Warm winter means thin ice for Minnesota anglers
A plane landed on Upper Red Lake on Dec. 19 and broke through the ice.
Courtesy of Beltrami County
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Winter officially arrives Thursday night at 9:27 p.m. But it doesn’t look or feel anything like winter right now. Businesses that rely on ice and snow are stuck.
While ski hills can make fake snow, ice anglers who are eager to get out on the ice are staying on shore. The ice, on many lakes, isn’t safe or doesn’t exist.
Pat Frost knows that from experience. He is co-owner of a resort on Upper Red Lake — Rogers’ on Red. He spoke with MPR News host Cathy Wurzer.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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Audio transcript
INTERVIEWER: Winter officially arrives tonight at 9:27 PM Central Time, but it does not look, or feel, anything like winter right now. Businesses that rely on ice and snow are stuck. While ski hills can make fake snow, ice anglers, who are eager to get out on the ice, are staying on shore.
The ice on many lakes is just not safe, or doesn't exist. Joining us on the line right now is the co-owner of a resort on Upper Red Lake, Rogers' on RED, Pat Frost is with us. Hey, Pat. How are you?
PAT FROST: Hi. I'm well. How are you on this fine day?
INTERVIEWER: I am fine. Thank you so much. Hey, you folks made some news recently when a chunk of ice broke off stranding some anglers. How are conditions on Red Lake right now?
PAT FROST: Oh, we are good. We're solid. The ice sheet has slammed up onto the south shore, and with such force. I think that's really locked in. I'm really surprised today that it didn't take off and go back to the north shore like a tennis game, you know, boom, boom.
Normally we see this in November. Come around Thanksgiving, the Lake is-- and I've been up there seven years. The lake is generally froze up solid, locked up. We call it locked up. All the ice is on there, nowhere for it to shift. But that right now is not the case this year.
INTERVIEWER: Wow.
PAT FROST: Which we all know.
INTERVIEWER: OK, so you're normally locked up at about this time of the year, so it must be--
PAT FROST: Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: Oh, gosh. So had the ice depths been fluctuating because of this situation?
PAT FROST: No. To a point, yes. But maybe 10%. In my opinion, 90% of the ice is that 10 to 11 inches of ice. The stuff that we had out in front of our place, the open water that we had three weeks ago, that is now up to 6 inches, which is nice for walking. Mm, well, walking, but that's right close by shore, within four blocks of it.
It's that general crack that happened. I'm on the south shore of the lake, and that expansion crack, if you will, there was the open water. So the main sheet out into the lake is fabulous, no cracks, what I can tell. And I've been over the ice quite a bit, out in front of me, and to the east, and to the west, at about a 5-mile square area.
INTERVIEWER: OK. So you got about 6 inches in front of you, which is, of course, you need more for, say, a truck, or a car, or some kind of vehicle to go out. And I know you tow your ice houses out, I would presume, and it's just not strong enough right now, right?
PAT FROST: Correct, Yes. But they're-- like right in front of me, I'm feeling very blessed, because the open water is maybe-- I got maybe 100 yards wide east to west. And that is 10 inches, or 11 inches.
But then now, the open water would be on the sides of it going to the east and going to the west, as of March to [? JRs, ?] they have open water. But they are fortunate enough to have an area where they can cross a thicker ice of that 10 inches of ice. But it's very, very sketchy, and it's something not to take lightly.
INTERVIEWER: Exactly. So have you been able to put out any ice houses yet?
PAT FROST: No, I won't. I will not. Rogers' on RED will not. Other resorts are opting to and have been out there, but I don't feel comfortable with that yet.
INTERVIEWER: I was on Facebook, I saw you posted yesterday that you got folks coming to ice fish from as far as Oklahoma. So I'm thinking it must be kind of frustrating for them.
PAT FROST: To a point, yeah. We do a charter service out for folks, if they opt to use it instead of walking. We just recently opened up the four-wheel track for four-wheelers going out.
And then, we got some strict regulations. No going out before daylight, being off the ice after dark. Now what got everyone in the pickle was that last Sunday we got that little bit of snow. Oh, by golly. And the wind just picked up with it, and were 45-mile an hour gusts.
And John Q Public, out by dark. Well, maybe 6:00, 7:00 is OK. Well, point taken. Well, now we got to go out and get these folks because they ain't seeing the shore. We have a very bright, bright red beacon on our shoreline for our access. And you can see that 5 miles out.
Well, when I was going out-- I'm not going to call it a rescue, but in whiteout conditions. 10 degrees outside, I believe the windshield was 18 below zero, and on four-wheeler, me, and then with the trailer, and then bringing the people back in, because they would have-- in those situations, then that's the most scariest.
You don't know that you're coming into open water, or you're going to walk on an inch of ice. And those little places, I mean, out on the main lake, you're not going to do that. But now when you're coming to shore, if you're off by 100 yards, well, not so much with us, but in these other places, you're in trouble.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah.
PAT FROST: You're in trouble.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah.
PAT FROST: Absolutely.
INTERVIEWER: And as you say, you might fall through and that can cause some really big issues. How much--
PAT FROST: [INAUDIBLE]
INTERVIEWER: Yeah, no kidding. I'm thinking, Pat, you probably make some pretty good business when you've got good ice and you've got a lot of anglers at your resort. How much do you rely on ice fishing experiences?
PAT FROST: That's everything for us. As being new owners, Tony and myself, for the last year, which just finished our one year anniversary, but working for the resort for seven years before we purchased it, that's our everything.
We couldn't make it during the summertime, we wouldn't meet our mortgage. So I'm relying very much on the wintertime, that would pretty much almost carry us through the whole year for my ice fishing stuff for us to make the mortgage.
INTERVIEWER: Wow. So you're got your fingers and toes crossed for good ice. Because you do have 6 inches in front of you, and as you go out farther, you get a little better ice, can folks just go out with a clam shell and maybe drill some holes and just sit on the ice?
PAT FROST: That's exactly it. And on the flip side, all by golly, it's some pretty gosh darn nice weather, so you better bring your suntan lotion with you, because you really get a good tan bouncing off that ice. And no snow, oh, boy. It's just been a pleasure with that.
And the folks, they're disappointed. But gosh, all the customers have been just fantastic and understanding. Oh, gosh. And we store houses for people's wheel houses to bring up. And everyone's chomping at the bit, but everyone completely understands. Everyone's been really beautiful with the situation that we all are experiencing.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah, no kidding. Well, as I say, tonight's the first night of winter, so we'll see if the temperatures start to drop. I know you're excited about that. Well, I wish you guys the best. I hope you do have a good season. And I wish you happy holidays too.
PAT FROST: Well, I thank you very much for the inquiry, and thinking of us. And Merry Christmas.
INTERVIEWER: Merry Christmas, Pat. Pat Frost is co-owner of Rogers' On RED, that's a resort on the south shore of Upper Red Lake.
The ice on many lakes is just not safe, or doesn't exist. Joining us on the line right now is the co-owner of a resort on Upper Red Lake, Rogers' on RED, Pat Frost is with us. Hey, Pat. How are you?
PAT FROST: Hi. I'm well. How are you on this fine day?
INTERVIEWER: I am fine. Thank you so much. Hey, you folks made some news recently when a chunk of ice broke off stranding some anglers. How are conditions on Red Lake right now?
PAT FROST: Oh, we are good. We're solid. The ice sheet has slammed up onto the south shore, and with such force. I think that's really locked in. I'm really surprised today that it didn't take off and go back to the north shore like a tennis game, you know, boom, boom.
Normally we see this in November. Come around Thanksgiving, the Lake is-- and I've been up there seven years. The lake is generally froze up solid, locked up. We call it locked up. All the ice is on there, nowhere for it to shift. But that right now is not the case this year.
INTERVIEWER: Wow.
PAT FROST: Which we all know.
INTERVIEWER: OK, so you're normally locked up at about this time of the year, so it must be--
PAT FROST: Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: Oh, gosh. So had the ice depths been fluctuating because of this situation?
PAT FROST: No. To a point, yes. But maybe 10%. In my opinion, 90% of the ice is that 10 to 11 inches of ice. The stuff that we had out in front of our place, the open water that we had three weeks ago, that is now up to 6 inches, which is nice for walking. Mm, well, walking, but that's right close by shore, within four blocks of it.
It's that general crack that happened. I'm on the south shore of the lake, and that expansion crack, if you will, there was the open water. So the main sheet out into the lake is fabulous, no cracks, what I can tell. And I've been over the ice quite a bit, out in front of me, and to the east, and to the west, at about a 5-mile square area.
INTERVIEWER: OK. So you got about 6 inches in front of you, which is, of course, you need more for, say, a truck, or a car, or some kind of vehicle to go out. And I know you tow your ice houses out, I would presume, and it's just not strong enough right now, right?
PAT FROST: Correct, Yes. But they're-- like right in front of me, I'm feeling very blessed, because the open water is maybe-- I got maybe 100 yards wide east to west. And that is 10 inches, or 11 inches.
But then now, the open water would be on the sides of it going to the east and going to the west, as of March to [? JRs, ?] they have open water. But they are fortunate enough to have an area where they can cross a thicker ice of that 10 inches of ice. But it's very, very sketchy, and it's something not to take lightly.
INTERVIEWER: Exactly. So have you been able to put out any ice houses yet?
PAT FROST: No, I won't. I will not. Rogers' on RED will not. Other resorts are opting to and have been out there, but I don't feel comfortable with that yet.
INTERVIEWER: I was on Facebook, I saw you posted yesterday that you got folks coming to ice fish from as far as Oklahoma. So I'm thinking it must be kind of frustrating for them.
PAT FROST: To a point, yeah. We do a charter service out for folks, if they opt to use it instead of walking. We just recently opened up the four-wheel track for four-wheelers going out.
And then, we got some strict regulations. No going out before daylight, being off the ice after dark. Now what got everyone in the pickle was that last Sunday we got that little bit of snow. Oh, by golly. And the wind just picked up with it, and were 45-mile an hour gusts.
And John Q Public, out by dark. Well, maybe 6:00, 7:00 is OK. Well, point taken. Well, now we got to go out and get these folks because they ain't seeing the shore. We have a very bright, bright red beacon on our shoreline for our access. And you can see that 5 miles out.
Well, when I was going out-- I'm not going to call it a rescue, but in whiteout conditions. 10 degrees outside, I believe the windshield was 18 below zero, and on four-wheeler, me, and then with the trailer, and then bringing the people back in, because they would have-- in those situations, then that's the most scariest.
You don't know that you're coming into open water, or you're going to walk on an inch of ice. And those little places, I mean, out on the main lake, you're not going to do that. But now when you're coming to shore, if you're off by 100 yards, well, not so much with us, but in these other places, you're in trouble.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah.
PAT FROST: You're in trouble.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah.
PAT FROST: Absolutely.
INTERVIEWER: And as you say, you might fall through and that can cause some really big issues. How much--
PAT FROST: [INAUDIBLE]
INTERVIEWER: Yeah, no kidding. I'm thinking, Pat, you probably make some pretty good business when you've got good ice and you've got a lot of anglers at your resort. How much do you rely on ice fishing experiences?
PAT FROST: That's everything for us. As being new owners, Tony and myself, for the last year, which just finished our one year anniversary, but working for the resort for seven years before we purchased it, that's our everything.
We couldn't make it during the summertime, we wouldn't meet our mortgage. So I'm relying very much on the wintertime, that would pretty much almost carry us through the whole year for my ice fishing stuff for us to make the mortgage.
INTERVIEWER: Wow. So you're got your fingers and toes crossed for good ice. Because you do have 6 inches in front of you, and as you go out farther, you get a little better ice, can folks just go out with a clam shell and maybe drill some holes and just sit on the ice?
PAT FROST: That's exactly it. And on the flip side, all by golly, it's some pretty gosh darn nice weather, so you better bring your suntan lotion with you, because you really get a good tan bouncing off that ice. And no snow, oh, boy. It's just been a pleasure with that.
And the folks, they're disappointed. But gosh, all the customers have been just fantastic and understanding. Oh, gosh. And we store houses for people's wheel houses to bring up. And everyone's chomping at the bit, but everyone completely understands. Everyone's been really beautiful with the situation that we all are experiencing.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah, no kidding. Well, as I say, tonight's the first night of winter, so we'll see if the temperatures start to drop. I know you're excited about that. Well, I wish you guys the best. I hope you do have a good season. And I wish you happy holidays too.
PAT FROST: Well, I thank you very much for the inquiry, and thinking of us. And Merry Christmas.
INTERVIEWER: Merry Christmas, Pat. Pat Frost is co-owner of Rogers' On RED, that's a resort on the south shore of Upper Red Lake.
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