ELY ICE CONDITIONS AS OF JANUARY 27th

[greatoutdoors]

I sure wish this ice report was better than the one I gave one week ago, but it isn't.  On Burntside you will hit slush almost every time you leave packed trails.  Someone has plowed a 100 yard road off the Van Vac Landing, enough to get to their fish houses, and a snowmobile trail just leaving the landing today was full of slush.  Again, it looks as though ATVs with tracks, or higher CC snowmobiles with long tracks are the only methods of travel.
We are expecting 2-4 inches or more of snow tomorrow and can only worsen conditions.
Over on Snowbank, Smitty's road is still in good condition, and there are a few spurs plowed off it.  There are pockets of slush in many places on the rest of the lake.  Anyone wishing to fish trout this weekend, and possibly next should contact Smitty's and rent one of their houses.
All small designated trout lakes also have quite a bit of slush when you leave snowobile, ski, or snowshoe trails.
If you do decide to venture out on any of the lakes up here, I'd recommend a good knee high set of insulated rubber foot wear, such as Muck Boots.  There is too much water/slush to chance wearing pack type boots in case your machine gets stuck.
They have closed the plowed ice road that crosses Shagawa Lake last Sunday after a truck got stuck in a deep water hole, most likely caused by a double layer of ice. 
Details of the incident are rather sketchy??????

[greatoutdoors]

We got another 8-10 inches of snow tonight, which will really mess up the lakes worse than they are, if that's possible.  
And it just keeps on coming!!

[Lee Borgersen]

Thanks for the quality info Jim. It's a lot better to read it on here than to risk a long trip and be disappointed upon arrival.  Keep the news coming for better or worse.