|This winter has been one of the coldest in decades|
No matter what is taking place above the ice such as the -40 to -50 C temps and frightening windchills that we've had this winter, beneath the ice the world
|This winter has been one of the coldest in decades|
No matter what is taking place above the ice such as the -40 to -50 C temps and frightening windchills that we've had this winter, beneath the ice the world is unchanged. Right beneath the ice the temperature is just above freezing and as you go deeper it gets warmer to about 39-40 F.
The ice will probably be thicker than normal, perhaps 45 inches by late winter. However, normal ice thickness here is 36-40 inches; so, it isn't all that much different. On big lakes like Red Lake which is 30 miles long, up to 140 feet deep and five miles wide in places, a little additional ice on top is meaningless.
You might think that the thicker the ice the longer it will take to melt in the spring. Our experience is the ice thickness has almost nothing to do with the time of ice-out. The type of ice can be a bit of a factor. If it is white and slushy, as it actually is this winter, than it is slower to melt than dark or "blue" ice. The thing that trumps all others when it comes to ice-out is spring weather. If it turns mild from mid-March to May 1, the ice will probably go out right on schedule - May 8, more or less, for Red Lake. If it is cold and cloudy, ice-out will be delayed. That is also the case when there has been a warm winter and the ice is thinner than normal.
So where does an exceptionally cold winter affect the fish? It can happen in smaller, shallower lak