Predicted Ice Out?

[Meateater38]

A group of friends and I are planning a fishing / camping trip to the TFF in mid april and I just wanted to check and make sure the Ice would be out by then, what kind of weather to expect, and if this is a good month for the bronze backs, eye's, and muskie. One more question, the voluntary quiet canoe area, are you able to bring a 12' boat with a 5hp through their to an island or is this just setting yourself up for trouble? Ive camped here before and always canoed but now we have 5 people going and only 2 canoes. I'd rather take a canoe and the small boat just so we dont have to over load the canoes and not because were lazy. "I do not hunt to kill, but kill to have hunted."

[MuskieRandy]

Trying to predict the ice out time now is pretty much like predicting the stock market 10 years from now; next to impossible.... The average ice out is late April. It could be earlier, or even as late as into May. If I were you I would not have firm plans for an ice out in "mid April" unless it's something you can put off for a couple weeks. As for the fishing, the season opens the first weekend in May, and muskies are Memorial day weekend. You can't even fish catch and release for muskies until then.

[Tom502]

Meateater,

I agree with MuskieRandy, predicting ice out is very hard to do. I have lived on the TFF for 10 years and ice-out during my time has usually been sometime during the last half of April.

However, follow this link to see some pic's from last spring when ice went out just before the opener on May 2nd.

http://www.fishinfo.com/fishingrepor...ID11/3215.html

As far as getting around in the quiet area, using a small boat & motor should be ok as long as you go at slow-no-wake speeds.

Like MuskieRandy said, fishing season is NOT open for bass, walleye or muskie during the mid-April time frame you mentioned. Check your DNR regulations.

I would strongly consider the last half of May for your trip.

Tight Lines,

Tom502

[spiderboy]

I wasnt aware that a quite zone existed - where's it located?

[MuskieRandy]

The quiet zone is shown on the DNR map by a purple line. This zone is basically the eastern "lobe" of the flowage. It starts at the narrows east of Fisherman's landing and south of Blair lake, and is the entire "lobe" to the east of there. It goes all the way to Murray's landing and on to the Flambeau river.

[McGR]

I thought the quiet area was voluntary - or can you actually get some sort of citation/ticket/fine if you create too much ruckus over there?

[MuskieRandy]

Here's a link to the DNR website on that topic:
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/facilitie...eau/quiet.html

[McGR]

OK... I checked the link. So, it sounds more an honor system rather than a legal requirement - right?

I wasn't planning on disturbing the quiet zone or anything... I was just curious regarding the legal implications.