Ice and Lake conditions in the Ely area

[greatoutdoors]

Many of the lakes in the Ely area still have plenty of ice on them, but no snow.  ATV travel is very good, and most shorelines are still iced in.
It looks like this will be continuing for another several weeks unless conditions change dramatically, with ice out being late April/early May for deeper lakes such as Snowbank and Burntside.
Lake levels are very low, and we need a few weeks of rain to bring them back to normal before the opener, but the forecast isn't looking good.

[greatoutdoors]

70+ degree temps and high winds yesterday made the lakes darken up, and pull away from the shore in certain places.
If this keeps up, the ice could rapidly depart from most lakes, but Mother Nature has a proven track record of dangling a carrot in front of us, and drops in evening temperature could slow everything down.