loonlaker

Snowing hard

adkwhaler — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 19:27:45 +0000

here at the lake. Trees are covered with heavy, wet snow. It has been snowing hard since just after Noon. No wind, so the flakes are coming straight down. Welcome back, Winter!

How hard is it snowing? When the dogs come inside, they are blanketed in new snow….

Winter…..finally

adkwhaler — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 00:13:16 +0000

6 inches of snow overnight. Another 6 – 10 expected Friday to Saturday morning.

Snow Goose Hunting Season

adkwhaler — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 11:45:42 +0000

Special Snow Goose Harvest Opportunity

Areas open: Western, Northeastern, Lake Champlain and Southeastern Waterfowl Zones Areas closed: Long Island Zone Season dates: March 11 – April 15, 2012 Shooting hours: ½ hour before sunrise to sunset Bag limits: 25 snow geese per day, no possession limit Special measures allowed: electronic calls, unplugged shotguns (more than 3 shells) Non-toxic shot: required Requirements to participate: current small game hunting privileges, federal duck stamp and registration in New York’s Harvest Information Program (HIP). NO special permit is required but participants must provide harvest information if requested by DEC.

Beautiful day for ice fishing

adkwhaler — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 13:42:47 +0000

Ice fishing is about the only winter activity in full swing, at the moment.

There are three parties out on the northern portion of Loon Lake. Including 2 pick up trucks.

The Browns have their wooden shanty set up off the Seven Keys pumphouse.

Fishing has been good, with several northern pike in the 8-12 pound range caught.

Fisherman take note: a NYSDEC Environmental Conservation Officer was patrolling on the lake yesterday.

NYSDEC to build a bridge as an alternative to Marcy Dam

adkwhaler — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 11:37:49 +0000

See the article written by Phil Brown, over at the Adirondack Explorer: http://adirondackexplorer.org/out-takes/

Stolen Firewood

adkwhaler — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:55:56 +0000

Yesterday (Thursday 2/16), someone stole wood from a camp on Blue Spruce/Oak Lane, sometime between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. If anyone noticed a strange vehicle or activity in the Blue Spruce/Oak Lane area please let me know. It appears this person has visited a number of the camps in this area likely also looking for wood. It certainly isn’t grand theft but very unsettling nonetheless. Thanks.

Proposed Ice Fishing for Lake Trout in Lake Kushaqua

adkwhaler — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:47:32 +0000

NYSDEC is considering changing its fishing regulations to allow ice fishing for lake trout on Lake Kushaqua. NYSDEC will accept public comment on the proposal until April 2, 2012. You may email your comments to NYSDEC at fishregs@gw.dec.state.ny.us. If adopted, the change will take effect this coming Fall.

Loon Lake Weather Station back up

adkwhaler — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:48:33 +0000

If you query Wunderground.com for Loon Lake weather, you will find the conditions at our camp on the lake. The link has been down for the past 2 weeks. I think it gets broken when the computer updates and reboots. Need to figure how to turn that feature off.

Our current conditions are not great. Roads are clear, and there is less than a foot of very old snow in the woods. Not conducive for skiing, snowshoeing or snowmobiling. Ice activities are in full swing, however. There is at least one fishing shanty on the lake– off Horsehead Point.

Winter Carnival Parade next Saturday – February 11th

adkwhaler — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:39:19 +0000

Yesterday, Paula, one of the dogs and I went to the Chowder Festival in Saratoga. We had a great time sampling chowder, and watching the crowd (thousands of people). What a great idea for getting people out in the middle of Winter.

But nothing beats a parade! Next Saturday is the Winter Carnival Parade in Saranac Lake, kicking off at 1 PM. It is an awesome event– a parade in the middle of Winter!! This year’s theme is aliens, so the floats should be interesting.

The Chairman of the Winter Carnival is Loon Laker Jeff Dickson (Mensink Road).

More info about the parade:

http://pressrepublican.com/0100_news/x1023474100/Aliens-ready-for-Gala-Parade

Ice safety guidelines

adkwhaler — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:27:21 +0000

For ice safety, these are the minimum thicknesses, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers standards:

▶ Less than 2 inches: Stay off, ice is unsafe.

▶ 2 inches: One person on foot.

▶ 3 inches: One snowmobile or group of people walking single file.

▶ 7 inches: One car.

▶ 8 to 10 inches: Pickup trucks.

DEC, however, recommends that no ice be considered safe, and that precautions must always be followed.

A list of ice-safety tips is available at www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7733.html.

This list does not take into account the slush that forms near shore, rain pooling on the ice, and the daily freezing and unfreezing of the top layer that we sometimes see at this time of year.