They are here, most smaller ones are 10-12", but Great Slave and Great Bear are wide open until at least December. We're running about -12 now with the odd drop to -20 at night!
Small lakes are all frozen in central Saskatchewan and have been for a week or so now. Big deep lakes will take a bit longer.
Only the potholes and very shallow lakes here so far. It will be a while yet before anyone with smarts ventures very far out on one.
Ted
One time, many years ago, I was on the ice on Bonaparte Lake, north of Kamloops, BC. It was mid-December in a very cold winter and only the middle of the lake was still open. I was about 100' out from the south shore. The ice and water was crystal clear and I could easily see the bottom, twenty-some feet down. As I walked along, I would occasionally give the ice a whack with the 2 1/2 pound axe I was carrying. Then as I took a step and chopped, I damn near lost the axe! That ice wasn't more than 1 1/2 inch thick. I turned around and shuffled briskly back the way I had come. I was probably 200 feet from the open water at the time and had no good reason to be there except that it was easier to walk on the ice than in the snow. Looking back, I have gotten away with some remarkably dumb moves. GD
Eagle lake was starting to build last week, about 3" around landings, docks & in the narrows mid lake.
That was last week though, warm weekend & saw lots of rigs heading past our new place.
1 of our technicians was out Sunday, 2 guys caught 60 walleye in less than 3 hours.