Several lakes in far northern Minnesota remain locked in ice and inaccessible to boats going into this weekend's fishing opener.

As of Friday morning, ice still covered most of Lake of the Woods, Rainy Lake, Saganaga Lake and Gunflint Lake.

The Minnesota Climatology Office also reports that some areas of Lake Vermilion remain covered in ice, and so is Walker Bay of Leech Lake.

The wind has been out of the north in recent days, blowing floating ice tight to southern shores. Officials are warning anglers to watch for shifting winds that could move the ice and trap boats.

After 11 spring seasons of early ice-out dates, 2008 is the first time since 1996 that some Minnesota lakes still held winter ice for the fishing opener.