Ice Out Update: March 30, 2021

March 30, 2021: Out like a lion?

It feels like the windswept tundra at VBL today. Yesterday we had a high of 10 C. and today it’s a balmy minus 7 C with howling wind and snow. At first glance ice conditions seem to be unchanging. The creek is still solid and the lake ice is tight to the shore. It’s a strange spring melt…..no rain, and no runoff. Reports seem to indicate however that the ice thickness is thinning quickly, probably due to some of the sunny days we’ve had.

Someone once said that March was created for people who don’t drink so they could experience what a hangover was like. With weather like this I would tend to agree. Here’s a few pictures from a couple days ago (pre snow!)…

This really shows how low the lake level is right now. Not sure if there’s any water at the end of these docks!

Let’s hope for some spring rains to get the lake levels back up!

If you recall back in the Fall I did a post that included the retrofitting process for the wooden musky. Back in the day, as seen above, it looked great….however the elements eventually took their toll and it needed to go into retirement.

Looking sad.
Patched up and primed….that was about as far as I could go.

Charles Weiss was the original creator of the musky, but he recently moved to Nova Scotia, and the logistics of getting this to him to repaint seemed onerous. Fortunately Susanne knew of a talented local artist (Rhonda Beckman) who agreed to put her spin on this…

Well, it’s definitely an eye catcher! Not sure yet if it’s going back on the deck rail or perhaps a more sheltered location…

It’s still not to late to get your ice out guess in!

13 thoughts on “Ice Out Update: March 30, 2021”

  2. Andy
    Reply

    This painted musky seems like a distraction from the rigged ice out contest. However, I would put a few coats of spar varnish on it and let it swim! The spar varnish will provide u.v. protection and prevent it from yellowing or fading in the sun.

  8. Professor
    Reply

    HI Gord/Susanne…The wooden muskie with the new paint is a remarkable piece of art. Retaining its beauty over time requires a life sheltered from the elements. It will deteriorate over time if left outdoors, just as the original piece did. That’s what the forces of nature always do.

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