I've read a lot of posts about strawberries ice condition. Every thing from soild to open parts... I just didn't want to drive that far just to find out I can't get to my new honey hole. Are there machines crossing the main bay ?
Thanks
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I saw one machine on Sunday rip across about 100 yards of ice. I would call the marina store just to make sure. There is a big pressure ridge that runs across the bay.
There is a place that I would love to get to but too far to walk and too skeered to take a sled.
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I will be taking mine up tomorrow (Friday). I will run the road to Renegade and then out onto the bay. When I was there a week ago, the ice in Renegade bay was 5 inches, thick enough for a sled. I drove mine onto the ice 10 feet to turn it around. I prefer 6+. I am not afraid to take it out on 7 inches and will do so tomorrow. I expect there to be ice in excess of 8 inches tomorrow. As far as crossing the lake goes, I too will let someone else show me the way first. That is a big body of water and I know that there are some springs out there. I always follow someone else's tracks when I cross the lake.
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I'm fairly new to ice fishing the last couple years and usually wait til there is thicker ice......
My question is this.....will ice continue to grow in thickness even with temps near 40 degrees?
We were cold last week but we are back to higher than normal temps and will continue that trend for another week it appears.
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Higher elevation lakes like strawberry will continue to grow ice once the whole lake is capped. Most years Strawberry will get up to 20"+ of ice. Look at the micro cast weather reports for the lake you are thinking about going to, to check the night time lows. If the lake is capped and dropping into the teens at night you are usually making ice. But always verify ice thickness before venturing out.
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I called up to the marina last evening and the guy said there had been some machines out on the ice but he reccomended NOT taking them. He said it's been getting real warm and the ice isn't growing very fast. He said there was 5" of ice in the marina, but he hadn't ventured out anywhere else to see what it's like outside of the bay.
On a side note, KSL's quickcast showed temps yesterday at 53*, and Wednesday was 67*. Now whether or not I believe that temp reading is another story............
Just be careful out there if you go!!
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[quote Elkoholic]He said it's been getting real warm and the ice isn't growing very fast. [/quote]
I'd think the ice may be weakening/thinning. Here are the temps from the closest station (Daniel's Summit). In addition to the average temp at or above freezing, it's been sunny, adding to the problem.
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[quote Charina]
I'd think the ice may be weakening/thinning. Here are the temps from the closest station (Daniel's Summit). In addition to the average temp at or above freezing, it's been sunny, adding to the problem.
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One thing to keep in mind is that the same inversion that is gunking up our air on the Wasatch front is in place there too. The day I was up there this week, the air temp at the marina was only 24 degrees at 10:15 AM. Your chart listed a low of 27 for that day. The overnight lows in the Strawberry valley probably were in the high teens for those days.
IMO, the main threat for those who want to fish Strawberry this weekend is that huge pressure ridge right next to the marina ramp that extends across the entire bay. Use due caution around that. I wouldn't take snow machines or ATVs up there yet either.
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Agreed. I'd hold off for a while until the ice is thicker.
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I've been watching the temps up there on national weather forecast system. It looks like the warmest it's been up there has been 43 degrees and temps dropping down into the low 20's. However this morning it said it dipped all the way down to 12 degrees. So I hope that site has been accurate. It did forecast highs yesterday into the 50's but it only got up to that 43 degree mark. I think yesterday was a typo.
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I guess the marina is reporting it was 4 degrees up there this morning. That's nice and cold!!! and ice is varying from 3-6 inches. Sounds like good solid parts but soft areas with these high temps, I wouldn't want a heavy snowmobile or 4 wheeler out there on those soft spots. be careful!
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[quote utahgolf]I guess the marina is reporting it was 4 degrees up there this morning. That's nice and cold!!! and ice is varying from 3-6 inches. Sounds like good solid parts but soft areas with these high temps, I wouldn't want a heavy snowmobile or 4 wheeler out there on those soft spots. be careful![/quote]
I can verify the 4 degrees this morning. It was even colder on the bathroom porcelain this morning at the marina[shocked]
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I was there this morning also. My truck registered 0 degrees at the turn off to Renegade at 7:30 am. It was 17 at 1:30 when we left to come home. Ice thickness at Renegade was in excess of 8 inches (barely) with no snow on top, no slush and very slick conditions. I drove my snowmobile out on the ice and parked it where we fished. I was about 50 to 100 yards out on the ice. It was popping all morning (growing). Air temp off the ice is generally about 10 degrees warmer than on the ice. I would not place any validity on the national weather reports. I have found them to list temps warmer than actual. The snow is melting however. The road to the marina has a lot of asphalt showing. Last week it was iced over completely. Black asphalt gathers heat, so it is not uncommon to have it melt even through the air temp is below freezing. There was a group that tried to drive their side by side off the groomed trail down to the lake. They buried it. One of the guys said, "no matter what color you paint a UTV, it is still not a snow machine." :-)
They had it unstuck and back on the packed/groomed trail when we left.
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