Clearwater Bay is wide open. Arriving at Kenora from the north this afternoon, I aimed slightly west to take a look. I could not see any ice there. Zigzag and Corkscrew Islands are both accessible.
Clearwater Bay, Deception Bay, Zigzag Island
The photo above looks south west at Clearwater Bay’s west end, mainly the area around Zigzag Island and Deception Bay. Zigzag Island is home to the Zig Zag Yacht Club and Deception Bay is where Pye’s Landing is. The white stuff in the distance is ice on Shoal Lake. The southern half of Shoal is pretty solid.
Remember, you can click on the pictures to see a larger more detailed version, and then you can click again to zoom in on that.
Clearwater Bay, Corkscrew Island
This is the east end of Clearwater, including a good view of Corkscrew Island. No ice here!
White Partridge Bay
White Partridge Bay is all clear. Look in the distance if you want to see ice. There is still plenty further south. I’m not sure about the Manitou, but south of the Barrier Islands looks frozen. I couldn’t fly that far out over the lake today.
Keewatin Bay, Portage Bay, Safety Bay and Jackfish Bay
All the bays close to Keewatin and Kenora are now clear. Portage Bay, where the Keewatin Recreation Center is, and Keewatin Bay, by the Keewatin Bridge, are entirely free of ice. In the top right corner of the picture, you can still see ice beyond Scotty Island.
Keewatin Bay, Safety Bay, Jackfish Bay
A closer look at Keewatin and the boat launches there, as well as Two Bears Marina.
I did take a look at the Minaki area earlier, but I was still too high for good pictures. I can report that Gun Lake and Pistol Lake are clear. There is some ice on the north half of Big Sand Lake. The Winnipeg River from Minaki to Kenora is all clear, including Locke Bay.
I have a report from a trusted source (Hi, Doug!) that ice has let go along the shore at Northern Harbour as far out as the island, so I called owner Gary Hall to get the word. He says he’s never seen the ice go so fast in Pine Portage Bay. Here’s the scoop as of 6:00PM Wednesday: the ice is out as far as the first two islands. Gary is putting metal boats in the water today, and will probably start on the fiberglass craft tomorrow (Thursday, April 30).
That’s all for now. I’ll try to get pictures down around Bigstone Bay tomorrow, and perhaps I can manage a glance towards Sioux Narrows or the Manitou.
Lake of the Woods Ice Patrol 
Appreciate you taking the time to do this.
Great report, thank you. We especially appreciated the update on the Locke Bay Area. Getting excited to launch the boat and get out there, but first plan to enjoy the LOWDPOWA cottage show at The Victoria Inn in Winnipeg, on Monday, May 4th. Thank you again!
Sent from Grampa’s IPad
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