That Day Is Inching Closer

It's a given that every day that goes by at this time of year is a day closer to when I will be able to start catching fish on the long rods.  But not every day at this time of year brings that closer if we get significant snow and cold.  The long term forecast has none of that.  I now think ice out on Platte will be sometime in the mid to low 20's of April.  I usually catch my first open water fish within a day or two of that day, sometimes before sometimes after.  There is no open water in MN yet.  I expect that changes sometime late next week. Here is what the Grumpy Old Man Hole looked like today: