Ice conditions report 1•15•25

By Your Inner Otter

We begin each ice conditions report with a reminder that ice on lakes/ponds/rivers is never 100% safe. You are responsible for checking ice thickness should you choose to travel out for some ice fishing . Just because you see someone else in a spot or with a vehicle, hard house etc… That doesn’t mean the ice is safe between you and them. You should always proceed with caution and drill holes off the beaten path to check for variations in thickness. We have seen as much as 3-4 inches difference in a very short distance. It could be 14 inches in one spot and 10 inches in another. That means if you were in vehicle you would run the risk of falling through.

As we hit mid January it is easy to assume we have a lot of ice. After all, it has been really cold, right? Well, we were surprised when we found only 16-17 inches of ice when we measured on Otter Tail Lake Sunday (1/12/25). That being said, there was a lot of weight on the east end of the lake over the weekend and the ice seems to have held up. We heard there was 18 inches of ice in front of Pelican Bay access where the Cor PowerSports Otter Tail 100 was held. Lots of trucks and trailers parked side-by-side.

That doesn’t mean all of the ice on the lake is safe. We also saw a video on Facebook of a small block of ice that had broke loose. The chunk was about 4 feet wide and 8 feet long. Not massive, but if you hit that going 20 miles per hour or more, you would be in for some trouble. Pretty please, with sugar on top proceed with caution.

We have 5 members who offer fish house rental. Vacationland Resort & Barky’s Resort are on Otter Tail Lake. Meister Guide Service & Lightfoot Outdoors usually have fish house rentals on Otter Tail Lake as well. If you are looking for a different lake, just reach out and ask them. Lock Jaw Guide Service also offers fish house rentals. Their houses aren’t typically on Otter Tail Lake, but they should be on fish.

We will do our best to provide updates on ice conditions in Otter Tail County, MN throughout this winter. We highly recommend you bring safety equipment should you venture out. You will need a measuring device, throw rope, ice picks, throwable or wearable pfd, ice picks & ice cleats.