Mac's Twin Bay Resort on Lake Mille Lacs in MN

PARTY!!

2009-08-04T17:46:00.000-07:00

Join us this Saturday at Buzzie's from 3-5 pm to celebrate Kevin's big win!!!!

Kevin wins the FLW Professional Walleye Tournament at Lake Winnebago!!!

2009-07-19T07:24:00.001-07:00

We'll get more details to you in a day or two, but expect a great party coming up to celebrate Kevin's big win!!
http://liveleaderboard.com/EventData/FLW_Tour/2009/Winnie/day4_am/pages/100_8668.htm

Kids Contest Winners for 2009

2009-07-13T14:57:00.000-07:00

152 kids and a beautiful day! Here are the winners (L to R):

Most Fish Blake Zortman

3rd Place Brady Peterson
2nd Place Angelina Hanson

1st Place Nia Martin

Great fishing, great fun!

2009-07-13T14:54:00.000-07:00

Nice slots being caught out on the rocks with slip bobbers. Eric went out last night with a couple of our friends. Eric (age 9) caught 3, Tim got 1 and Chris got 0. Hmmm.

Weather has been great. Lots of sailboats and pontoons heading out for pleasure cruises/sails.

Don't forget that Buzzie's has their Tug of War on Saturday!

Summer 2009

2009-07-10T19:40:00.000-07:00

Summer is flying by this year! We've had some great weather and lots of folks up to enjoy it. This weekend is Isle Days, and we'll again host our Kids Fishing Contest on Sunday. Check it out at www.islekidsfishingcontest.com.

Buzzies will have their annual Tug of War on July 18. Give them a call at 320-676-3999 for more details!

Awesome Fishing this Weekend! 1/11/09

2009-01-12T07:11:00.001-08:00

Greetings to everyone!

We had numerous reports of great fishing all weekend. All but one group in a rental house had at least one walleye. I must have heard about 6-8 larger walleyes (24"+) and I've posted a few pictures already.

I had a chance to go up in a two seater airplane and took some great pictures! Arlo and Eric got to go as well. I'll be putting up some photos from that as well. It gave me a great appreciation for our road systems. All are so well-organized and neat. Lots of room between houses...great job, guys!!! Some of the other sets of houses from other resorts were pretty bunched up.

It's been a great year for fishing and for folks getting up for some R&R. Buzzie's is not only doing karaoke every Saturday, but now they've added a meat raffle, too. Always something fun brewing over there!! Give them a call--320-676-3999--they have some yummy specials and can tell you all about them.

Thanks for asking about Jim (Dad). He's still recovering from his surgery, but he is in the office for a few hours again! If you see him in the chair, it's just because he isn't supposed to sit upright for too long--pretty painful.

1/5/09

2009-01-05T16:05:00.000-08:00

Very cold day up here in the country. Temp was -20 this morning when I woke up.

Guys were out plowing and marking roads to gravel all day. If all goes as planned, we should be heading out with houses later this week.

1/4/09

2009-01-05T16:02:00.000-08:00

Roads to Hennepin are just fine.

Folks are reporting a good amount of action from the perch and walleyes. Had one group that went out farther in their portables--to the gravel--and filled out on walleye in about an hour!

Just a few cars got stuck over the weekend. No other reports at all. Rumors about break-ins are greatly exaggerated. One house had a ruler go missing, nothing else.

Rentals are busy, but we still have our weekday 2 for 1 special. Those are quite a good deal, so check your calendars and try to come see us!

1/3/09

2009-01-05T15:59:00.001-08:00

We didn't get all the snow they've been predicting. Just a little snow, really, and a bit of rain. Some of the highways are a bit slippery, but our roads are plowed nice and wide and marked with reflectors, so everyone can come and go. Buzzie's has a big crowd in for karaoke !

We got the roads plowed out to Hennepin and took a few houses out there. Waiting to see what the snow might do.

Our oldest son turned 18 today. Wow. Pretty hard to believe. He plans to enlist in the Marines early this week. We are very proud of him.

Fishing has been pretty good with the snow forecast, but the cold weather to follow may hamper that a bit. Even with that, folks are having a great time & enjoying their houses.

12/31

2009-01-05T15:58:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year's to all of you! Fishing reports are pretty good. Perch activity, walleyes, and some eelpout. Lots of folks up enjoying the holiday. Lots of snowmobilers and wheeled houses. Nice to see everyone out and about.

12/28 update

2008-12-28T16:54:00.001-08:00

What a busy weekend! How wonderful.

Fishing seems to be a bit slower than last week, but I still had lots of good reports. One group was up for 24 hours and had 11 walleyes (5 keepers)--in their house, not a portable either! Another had 7 perch, others had 'a few' perch. Another told me a great story about having a huge muskie up to the hole but that its head was too big. Wow. It got tangled in his lines, so a minute or so after it got off the first time, he had it on again. This time it t-boned itself up against the hole and got off.

Ice reports are awesome. 15-18 all over. We have all houses--big and small--out to I. In other words, we are west of Hawkbill about halfway to Hennepin, and also have some roads directly west from our point. Kevin was out marking roads to Hennepin today, so we'll be working on them over the next few days. It's pretty likely that we'll drive there by New Years, but give us until Tuesday to call us so we can be sure.

For those of you who are used to talking to Jim in the office (my Dad), he'll be out for a week or two. He's having surgery on his leg tomorrow and will be there for about 3-4 days before heading home for recovery. So, you'll hear a few new voices: KD and Leslie in addition to Brooks and me.

Have a great (short) week! See you soon.

Karen McQuoid

12/26

2008-12-26T18:02:00.004-08:00

We are plowed out to Road I right now. Seeing 15-18" of ice consistently. Still want you to stick to 20 mph, though:)

We have some openings this weekend for rentals. We'll take some 24 hour stays through New Year's, so check with your friends and make plans to come see us! Buzzie's will have a great New Year's Eve buffet for $15.95 and karaoke after that. Plan for a fun time with all of us!

12/24

2008-12-26T18:02:00.003-08:00

Office will close at 3 pm today. Hope all of you have a Merry Christmas!

12/23

2008-12-26T17:58:00.000-08:00

Guys are still plowing and opening roads. It's a 'typical' winter again:) Great ice, and plenty of plowing. We have a few new faces...

Dereke is working the lake, focusing on the rentals. He has 5 years experience on the lake working for a different resort. He's a friendly guy, so be sure to give him a wave!

KD is joining us in the office. My dad will be having some surgery on his leg Monday, so he'll be out for a week or more. (not to worry, he should be fine. Surgery at Abbott. He'll be there 3-4 days). KD works as a bartender for Buzzie's, so you'll see her face all over:)

We're really proud of the team we have working for us. We think they are the best on the lake. Experience, friendly and always ready to get things done for our customers.

12/21

2008-12-26T17:57:00.001-08:00

Some good fishing reports this weekend. Seeing some walleye, a few nice perch...shallow seems better. Looking forward to seeing lots of folks over the holidays.

12/20

2008-12-26T17:50:00.001-08:00

Ice is good. Houses are out. Fish are biting. Why are you reading this instead of heading up to see us?

Happy Saturday!

12/18

2008-12-18T18:06:00.000-08:00

We'll be out to Roads A, B, C and E this weekend. Driving will be fine. We do expect some snow, so we'll be out plowing.

A few of you have asked for a 'map' of our roads. This is a great idea, but I don't have one for you yet. I'll try to talk to Kevin about doing this and maybe get it out next week.

Karen

You betcha, they know about us in LA now!

2008-12-17T20:10:00.000-08:00

We hosted a group of women for a 'Becoming an Outdoors Woman' ice fishing weekend, and one of the ladies was a freelance writer. She wrote up an article which was just published in the LA Times: http://travel.latimes.com/articles/la-tr-icefishing-2008dec14

12/17

2008-12-17T19:57:00.000-08:00

Roads A, B, and C are plowed and open. Ice ranges from about 12-15" & we've been plowing for a few days now. Hoping to get Road E open tomorrow, probably won't get to F for the weekend.

We are ready for you to get your house out and drive to it. Give us a call at the office and we can get all the details. If you email, I might miss it (spam filters etc.) , so please call to be sure we get you everything we need.

Our rentals are out already. One party was there for just a day this week and kept 26 perch. We'd love to see some new faces ready to enjoy our awesome lake and see howluxurious ice fishing can be!

12/15

2008-12-15T07:34:00.000-08:00

The sun is UP, the temperatures are DOWN and Isle kids are happy (no school).

We'll be working on plowing over the next few days. By the weekend, we should be able to pull all houses out and allow driving. We'll be watching what the cold weather does to the ice to determine how many roads will be open.

We have openings for rentals this weekend.

Stay tuned.

12/14

2008-12-15T07:33:00.000-08:00

The storm definitely came on strong this morning! Lots of snow and wind is coming. Hard to keep the windows cleaned off very well. Going to close the office as soon as the last renter checks in and gets settled in their house.

12/13

2008-12-15T07:31:00.001-08:00

We are getting ready for the 'Big Storm.' Our ice conditions are excellent, so everything should be fine.

12/12

2008-12-12T06:49:00.002-08:00

Howdy! We are pulling small houses out to Roads A & B. No driving this weekend, ATVs and snowmobiles are ok. Give us a call as soon as you can if you plan to come up. Be sure your bill is paid up, let us know when you’ll be here, and we can get everything setup.

We do have rentals available for the weekend, too, so check out some pictures on the main website (macstwinbay.com) and give us a call to reserve your house.

Pray for a SMALL snowfall on Sunday.

12/11/08

2008-12-12T06:49:00.001-08:00

Kevin is out plowing Roads A & B today. ice still looks good:)

12/10

2008-12-10T05:59:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to Kevin today!

He'll be out working on the ice and I'll get you an update when I have one.

All is looking good:)

12/8

2008-12-08T17:40:00.000-08:00

Kevin headed out checked conditions on our corner of the big pond. Crappie bed (right in the bay, toward Hawkbill) has 9.5” of ice and 2-3” of snow. Where we put out Roads A & B (1/2 mile out from our landing) there is about 10” of ice and 1-2” of snow. He plans to go out further tomorrow around Hawkbill Point and give me an update about what he finds out there.

We aren't getting the 6" of snow that the Cities is supposed to get. Glad to have SOME snow on the ice though, as that of course translates into snow for banking houses!

Four wheelers are fine to go out from our place right now, and after tomorrow Kevin can say how far. We’ll also know more then about the weekend, but don’t plan on driving any vehicles yet.

12/7 Update

2008-12-08T17:39:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who stopped by at the Ice Show! It was awesome to see everyone getting so pumped about the excellent ice conditions shaping up for a good year. (I'd say invigorating, but ... well ... I'm too tired out!)

Keep your eye on this site for updates tomorrow. Kevin will head out to check conditions and be reporting back.

12/5

2008-12-05T20:22:00.000-08:00

Day 1 of the Ice Show is just about over. What a fun day; nice to see so many familiar faces and to meet some new ones, too.

Grew an inch per night the last couple of nights. We had 6" Wed and 8" today. We haven't walked out very far yet, so we'll know more details after we get back home from the Show -- look for more details on Monday.

Ice update 12/4

2008-12-04T08:12:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone.

Things are going in the right direction! Yesterday we had 6” out front almost out to the crappie bay and 7-8” in the bay off the docks. With the cold weather forecasted for the next several days, we are happyJ

Don’t forget to stop in at the Ice Show this weekend. It’s at Rivercenter and starts Friday.

Kevin and Karen
Mac's Twin Bay Resort -- Kevin and Karen McQuoid
43469 Vista Rd., Isle, MN 56342

Office: 320-676-8709 or toll free 866-670-8709 -- Fax: 320-676-1444

You can subscribe to this site and get our Ice & Fishing updates by looking at your 'RSS feeds.' To do this, click on the Favorites tab of your browser, then click on the tab that says 'Feeds.'

Winter is Coming!!

2008-12-02T06:27:00.000-08:00

December is here, cold weather is here, and the ice is here! Folks have been fishing in Isle Bay and Cove Bay for about a week. In our bay, we have about 4" as of yesterday.

We'll be at RiverCenter this weekend for the Ice Show. Come on down and say hi. Check out the specials we're offering on deluxe ice house rentals.

See you there!

Fall 2008

2008-10-10T10:49:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful fall we've had! I drove around the lake yesterday and the colors are fantastic.

It's exciting to be getting ready for the winter season. I love to see everyone and hear how life is going for them. We sent out the bills a few weeks ago and so hopefully everyone else is thinking about winter, too. I know some folks are coming up to get their houses ready for winter and stopping by Buzzie's to say hi.

Summer 2008

2008-06-11T09:46:00.000-07:00

Summer is upon us! We are full up for the summer and happy to see everyone out and about.

We are getting some nice fishing reports, a few sunburns and some full bellies. Buzzie's updated their menu and added some cool summer items. They have added a new entertaining option--free jukebox nights! That's right, you can pick the songs and dance all night.

For the first time, Kev and I are actually fishing two DIFFERENT tournaments in two DIFFERENT states! He's in MN at Cass Lake right now fishing an FLW tourney and I'm in Mobridge, SD fishing the National Team Championship. My partner is a good friend of ours, Duane TenCate. He's a great angler and has located lots of fish already. Yesterday was my first day on the water, and we are having a blast and catching some fish.

That's all for now. We appreciate your business-we know with gas prices that your travel and leisure $$ are very valuable. Thanks for making us a part of your life.

Ice is Out--Ready for Walleye Opener

2008-05-05T09:33:00.000-07:00

That's right, the ice is out. We are ready for spring. Anyday. Actually, it is a beautiful day here in Isle. Sunny, clear and calm. Our launch will be ready to go and we'll see you all Friday!

Easter with Aaron and Trish in ND

2008-04-09T06:59:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun over Easter visiting Aaron and Trish! Fishing was awesome. Lots of fish--walleye, perch and northern. Frankie caught a perch that was 1 lb 8 oz and Eric caught TWO biggies--1 lb 14 oz and 2 lbs.

Their cabin was so awesome. Cozy, clean and cute. Eric liked being able to sleep in a different bunk bed every night. Believe me, he needed his bed after fishing every chance he could.

Trish kept us well-fed and the teenagers kept us well-entertained!! Seems that they don't get too many new teenagers in town, so Joe and Frankie were kinda noticed. They all got along well and found stuff to do.

Her grocery store is just perfect. It seems to be the center hub for the town. She has a coffee group in every morning and she greeted every customer who came in by name.

I hated to leave. It was a great family weekend.

Spring is C O M I N G (we hope)

2008-04-09T06:55:00.000-07:00

Some things to know:

All the fish house spots & boat slips are full now.
Buzzies will open again on April 17. Look for a revised menu and some great entertainment from them!
Remember you'll need a new licence on May 1
Kevin has left for his first FLW tournament in Port Clinton OH. The tourney starts on 4/16. you can catch live weigh in at flwoutdoors.com.
Our access ramp is ready to go!

I hear we have snow coming later this week, hence the title of this blog entry. I keep telling myself that we need the moisture so the lake levels will come up.

Summer Fish House Openings

2008-03-08T16:54:00.000-08:00

Want to let you know we have a few openings for private fish houses in our summer lot. Looking for some good people with their own fish house who want to camp at a great resort with an even greater onsite bar & restaurant! Families are welcome. To find out more, check our website (macstwinbay.com) or give us a call.

Our turnover is very low for these summer spots. We usually have a waiting list that can be 2-3 years long, so I know there are some of you out there who never even gave us your name. We had a few folks move around at the last minute, so we are looking forward to some new neighbors!

2008 Mille Lacs Walleye Regs

2008-03-08T16:38:00.000-08:00

Beginning on May 10, the protected slot for walleyes will be 18-28" with a limit of four fish. For further information, you can check out these sites:

http://news.dnr.state.mn.us/index.php/2008/03/04/lake-mille-lacs-walleye-slot-set-for-2008/
http://www.twincities.com/ci_8463756?source=most_emailed

There is also discussion between the DNR and Mille Lacs Input Group about trying to keep the slot consistent for a period of years. This has been discussed between the groups and was well received by the resorters. My understanding is that the DNR must pursue the discussion with the Band prior to enacting such a standard. Here are some articles about this possibility:

http://www.startribune.com/sports/outdoors/15890672.html

March 5 Planning and Zoning Update!

2008-03-08T16:32:00.000-08:00

There will be no changes to the fish house park ordinances this year. We received a letter from Michelle McPherson, Adminstrator for the Mille Lacs County Planning and Zoning Office. Here is what she said:

"On March 4, the County Board directed staff to no longer pursue an
update at this time of the fish house park ordinance. The current ordinance
standards and any special conditions of approval for your conditional use permit
will continue to apply. The proposed standards may be looked at by the Planning Commission if an application for an expansion or a new park is received.

This summer, staff will be pulling the files and inspecting all fish house
parks (live-in and dead storage) for compliance with the ordinance requirements
and any conditions of approval that were applied a the time an approval was
granted. If you eed a copy of the current ordinance standards for your
files, please do not hesitate to contact our office.

We will notify you if the ordinance update is brought back for consideration."

Here is a story written in the Mille Lacs Messenger:
http://millelacsmessenger.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=17950

End of Winter 07-08 Season Wrap Up

2008-03-08T16:26:00.000-08:00

This winter, 'Minnesota winter' finally made a return appearance! We had snow, cold, wind & ice. The fish really didn't seem to appreciate it, did they? The bite was definitely a bit off, but we still heard reports of nice perch, walleye and northerns being caught.

We also thank each of you for allowing us the privilege of being part of your winter! Some of you joined us for a quick rental stay, and others share an entire season with us. We know that in today's economy, everyone is careful with spending and particular about where they spend it. It's an honor to take care of you.

Big thanks to our lake crew for all their hard work to keep everyone safe and cozy in their ice houses.

For those of you who store your house here, we do appreciate it if you make sure your bill is paid up. It keeps our administrative costs down when we don't have to chase anything down.

Enjoy the spring thaw whenever we see it. See you next year!
Kevin & Karen

2/8/08 Ice and Fishing

2008-02-08T13:17:00.001-08:00

Our roads are good...16-24" all over. We are out to the gravel as of this week. The fishing has seemed to pick up a bit, with reports of a few here and there on gravel, Hennepin, and off Hawkbill.

Arctic Blast is this weekend, so we'll be seeing lots of activity around here!

County/Resorter Subcommittee

2008-02-08T13:15:00.000-08:00

After a meeting with other resorters, Kevin agreed to be one of the resorters on the subcommittee that will meet with members of the County and the Planning/Zoning Board. George Nitti will be the other resorter. Karen will be the alternate. First meeting is planned for 2/21.

January 27

2008-01-27T16:52:00.000-08:00

Pretty much the same ice conditions right now. Out to Hennepin seems to be fine, but past there the roads are still in flux.

January 24

2008-01-24T17:25:00.000-08:00

We had plowed roads to 5 mile gravel, but the road past Road C broke up pretty badly during the past two days. Have worked around it to get as far as Hennepin, but we are still being cautious. We are not moving any houses to the gravel yet and do not know yet when we will. Hopefully the warmer weather will help the roads. Thankfully, there is a good deal of ice on the roads and around the houses now. Most off roads areas are 15-18", but the roads have more. Past Hennepin, though, the least we've found so far is 13".

Fishing reports are still varied. For the most part fishing is down, and most folks are reporting seeing quite a few small perch on the cameras. However, we had a report on Wednesday of a 22 and 25" walleye. Another house had a 32" northern and broke the line on a couple others. Last weekend another house had 8 walleyes. So, the fish are still there, but being awfully finicky.

As for rentals, we are full this weekend and next, but have openings for the remaining weekends. There are still 5 weekends to go, so come up and enjoy our Minnesota winters!

Karen and Kevin

Mille Lacs County Planning& & Zoning Meeting Jan 14

2008-01-15T05:57:00.001-08:00

Well, they tabled the proposal and agreed to set up a subcommittee comprised of one county commissioner, two planning/zoning commissioners, two resort owners and one township supervisor.

Frank Courteau, a County Commissioner who wasn't at the meeting (he's not on the P/Z Committee), did call Bob Hoefert (P/Z member) to tell him he supported the idea of a subcommittee and he would volunteer to be a part of it. That was great!

Thanks to all of you for your support SO FAR. We'll let the Messenger summarize the discussion later. Just wanted to let you know the outcome!! We'll be needing more and will let you know...

Karen & Kevin

Ice & Fishing Update: 1/14/08

2008-01-14T06:32:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday.

Ice has been holding up fairly well. We are still allowing driving on our roads, with the exception of large diesels. We have roads out to F. Road I still has some slush. Kevin and the crew will be plowing to Hennepin today, but don't get too excited yet! He is doing it so that with the really frigid cold coming by Wednesday, the roads can crack as it gets so cold and then can freeze & heal up. So still no imminent plans to get houses out to Hennepin.

Some of our guys have been out fishing with their portables and report slushy conditions north of Hennepin and that the ice out to the gravel is so-so.

Fishing has been pretty slow, but interestingly enough, there have been a lot of reports of catching nice northerns! Some houses did ok this weekend and caught some keeper perch and a few walleyes, but overall the entire lake is quieter than usual.

Our County Board meeting is tonight. I thank all of you for your support. These revised regs (http://millelacsmessenger.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=17604 and http://www.millelacscountytimes.com/legals.html.) are of great concern to us; they would significantly affect our ability to continue to do business by limiting our summer live in fish house park. We hope to come away from the meeting with a committee to look into what concerns exist and to work on addressing those concerns; and NOT to have the proposal passed.

Have a great day!

Karen & Kevin

Ice and Fishing Update: 1/9/08

2008-01-09T13:48:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!

We're going to try a new forum for getting these updates out to you, so be patient if we have some kinks..

Ice seems to have weathered the warmer weather ok. We have about 13-16” of ice on our roads. We are out past Hawkbill to Roads C, D and E. We have filled up just about as many spots as we can, but are trying. This year, instead of just plowing you a driveway and putting your house there, we have to plow the spots where we have enough ice and then let it freeze over for a few days to make it thicker and ready for a house and your vehicles. It’s a bit more tedious. We’ve marked roads out to Hennepin, but aren’t ready to head out there yet. We won’t be going to Road F for the weekend, either.

Our rentals are booked up for the next 5 weekends, with the exception of a 6 hole house for Friday, Jan 11-Sat Jan12. We do have openings for weekday (i.e. Sun noon-Friday 11 am) rentals.

Fishing reports are varied, but overall the bite is a bit slower than we’d like. We are seeing some with lots of small perch, and reports of seeing more northern than usual. One renter even had a northern try to hit the 24” walleye he was pulling in.

SPEED LIMIT is 10 mph and this is very very critical!

Karen & Kevin