Open to full traffic. Expanded access to the mud flats.
The Red Door Resort access will open this Friday, January 21st to full vehicle traffic, including diesels and large wheelhouses. The road system covers the first and second break and the following mud flats: Weimer, Bomback, Pantry, Resort and Matton (new this weekend). The Ice Team is generally finding 14-16” of ice on the flats with better depths along the breaks.
With 24” of snow since the ice formed, off road travel continues to be challenging. Yesterday’s warm up compressed some of the snow, possibly making venturing off the plowed roads easier. Regardless, chains are highly recommended for off road travel. Snowmobiles remain the best means for seeking out fishing spots further afield.
Plowed Wheelhouse Spots
The Ice Team has plowed a number of wheelhouse slots in advance of the weekend and the plow trucks will be on the ice and ready to plow custom slots until at least 6pm on Friday evening. If you are going to arrive later than 6pm on Friday, set down for the night in a pre-plowed spot and the Ice Team will be happy to help you relocate on Saturday morning. Currently, the resort is not charging for custom wheelhouse slots; please simply tip the driver if you feel like they have taken good care of you. Note that private plows will not be allowed through the access.
The snow weight on the ice coupled with the fact that the ice isn’t 20 plus inches thick, make blocking fish houses up high a necessity. Please plan to bring at least 6 inches of blocking and expect some degree of flooding when you drill holes.
Fishing Report and Weather Outlook
The Mille Lacs bite has been challenging this season. Reports form the breaks and flats have been similarly mixed. Even so, guests and seasonal members continue to share photos of some great catches, including more perch than have been seen over the last couple of ice seasons.
This weekend is going to be on the colder side with highs in the low teens and lows touching negative 10 degrees. Wind gusts up to 37 mph out of the south on Friday and up to 30 mph out of the northwest on Saturday will amplify the cold feeling until the winds settle down more on Saturday evening and into Sunday.
Ice House Rentals
The eighteen Red Door fish house rentals have been booking quickly. One 10×20 – 4-person skid house is available from Saturday, January 29th to Monday, January 31st. Then the next weekend availability is for the weekend of Friday, February 11th. Midweek availability is better. Please note that a two-night minimum stay applies to all of the sleeper fish house rentals. The 10×12 day house can be booked for single 7am to 7pm days.
We look forward to seeing you on the north side of Mille Lacs!
