Mild Winter? Early ice out??

MikeF-NH · 02-22-2020, 08:08 AM

I don't make it anywhere near the lake during winter but am usually one of the first boats in the water in the Spring (many times before Ice Out is declared).

I have been watching the lake cams and tracking the very mild winter we had until very recently and am wondering if anyone can provide thoughts about ice conditions on the lake as it pertains to ice out. It seemed that we were still in January and had large areas of open water that just ice in recently.

Are your observations that we have less ice than normal on parts of the lake and that (if the mild patters persist) we might see ice out even before April 1? Or did the recent cold stretches catch the ice up and we are close to normal icing conditions?

Winilyme · 02-22-2020, 08:44 AM

Please oh please everyone - say “early ice out for sure”. The only ice I’m ever interested in seeing is the cubes chilling my tea as I sit on the dock on a sunny 85 degree day watching the boats go by. I’m feeling the fever coming on.

ishoot308 · 02-22-2020, 10:11 AM

Hi Mike,

In my opinion and for what that’s worth, my thought and hope is we should be fishing April 1st if the month of March is as mild as predicted.

The ice is probably thickest right now but the mild weekend and upcoming temps and longer days will be working on what little ice we have. When it does start to go, it’s gonna go quick!

That’s my thoughts and hopes!😁

Keep your fingers crossed!

Dan

MikeF-NH · 02-23-2020, 02:14 PM

Dan...you always know just the right thing to say!!!! I have reached that point of winter where I'm ready to see the ice and snow melt and call the dealer to get the boat out of storage and ready to go

MAXUM · 02-23-2020, 03:02 PM

For what it's worth, in a typical winter I would generally see 18 as much as 36" of ice in front of my place by this time. This morning measured 9" and change. This was one of the last places to lock up.

That certainly would indicate early ice out is possible.

boat_guy64 · 02-23-2020, 08:43 PM

It has been a mild winter but the ice formed differently than other years from my viewpoint on Meredith Bay. That said, we had a lock up across Meredith Bay (about 3000 feet of ice from my shore to the shore across the bay) earlier than any years in the past 15 I've lived here. I've seen it lock up as late as Jan 15 and this year it locked up on December 21. I anticipated it was just skim ice but it held together and never went away. Even the frigid year of two years ago with record below 0 temps in mid December did not lock up until December 28. However, I'm sure that sustained cold is a much larger influencer on the ice.

Hillcountry · 02-24-2020, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Top-Water

I hope you are correct and my fingers are crossed.

Don't worry...Dan is always right!

joey2665 · 02-24-2020, 02:23 PM

I recently spoke to a meteorologist that works for the federal government and feeds forecasts to local stations in New York. She told me that she does not see any prolonged cold spells for the rest of the season however there will be above average precipitation

Sent from my iPhone using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

Descant · 02-24-2020, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joey2665

I recently spoke to a meteorologist that works for the federal government and feeds forecasts to local stations in New York. She told me that she does not see any prolonged cold spells for the rest of the season however there will be above average precipitation

I haven't looked lately. Isn't that what the Old Farmer's Almanac printed last fall?

Hillcountry · 02-24-2020, 08:46 PM

Someone posted these on another forum. The good ol’ days!

Hillcountry · 02-25-2020, 08:52 AM

I have no idea why these come out sideways sometimes....

joey2665 · 02-25-2020, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Descant

I haven't looked lately. Isn't that what the Old Farmer's Almanac printed last fall?

I do not follow the farmers almanac my information came from a meteorologist from Brookhaven Labs that works directly for the US Government and she feeds forecasts to local stations in New York and Long Island

upthesaukee · 02-25-2020, 08:12 PM

I thought they were standing on a steep bank on the lake.

Dave

ishoot308 · 02-25-2020, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hillcountry

Don't worry...Dan is always right!

I keep telling my wife that but it never goes over well!

Hillcountry · 02-26-2020, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ishoot308

I keep telling my wife that but it never goes over well!

In case you hadn’t heard yet Dan...

Andromeda321 · 02-26-2020, 03:05 PM

I was up last weekend by the lake, and went skiing Sunday at Gunstock so got to see the entire lake. At our place in Moultonborough I saw an ice house off of Wallace Island and snowmobilers running between Blueberry and Black Cat, so clearly it's as solid as ever. (I didn't venture out myself.) From Gunstock, I was surprised to see the entire lake frozen over that you can see from up there (it definitely wasn't last time I skied there MLK weekend) but there were giant cracks and random dark patches that I wouldn't expect to see late February.

I also put an ice out date before the earliest ever a few years ago, so you can tell what I'm thinking. It's not going to be a good summer for anyone who dislikes bugs and ticks I think.

ishoot308 · 02-26-2020, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hillcountry

In case you hadn’t heard yet Dan...

I saw that! What an unbelievable catch!

Here’s the real interesting thing to note...I bet that fish was swimming when the previous state record was caught 62 years ago! I can’t say that for sure but wouldn’t doubt it a bit. I hope the F&G biologist get involved to give us all a little more info on this fish, especially the age!

What a great trophy catch!

Dan

AC2717 · 02-26-2020, 07:04 PM

where was that caught in NH? in Winni?

ishoot308 · 02-26-2020, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AC2717

where was that caught in NH? in Winni?

Good luck getting that info publicly!!

Hillcountry · 02-27-2020, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ishoot308

Good luck getting that info publicly!!

Yes they are tight lipped about these things but...the same guy that caught that near record laker “up north” caught a 16 pounder on Winni yesterday!
It’s on the FB “ice fishing nh” page!

Posted with the gentleman’s permission.

fatlazyless · 02-28-2020, 05:15 AM

..... story in Feb 27, Conway Daily Sun: 'Monster record lake trout caught in NH' includes a color photograph.

In the article a state biologist says this fish was probably born like 50-60 years ago, maybe when Lyndon Johnson was the president in the 1960's, and it is the largest lake trout ever caught in all six new england states ….. so's how about that!

So, what happened to 'catch and release' ……. aren't big fish like this supposed to get released back in after you photo it with your phone camera and post it on winnipesaukee.com! Where's the catch and release, here! …

You can see someone smiling in the photo, but it ain't the fish that's smiling!

ishoot308 · 02-28-2020, 07:14 PM

Well I wasn’t too far off, according to NHF&G biologist, that record laker recently caught is estimated to be between 50 and 60 years old!

Dan

Lakegeezer · 02-29-2020, 07:13 AM

Happy Leap Day. This year, we have extra day to put in a guess for Winnipesaukee.com's ice-out contest. Link is here

macbeth · 03-03-2020, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hillcountry

In case you hadn’t heard yet Dan...

And I Truly feel after fishing Winni for 50 years there are much bigger Lake Trout in Winni then this one.

Hillcountry · 03-06-2020, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by macbeth

And I Truly feel after fishing Winni for 50 years there are much bigger Lake Trout in Winni then this one.

Yes...who knows what the depths hold??? (evil laugh)

fatlazyless · 03-07-2020, 09:04 AM

Google this: 'Ice Fishing is Fun!' March 4, 2020: NY Times, for a photo story from Silver Lake in Madison, NH.

02-22-2020, 08:08 AM	#1
MikeF-NH Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 318 Thanks: 2 Thanked 120 Times in 80 Posts	Mild Winter? Early ice out?? I don't make it anywhere near the lake during winter but am usually one of the first boats in the water in the Spring (many times before Ice Out is declared). I have been watching the lake cams and tracking the very mild winter we had until very recently and am wondering if anyone can provide thoughts about ice conditions on the lake as it pertains to ice out. It seemed that we were still in January and had large areas of open water that just ice in recently. Are your observations that we have less ice than normal on parts of the lake and that (if the mild patters persist) we might see ice out even before April 1? Or did the recent cold stretches catch the ice up and we are close to normal icing conditions?

02-22-2020, 10:11 AM	#3
ishoot308 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Gilford, NH / Welch Island Posts: 6,226 Thanks: 2,382 Thanked 5,275 Times in 2,049 Posts	Hi Mike, In my opinion and for what that’s worth, my thought and hope is we should be fishing April 1st if the month of March is as mild as predicted. The ice is probably thickest right now but the mild weekend and upcoming temps and longer days will be working on what little ice we have. When it does start to go, it’s gonna go quick! That’s my thoughts and hopes!😁 Keep your fingers crossed! Dan __________________ It's Always Sunny On Welch Island!!

02-23-2020, 08:43 PM	#6
boat_guy64 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Windham and Meredith Posts: 225 Blog Entries: 5 Thanks: 33 Thanked 89 Times in 42 Posts	I'm not sure It has been a mild winter but the ice formed differently than other years from my viewpoint on Meredith Bay. That said, we had a lock up across Meredith Bay (about 3000 feet of ice from my shore to the shore across the bay) earlier than any years in the past 15 I've lived here. I've seen it lock up as late as Jan 15 and this year it locked up on December 21. I anticipated it was just skim ice but it held together and never went away. Even the frigid year of two years ago with record below 0 temps in mid December did not lock up until December 28. However, I'm sure that sustained cold is a much larger influencer on the ice.

02-24-2020, 08:46 PM	#10
Hillcountry Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: In the hills Posts: 2,420 Thanks: 1,677 Thanked 786 Times in 466 Posts	Speaking of old photos... Someone posted these on another forum. The good ol’ days! Attached Images

02-25-2020, 08:12 PM	#13
upthesaukee Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Alton Bay Posts: 5,596 Blog Entries: 2 Thanks: 2,452 Thanked 1,979 Times in 1,080 Posts	Steep bank? I thought they were standing on a steep bank on the lake. Dave __________________ I Live Here... I am always UPTHESAUKEE !!!!

02-22-2020, 08:44 AM	#2
Winilyme Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2019 Location: Ice in = CT / Ice out = Winnipesaukee Posts: 485 Thanks: 132 Thanked 289 Times in 155 Posts	Please oh please everyone - say “early ice out for sure”. The only ice I’m ever interested in seeing is the cubes chilling my tea as I sit on the dock on a sunny 85 degree day watching the boats go by. I’m feeling the fever coming on.

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02-23-2020, 02:14 PM	#4
MikeF-NH Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 318 Thanks: 2 Thanked 120 Times in 80 Posts	Dan...you always know just the right thing to say!!!! I have reached that point of winter where I'm ready to see the ice and snow melt and call the dealer to get the boat out of storage and ready to go

02-23-2020, 03:02 PM	#5
MAXUM Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Kuna ID Posts: 2,755 Thanks: 246 Thanked 1,942 Times in 802 Posts	For what it's worth, in a typical winter I would generally see 18 as much as 36" of ice in front of my place by this time. This morning measured 9" and change. This was one of the last places to lock up. That certainly would indicate early ice out is possible.

The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to MAXUM For This Useful Post:
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02-24-2020, 02:23 PM	#8
joey2665 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Meredith Bay & LI, NY Posts: 3,222 Thanks: 1,219 Thanked 1,009 Times in 649 Posts	I recently spoke to a meteorologist that works for the federal government and feeds forecasts to local stations in New York. She told me that she does not see any prolonged cold spells for the rest of the season however there will be above average precipitation Sent from my iPhone using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

02-25-2020, 08:52 AM	#11
Hillcountry Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: In the hills Posts: 2,420 Thanks: 1,677 Thanked 786 Times in 466 Posts	I have no idea why these come out sideways sometimes....

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02-26-2020, 03:05 PM	#16
Andromeda321 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2019 Posts: 80 Thanks: 17 Thanked 32 Times in 19 Posts	I was up last weekend by the lake, and went skiing Sunday at Gunstock so got to see the entire lake. At our place in Moultonborough I saw an ice house off of Wallace Island and snowmobilers running between Blueberry and Black Cat, so clearly it's as solid as ever. (I didn't venture out myself.) From Gunstock, I was surprised to see the entire lake frozen over that you can see from up there (it definitely wasn't last time I skied there MLK weekend) but there were giant cracks and random dark patches that I wouldn't expect to see late February. I also put an ice out date before the earliest ever a few years ago, so you can tell what I'm thinking. It's not going to be a good summer for anyone who dislikes bugs and ticks I think.

The Following User Says Thank You to ishoot308 For This Useful Post:
Hillcountry (02-27-2020)

02-26-2020, 07:04 PM	#18
AC2717 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Maynard, MA & Paugus Bay Posts: 2,571 Thanks: 753 Thanked 353 Times in 265 Posts	where was that caught in NH? in Winni? __________________ Capt. of the "No Worries"

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02-28-2020, 05:15 AM	#21
fatlazyless Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 8,735 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 300 Thanked 1,006 Times in 734 Posts	..... story in Feb 27, Conway Daily Sun: 'Monster record lake trout caught in NH' includes a color photograph. In the article a state biologist says this fish was probably born like 50-60 years ago, maybe when Lyndon Johnson was the president in the 1960's, and it is the largest lake trout ever caught in all six new england states ….. so's how about that! So, what happened to 'catch and release' ……. aren't big fish like this supposed to get released back in after you photo it with your phone camera and post it on winnipesaukee.com! Where's the catch and release, here! … You can see someone smiling in the photo, but it ain't the fish that's smiling! __________________ ... down and out, liv'n that Walmart side of the lake! Last edited by fatlazyless; 02-28-2020 at 11:54 AM.

02-28-2020, 07:14 PM	#22
ishoot308 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Gilford, NH / Welch Island Posts: 6,226 Thanks: 2,382 Thanked 5,275 Times in 2,049 Posts	Record Laker Well I wasn’t too far off, according to NHF&G biologist, that record laker recently caught is estimated to be between 50 and 60 years old! Dan __________________ It's Always Sunny On Welch Island!! Last edited by ishoot308; 02-28-2020 at 08:36 PM.

02-29-2020, 07:13 AM	#23
Lakegeezer Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Moultonboro, NH Posts: 1,677 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 353 Thanked 639 Times in 290 Posts	Last day to enter the ice-out contest Happy Leap Day. This year, we have extra day to put in a guess for Winnipesaukee.com's ice-out contest. Link is here __________________ -lg

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03-07-2020, 09:04 AM	#26
fatlazyless Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 8,735 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 300 Thanked 1,006 Times in 734 Posts	Google this: 'Ice Fishing is Fun!' March 4, 2020: NY Times, for a photo story from Silver Lake in Madison, NH. __________________ ... down and out, liv'n that Walmart side of the lake!

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