Ice Fishing to Start Soon at Hi-Banks Resort

The resort is on Fish Lake in Duluth and the owners say ice fishing is just days from starting.

DULUTH, Minn. – Inches of ice have already formed on some Northland lakes including at Hi-Banks Resort on Fish Lake in Duluth.

Tim Wagner has owned the resort with his family for 17 years and says this year walkable ice is three weeks earlier than last year.

“I like to see five inches before I let people start walking out and it’s still inconsistent too boy you gotta watch it always bring  a friend with you and an ice pick, make sure and drill every so often especially on this early ice,” says Wagner.

Hi-Banks has four cabins for rent along with a restaurant and bar.

He even plows a two-mile-long ice road to the main part of Fish Lake every day during the season for the ice fishers.

“They all like to come inside and visit with one another, we have some guys that stay out here pretty much all winter in their fish houses. They’ll go home and shower and come right back there’s probably a group about 6 of them that will actually live out there,” says Wagner.

The resort even has rentable fish houses for the full experience.

Along with the required fishing license, Hi-Banks charges $5 a day to fish, or $35 for a season pass.

Hi-Banks will be posting on their Facebook page here when ice fishing starts this year, but they hope it is by the end of this week.