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Apr 26, 2008 3:00 pm US/Central
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Anglers May Deal With Ice For Walleye Opener
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) ―
Anglers may be dealing with ice when Minnesota's walleye season opens in two weeks.
The Minnesota Office of Climatology says as of Friday, all major lakes in the northern half of the state were officially ice covered. By this time last year almost all of Minnesota's lakes were ice-free.
Ice-out hasn't been a worry for the walleye opener since 1996. That year, many Minnesota lakes set their record for latest ice-out.
But a cool winter and spring means a later-than-normal ice-out for northern Minnesota and also for Wisconsin, where the fishing season opens Saturday, a week before Minnesota's.
And there's no sign of a warm-up. The National Weather Service in Duluth says temperatures will feel like late March through the last week of April.
Andy Mack, caretaker of Camp Nebagamon on Lake Nebagamon east of Superior, Wis., said ice-out in recent years has averaged about April 15. But Mack remains confident of ice-out before Wisconsin's opener.
Recent rain helps eat away at the ice, even if the sun isn't shining, Mack said.
"The sun and 70 degrees we had the other day really took its toll, and the wind and rain have been working on it the last couple days," Mack said of the lake ice. "We had about 32 inches of ice this year, so it's taking a while to go ... But it's black and candling now so it's just a matter of days."
In central Minnesota, ice-out is hitting about 12 days later than usual this spring. Lake Minnetonka, west of Minneapolis, became ice-free on April 23 compared with the 129-year average of April 11.
Big Sandy Lake near McGregor already is six days behind its usual ice-out date of April 20. But it won't be ice-covered much longer. Big Sandy Lake Lodge said Friday that bays already are open, and predicts the last ice will vanish by Monday, about eight days behind average.
Other lakeshore residents say they're confident Minnesota lakes will open in time for the May 10 opener.
Gunflint Lake on the Ontario border is, on average, Minnesota's last lake to lose its ice each spring on May 7.
"I think it will be out before the opener ... The rain has made a difference just the past two days," said Barb Gecas at Heston's Lodge on Gunflint Lake. "It's not black yet. But it's starting to go. It's not going to make it two more weeks."
(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)