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mille_lacs_lake
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mille_lacs_lake [2024/05/27 15:58] preavley |
mille_lacs_lake [2025/10/30 16:39] (current) pstureavley |
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| - | The lake is big at about 15 miles across in any direction, but shallow at only 20-30 feet deep. Part of the lake is in an Ojibwe reservation but there are no restrictions to accessing that part of the shoreline. Mille Lacs is famous for its walleye and musky, and was recently proclaimed the best smallmouth bass lake in the county by Bassmaster magazine. In the winter there are plowed ice roads that provide access to over 5000 ice fishing houses. In spring the ice thins and the winds pick up, creating [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_shove|ice shoves]] that have on occasion destroyed lake side homes. [[https://youtu.be/fqptbtwXUCs?t=55|Amazing ice shove video footage]] | + | The lake is big at on average about 15 miles across in any direction, but shallow at only 20-30 feet deep. Part of the lake is in an Ojibwe reservation but there are no restrictions to accessing that part of the shoreline. Mille Lacs is famous for its walleye and musky, and was once proclaimed the best smallmouth bass lake in the county by Bassmaster magazine. In the winter there are plowed ice roads that provide access to over 5000 ice fishing houses. In spring the ice thins and the winds pick up, creating [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_shove|ice shoves]] that have on occasion destroyed lake side homes. [[https://youtu.be/fqptbtwXUCs?t=55|Amazing ice shove video footage]] |
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| - | Mille Lacs is a 90 minute drive from Minneapolis or Duluth. Because there is a paved road all the way around the shore, and many designated boat launches, it is possible to line up an almost perfectly straight downwind no matter the wind direction as you can see on the lake map below. | + | Mille Lacs is a 90 minute drive from Minneapolis or Duluth. Because there is a paved road all the way around the shore, and many designated boat launches, it is possible to line up an almost perfectly straight downwind no matter the wind direction as you can see on the lake map below. The longest straight downwind run possible is around 19 miles. |
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| - | Mille Lacs can get pretty big. It’s hard to accurately judge wave height but 15 miles of fetch creates great downwind conditions. Zach Handler estimates that on a good day the waves are around 4 feet with a few 5 and 6 foot ones thrown in the mix. | + | Mille Lacs can get pretty big. It’s hard to accurately judge wave height but 15+ miles of fetch creates great downwind conditions. Zach Handler estimates that on a good day the waves are around 4 feet with a few 5 and 6 foot ones thrown in the mix. |
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| + | Zach on why **runs to the South shore can be more "hectic" than runs to the North shore**: | ||
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| + | <WRAP center round info 95%> \\ | ||
| + | (getting closer to the south shore)"…if the wind is blowing hard, the waves are fast enough that they are getting hard to paddle on to of course. But then there is something going on with the interaction of the waves against the bottom of the lake. The south shore (where this run finished ([[https://youtu.be/3s73nTfV79A|video]])) is deep water punctuated by rock piles that almost reach the surface. Waves get steep and refract in different directions. The north shore of the lake by contrast has a gradual slope of fine sand. Waves reaching the north shore stay clean and organized, but slow down as they reach shore." \\ | ||
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| - | Mille Lacs is an inland lake, but do not get lulled into a false sense of security. Its size and remoteness create the potential for [[:stories:mille_lacs_minnesota_death|great danger]]. A route across the middle of the lake takes a paddler more than 6 miles from the nearest shore. There is no coast guard and a mayday call sent over VHF would likely fade into the ether without ever being heard. There is cell phone coverage nowadays, but that might be of little help as there is probably not a local search and rescue team equipped to find and save a paddler on such a vast lake when the waves are big. So assume that you are on your own. | + | Mille Lacs is an inland lake, but do not get lulled into a false sense of security. Its size and remoteness create the potential for [[:stories:mille_lacs_minnesota_death|great danger]]. A route across the middle of the lake takes a paddler more than 6 miles from the nearest shore. There is no coast guard and a mayday call sent over VHF would likely fade into the ether without ever being heard. There is cell phone coverage nowadays, but that might be of little help as there is probably not a local search and rescue team equipped to find and save a paddler on such a vast lake when the waves are big. So assume that you are on your own. **Note **- there are a number of potential routes that are shorter and stay closer to shore if what you are looking for is not a lengthier and more exposed full lake crossing. These could be "somewhat" safer learning routes, particularly if you combine them with a wind and wave direction that is in line with your route or somewhat onshore, but please be aware that the major safety concerns for the lake still apply. |
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