we've seen this type of thing before and what would help the conditions is a stretch of really cold weather to freeze everything up.  The short term forecast does not call for that in Central Minnesota and it's possible we many see some melting this weekend with highs in the 30s.  Schmitt says this may not be bad because it will cause the snow on the lakes to settle.

The heavy snow in the area isn't all bad because snowmobilers have plenty of snow to play with. Schmitt says many of the groomed trails go across private property but some riders are leaving the trails which has upset these property owners. He urges riders to be respectful.

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Glen Schmitt it is available below.

 

 

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