I gotta run down to Bismarck Friday...may stop on the way back and check thickness on Audubon. But yea access may be tough...won't be able to get to the 3 Mile Corner bays even with the 4x4. Will be a challenge even getting to the south bays on the refuge.
J...looking at the forecasted temps this week no doubt we will have fishable ice by next weekend...just gotta be safe...check conditions/thickness before heading out...spud bars for sure!
Stopped by Lake Darling this morning...near Minot AFB...had a thin layer of ice across the entire lake. Guessing the next few days will build a few more inches but the winds early next week look rough!
Nice...maybe tonight and tomorrow night with lighter winds an inch or two can form before the winds really pick up! Especially in the protected bays and smaller lakes...
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This fall the weather has been great for open water...buddy and I had my little jon boat on Audubon...
Temps are forecasted to get below zero next week...sounds great for making ice...but sounds like the winds gonna be brutal too. So how much of a detriment to making ice early in the season is strong wind???
A case could be made for all 3, but if I have to rank them:
1) boat-cover more water, more detailed electronics, more options
2) ice-serenity, peace, relaxation, quiet
3) shore-quick, short drive, low expectations