KARE11 reporting: Heavy drifting on ice roads has left hundreds of ice anglers stranded across Lake Mille Lacs. The snow is so deep vehicles can’t get back to the mainland, leaving those stranded keeping a worried eye on their propane and food supplies.
Happened on Lake of the Woods too. Trouble there is many of them were 15 plus miles out. Not very good planning on those people’s part. This wasn’t a surprise they have been talking about the wind coming up all week.
I saw on fb that Hunter’s has been working on getting to people. Hopefully the stranded are tipping plow drivers very well.
DT
Not very good planning on those people’s part. This wasn’t a surprise they have been talking about the wind coming up all week.
Absolutely true.
Pretty ugly end to the season it sounds like!! What a winter.
We left yesterday at noon. And there was pretty much 0 road left. I had to do a few runs with out the shack and then go back for it after I beat the road down a little. I feel for those out there
It was a pretty clear and obvious risk people took on Sunday. Really no different than risking driving on early season ice.
I was stuck out there on a Sunday once when I used to pull my house on ML. I had the chance to get off Saturday night, but we had plenty of supplies(including adult beverages) and I was in it for the adventure. Resort called about 2pm Sunday and said they would have the road open in an hour. They never made it to us and I was ok with that. 
Was following reports on this all day yesterday. Hunters, Brandt’s and a number of other resorts. One resort that didn’t have stranded people was appledorns. Sounds like they pulled everyone off in advance of the storm.
A friend and I were once stuck in a rental house on Mille Lacs for 3-4 days. We had to keep forcing the door open and shovel around it every Hr or so to keep from getting stuck in the house. When the storm finally ended about all I could see of my ford escort was the tip of the antenna. This was Pre-cell phone days. Boy were we happy to see the resort owner show up on a snowmobile. he even left us a spare snowmobile he had to use for 4 days. What a adventure that trip was. The crazy part was the fish bite like crazy the whole time. We ended up winning the weekly pots for all Three fish. Walleye, Perch, and pout. The resort owner did not even charge us for the extra days – we ended up making money overall and had a great almost week of fishing – Work was not real happy with me.
This is what you get when you pay more attention to your strobe light display and ice house kitchen backsplash material than the weather forcast.
Was following reports on this all day yesterday. Hunters, Brandt’s and a number of other resorts. One resort that didn’t have stranded people was appledorns. Sounds like they pulled everyone off in advance of the storm.
We were still “stranded” out at Appeldoorn’s until they got the plow trucks to us and the Skid house. @PWaldowski and his crew did a great job. I believe they had everyone in that was coming in by 4pm Sunday.
I as well was prepared. Had enough food and beverages to last a few extra days, I’ve been stuck out there before because of blizzard like conditions and I now plan for a 5 day weekend instead of 3. It was very nasty but we were out of there by 11AM.
Had to laugh as there was a gal on Facebook yesterday looking for someone to help them get off the lake as the resort they went out of was not moving fast enough.
Glad to see the guys stranded 22 miles out on lake of the woods got a road opened up about 5am this morning. Sounded like they had enough gas for the night but had to fight keeping their truck and fish house from freezing in on a flooded road.
We were still “stranded” out at Appeldoorn’s until they got the plow trucks to us and the Skid house. @pwaldowski and his crew did a great job. I believe they had everyone in that was coming in by 4pm Sunday
Paul runs a good show!
I ran into him one morning. I was coming to shore from 9 mile. Spent the night in my hub house. We got 12″ and had sustained 50mph wind for 6 hours the evening before.
He sees me pull up in my Bonneville. I get out, grab a shovel and start helping Paul… He looks at me and says “where’d you come from?” I said I spent the night in my hub on 9… Paul looks at me and say “your crazy!!”
It was clear ice way out on the lake. When I got to the bridge and rental houses where I met Paul it was drifts 10′ tall in spots. He was impressed… But I was also a regular out of dorns.
I always kept on their good side and always had over $100 in cash just in case.
One other time, another foot of snow. Knowing it was coming one guy from appledorns set me up a few hundred yards from their rentals ensuring he would help me get off the lake in the morning… Again, in my Bonneville. About 3pm there next day I get a call from appledorns… Wondering where the heck I went.. I was one of the first off the lake that morning baha’n off the lake in the Bonne… They could’nt believe it.
There are times you need help on those big lakes. It is good to be in contact with a resort and always be over prepared.
So How was fishing?
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Mike W wrote:</div>
Was following reports on this all day yesterday. Hunters, Brandt’s and a number of other resorts. One resort that didn’t have stranded people was appledorns. Sounds like they pulled everyone off in advance of the storm.We were still “stranded” out at Appeldoorn’s until they got the plow trucks to us and the Skid house. @pwaldowski and his crew did a great job. I believe they had everyone in that was coming in by 4pm Sunday.
I as well was prepared. Had enough food and beverages to last a few extra days, I’ve been stuck out there before because of blizzard like conditions and I now plan for a 5 day weekend instead of 3. It was very nasty but we were out of there by 11AM.
Fishing out of red door was slow. 4 eyes all weekend all good size and a few burbot at our surprise
WOW!
I just saw the KARE11 news on this. What a mess out there.
It sure would have been fun to be well prepared to stay out there and weather the storm.
I feel bad for the resorts who were forced to wreck their plow trucks “rescueing” people who never should have been out there in the first place. There was a pic on Facebook of a sedan drifted up to the windshield wipers. 
Sounds like numerous resorts had plows go down this weekend. The $10 road pass doesn’t go very far in a mechanic shop.
I was coming to shore from 9 mile. Spent the night in my hub house. We got 12″ and had sustained 50mph wind for 6 hours the evening before.
He sees me pull up in my Bonneville.
When I got to the bridge and rental houses where I met Paul it was drifts 10′ tall in spots.One other time, another foot of snow. Again, in my Bonneville.
They could’nt believe it.
Andy…I’m having a hard time believing that too. 
Or…you just being funny, I get’cha now 
So How was fishing?
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>IceNEyes1986 wrote:</div>
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Mike W wrote:</div>
Was following reports on this all day yesterday. Hunters, Brandt’s and a number of other resorts. One resort that didn’t have stranded people was appledorns. Sounds like they pulled everyone off in advance of the storm.We were still “stranded” out at Appeldoorn’s until they got the plow trucks to us and the Skid house. @pwaldowski and his crew did a great job. I believe they had everyone in that was coming in by 4pm Sunday.
I as well was prepared. Had enough food and beverages to last a few extra days, I’ve been stuck out there before because of blizzard like conditions and I now plan for a 5 day weekend instead of 3. It was very nasty but we were out of there by 11AM.
Nic…IceNEyes, he’s rather reserved…humble for the most part. Since it wasn’t his kid, he probably won’t post…so I will. Fishing good for Nic, 27″…
Nic.jpg
WOW!
I just saw the KARE11 news on this. What a mess out there.It sure would have been fun to be well prepared to stay out there and weather the storm.
We were well prepared. But at noon when I couldn’t see my truck tires and snow was halfway up the box on the dodge we decided to put the Busch lights down and call her a weekend. I felt bad for a few people that were trying to waive us down. But I couldn’t help any one. And if I stopped I was buried. ( it was a white knuckle drive) kind of fun though.
I felt bad for a few people that were trying to waive us down. But I couldn’t help any one. And if I stopped I was buried. ( it was a white knuckle drive) kind of fun though.
That’s a tough situation to be placed in. I would hate that. I’m not sure what they expected from you. From the situations I heard of and saw online, it was taking more than a simple tug with a tow strap to fix these people’s problems. I carry a tow strap in my truck just for that reason, but I’m with you, I’d have kept moving too.
Thanks @Walleyestudent! Fishing was good for me. Showed up with a dozen golden shiners and half dozen nice small suckers. I only had 3 minnows left Sunday morning after I dug the skid house out. 27″ was the biggest, I even managed a 22″ “keeper”!
This wasn’t the first time I’ve been stranded out there and most likely won’t be the last. The first time was during the winter Olympics in Sochi. My FW and I went up to the shack a day early (Thursday) in an EPIC thunder snow storm with the thought of getting up and going to breakfast at the Wharf to watch the U.S. vs Canada hockey game. It started at 8 AM. Long story short, never made it. Spent all day and night “stranded” out there. I talked to Kevin (plow guy at Appeldoorn’s) on the phone and he asked if we were doing ok, I told him we are just fine. He said to hunker down and they’d get to us when they could see again. They finally made it out to us Saturday afternoon and plowed us a way off the lake. Having patience and being prepared go a long, long ways when these situations arise.
They run an elite operation there at Appeldoorns. Something I’m very thankful for since having my skid house there the last 7 years.
No sympathy for these fools. If you are not smart enough to know when to get off the lake then yoh deserve a hard lesson. Perhaps they will think twice and be better prepared in the future.
But then again this is not their fault…anybody else besides them are to blame today.
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That’s a tough situation to be placed in. I would hate that. I’m not sure what they expected from you. From the situations I heard of and saw online, it was taking more than a simple tug with a tow strap to fix these people’s problems. I carry a tow strap in my truck just for that reason, but I’m with you, I’d have kept moving too.
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It was sad. I would help any one any time. I always carry straps and gear for such and tire chains but we had 2 small boys with us and the risk was not worth it.
I completely understand the warning’s and how people should listen. However, resorts close their access all year long due to cracks, flooding and high winds to ensure safety. Why didn’t they close them Saturday night? People will always gamble given the option… The resort I was at gave a time in to be off early in the morning and said he was placing barricades at the access. He didn’t have one person stranded on the lake.
I completely understand the warning’s and how people should listen. However, resorts close their access all year long due to cracks, flooding and high winds to ensure safety. Why didn’t they close them Saturday night? People will always gamble given the option… The resort I was at gave a time in to be off early in the morning and said he was placing barricades at the access. He didn’t have one person stranded on the lake.
I’m not sure why they didn’t. I know Terry’s closed the mud flat road on Thursday. I bought a day pass from him on Tuesday to fish Curly’s Flat and he was already warning people about the upcoming weekend and told me to stay home.
No sympathy for these fools. If you are not smart enough to know when to get off the lake then yoh deserve a hard lesson. Perhaps they will think twice and be better prepared in the future.
But then again this is not their fault…anybody else besides them are to blame today.
Tough crowd. And I think you guys are blowing this out of proportion.
Also, like others suggested, If it was so bad, resorts should have closed down their roads and got people off. Not everyone on the lake is die hards like some here. They come from all over the US. One guy was from Wyoming. Many probably have very limited ice fishing experience and come up once a year for a good times and rely on the resorts. When I go deep sea fishing, I trust the captain, the guy I pay, to make the call on if waters are too rough…heck, if it was my call, I’d probably cancel 75% of the time cause I’m not use to 10’ swells.
All this said, it was one day of bad weather. Settle down. Every ones okay.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mark-bruzek wrote:</div>
No sympathy for these fools. If you are not smart enough to know when to get off the lake then yoh deserve a hard lesson. Perhaps they will think twice and be better prepared in the future.
But then again this is not their fault…anybody else besides them are to blame today.Tough crowd. And I think you guys are blowing this out of proportion.
Also, like others suggested, If it was so bad, resorts should have closed down their roads and got people off. Not everyone on the lake is die hards like some here. They come from all over the US. One guy was from Wyoming. Many probably have very limited ice fishing experience and come up once a year for a good times and rely on the resorts. When I go deep sea fishing, I trust the captain, the guy I pay, to make the call on if waters are too rough…heck, if it was my call, I’d probably cancel 75% of the time cause I’m not use to 10’ swells.
All this said, it was one day of bad weather. Settle down. Every ones okay.
The resorts instructed everyone to get off the lake before it hit. People didn’t listen.
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