The 4” ice

 Was at our south side landing yesterday morning, we have 2” snow in Bush  but none on ice making it hard to walk on it’s so slippery. It’s more of a shuffle. The ice is crystal clear and walking the shore line you can see bottom easily in 8’ water ( but no fish) . Our coldest night by our thermometer was back Nov 22 got to -11 c with most nights hanging around-6  warming to -2 since the lake froze not much wind but leading up to the freeze was very windy. Because Rat Portage is in lockdown ( our truck/trailer are sitting at Barepoint) no one in or out the iceboat are staging from Anichinabe park. Bob  Boucha stopped here in his iceboat yesterday and said still open water patches about the size of our house by Eagle Island, Rope Island, and Kennedy point. He said it would be hard to snowmobile down there because of the holes. Starting Nov. 17 the lake tried to freeze was a bright sunny day at only -7 standing on the dock looking out over water it appeared to be turning to jello with ice forming. Next morning  the Sw winds broke it up sounding like glass breaking as it got pushed up on shore was about 1/8” thick. Then on Nov. 23 the bay from our place froze north to Narrows froze and never did re open. Then on Nov. 30 during night we made 1” ice and could not see any open water from our shoreline.  This tied the early freeze up with 2006 and 2013. The latest it froze was Dec. 08 2009. Will be a few days yet before I venture too far on quad or snowmobile as I don’t know where the last of the open areas to freeze are ? Bob also said because there is no snow to protect the ice pressure ridges are forming.