Page 7 - Mid America Boating - January 2022 issue

Angler’s Angles

Have an ice day!

Drop your line into Lake Erie ice fishing

By Richard Martin major difference. Bass Islands ice fishing, for
example, is mostly within a locked in area
Lake Erie is one of the country’s finest surrounded by South and Middle Bass and
fishing holes, and all spring, summer, and Rattlesnake Island. Ice usually comes to this
fall boaters from all over the state (and else- area first and stays latest, often long after ice
where) head for the big lake to sample action along the mainland has disappeared. Some 7 [ MID-AMERICA BOATING ] JANUARY/FEBRUAR 2022
for walleye, smallmouths, perch and other years the mainland has good thick ice too,
species. But fishing can be very good in the and there are lots of places to try your luck.
winter too, and it’s a different world up there If not, some hardy boaters will fish all winter
then, windswept and often bitter cold, but on by trolling, even in January and February, and
a good day, very productive. often make limit catches then.”
Still, ice fishing on Erie can be a fairly major Wherever anglers fish along Lake Erie,
production, requiring plenty of equipment, particularly in the fertile Western Basin,
time, and expenses well above sitting along they’re going to have a number of choices for
the Huron Pier, so the question is - how well the days action. Unquestionably, the least
are you likely to do, and for that matter, how expensive tactic is to go out with friends
has ice fishing been over the past five years? or alone, bore a couple of holes, and start
The answer is good or not so good, depending dunking emerald shiners. Each winter, fair
on the year and whether safe ice is waiting. numbers fish just off old Sandusky Bay Bridge,
For walleye fishing the answer will be White’s Landing, downtown Sandusky, or in
mostly good since there have been record various marinas where they can gain permis-
or near record hatches in recent years, which sion, to take perch, white bass, crappie, and
means there will be literally millions of fish other species.
swimming under the ice there this winter. If Others hire a mainland guide by Googling
there’s any bad news, it’s that a great many up information on Lake Erie ice fishing
will be small, often just above or below 15 guides, and have themselves taken out to
inches. But there’ll be plenty of four pound- ice shanties or to bucket fish for perch and
ers too, and a goodly mix of fish reaching six, walleye. Many of the guides concentrate
eight, even ten pounds or more. Which can their activities off Catawba Island State Park,
make a visit there lively, to say the least! Port Clinton or parts west. With or without a
Do remember that ice conditions made a See Ice Fishing on page 8