We might have enough ice soon 🥶

I haven't been up to Sandpoint in a long while, but here's CDA this morning
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They drain the lake down 12' in early October and don't take it back up until about May for spring flood control. Makes launching a lot more difficult, and to be honest you don't see a lot of people out on the water now that aren't duck and goose hunters.

The Dover launch is closed, and so is Sandpoint. I think the closest place you can still put in is the free public launch under the flyover in Hope, or one of the two marinas there. Check first...I won't swear the marinas are in business right now, either. Forgot the Clark Fork Drift Yard put in, which is year round now I believe. Be careful in the winter down towards the Green Monarchs...the lake stretches a long way south, and the squalls that roar up that unsheltered portion have sunk a lot of boats and taken the crews with them.

It is beautiful, the eagles are playing hell with the coots, and there's a flock of 13 white tundra swans right off my back deck this afternoon, but it's -4 and gusting 15 mph. Feb averages 10 degrees warmer on both the low and high side than Jan...30 to about 45.