Put in date would be either 4/25 or 4/26 from ep 24. Any ice out estimations from you veterans would be welcome, I’m hoping even with the recent snow with the warmer winter we have had that the smaller lakes are mostly free and Basswood should be ice free by the dates above. Never done a trip this early before so any advice or guidance for dealing with the weather. Planning to stick very close to the shore the entire time considering how cold the lake water will be.

Keep an eye on the ice out map the DNR does. Ice out was record fast in the southern part of the state in early March, but it kind of came to a grinding halt. A lot will depend on temps and rain in the next 2 weeks, but from what I've seen it is definitely winter up there still.

DNR Ice Out Map