Waiting on the thaw: ice lingers on inland lakes as fishing opener nears

Kalli Hawkins | May 2, 2026

The next few days will be telling for ice-out conditions for lakes throughout the Superior National Forest and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Anglers, canoeists, and lodge owners are all anxiously awaiting winter’s departure from the Arrowhead region. But as of May 1, many inland lakes up the Gunflint Trail, such as Poplar, Clearwater, Bearskin, Hungry Jack, and Round Lake, remain locked in ice.

“We’re still seeing pretty much 100% ice on everything other than ponds and moving water,” said Andy McDonnell, owner of Tuscarora Lodge & Canoe Outfitters up the Gunflint Trail.

Ice thickness on several inland lakes as of May 1, the first day of the BWCAW quota permit season, still hovers at a foot or more.

However, McDonnell said, “The ice that’s on the lakes is in really rough shape. So we won’t need much warmth and wind to start to break up a bit.”

Ice-out advanced in recent weeks as warmer temperatures and rain swept through the region. Cooler weather then returned, with Cook County’s inland areas plunging into the mid-20s overnight.

On the morning of May 1, lakes along the mid-trail Gunflint area that had already opened up as ice pulled away from shore had refrozen with a thin layer of clear ice. On April 29 and 30, various inland areas received a dusting of snow.

The final week or two before the fishing opener, which is May 9 this year, can be a nail-biter for when ice-out will occur.

McDonnell said he remains optimistic that ice-out will occur before anglers put poles in the water.

“I think we’re going to start to see some open water by mid to late first week of May,” he said. Tuscarora Lodge & Canoe Outfitters, located on Round Lake, saw ice-out occur on May 7 in 2025.

Further down the trail, Hungry Jack Outfitters reported on April 27 that there was 21 inches of ice on Hungry Jack Lake.

And over on the west end of the county, owner of Sawbill Canoe Outfitters, Claire Shirley, shared on Facebook on May 1 that Sawbill Lake still had 14 inches of ice.

“While permit quota season starts today, paddling is still a little way off,” Shirley said.

Photos of Gunflint Trail lakes on May 1 are below.

Bearskin Lake – BWCAW entry point for Duncan and Daniels Lake