Mille Lacs County, Minnesota — Resorts along Mille Lacs are losing business at a time when they would normally be booming.
Open water in the lake delays winter activities.
“There's not much to do other than ice fishing and snowboarding, and unfortunately we don't have either [right now]said Amanda Brandt.
The Brandt family has owned their ice fishing resort since 1961. They can't remember the last time a lack of ice put them out of business.
Barricades currently keep customers for life off the ice because they are not safe.
The lack of ice is also causing problems throughout the region, which Brandt calls the “trickle-down effect.”
“Everyone is hurting,” she said. “When you drive through cities and look at restaurants and grocery stores and bait shops: It affects all of us. But again, there's nothing you can do.”
“Almost all the homes would be on the lake in a normal year,” said Eddie Lepak, another resort owner.
Lyback Resort is also closed.
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Open water prevents his workers from working. Every ice house he owns is currently on dry land.
The Lepak and Brandt families say until Mother Nature freezes the lake, there's nothing they can do to accept the wait and keep safety a top priority.
“A gray eye is not worth living,” Brand said. “So it will come, it will be a short season, but when it comes, we will be fully staffed and ready to go,” she said.
