On Lake Erie, when we have no winter, nobody gets on the hard water. When we get sort of a winter, the islands are the only game in town. And when we get a true winter, everybody wins.

Last winter, Lake Erie was sort of a winter “Tale of Two Cites,” so to speak—the haves and have-nots. The haves were the islands, specifically from Green Island to Middle Bass. And the have-nots were Catawba and the rest of Ohio’s mainland shoreline.

Although we’ve heard some forecasts for this winter, they do not come with a written guarantee, so we will just have to wait and see if Lake Erie will provide ice fishing or not this winter. Currently, there is very little ice formed on Lake Erie.

In the meantime, here is a recap of how things went last year and what usually transpires.

Going from temperatures that were over 50F after Christmas which allowed Miller Boat Line to continue ferry service to South Bass (Put-in-Bay) until January 2, to frozen water as far as the eye could see only one week later, was a weather surprise that few saw coming.

Bluegill fishing often starts the hard-water season

Near Port Clinton, ice fishing got underway during the first full week of January and an ice fishing village formed near East Harbor State Park’s kayak ramp.

Many of these seasonal inhabitants depart for the lake if it freezes well enough to divert their attention there in search of bigger game, namely walleyes.

While it was underway, Bays Edge Bait & Tackle reported brisk sales of their popular Widowmaker and Larsen tungsten jigs, with buckets of bluegills brought in daily to their fish cleaning facility for processing.

Islands Ice is the most reliable, but lately, not certain to even form

Last year was better than in 2024, when islanders only had a few days of ice fishing in mid-January before warm rains and mild temperatures the rest of the winter prevented any fishable ice from reforming.

The 2025 season first lured anxious local resident Bass Islands anglers onto an ice platform that drew the first of Put-in-Bay’s “Viking” explorers to stand on 2 inches of ice, 100 yards off South Bass Island’s “New Ramp” by January 9.

A few shanties dragged out on foot in the coming days emerged between South Bass, Middle Bass, and Rattlesnake Islands. On January 14, residents of Middle Bass Island marked their annual trail to South Bass, where the ice was reported to consistently be between 6 and 8 inches thick.

Good catches of walleyes on thickening ice led to island-based anglers widening their reach by setting shanties from South Bass to Rattlesnake; Middle Bass to Ballast; and South Bass to Green Islands.

Less than a week of safe, mainland ice in 2025

In the modern, unpredictable, but less-common ice fishing scenario, many anglers who were on hair trigger awaiting the opportunity to get onto Lake Erie’s mainland ice got their wish granted, but ever so briefly.

A far-reaching Polar Vortex that delivered Arctic weather in the form of an unprecedented 10 inches of snow in New Orleans also quickly froze Lake Erie in mid-January.

The temps bottomed out on January 21 with a high in the single digits. This led to anglers getting onto the ice off Catawba as early as January 23, despite open water still present just outside Mouse Island.

By January 25, hundreds of ice fishermen were venturing well offshore, chasing reports of fast catches of walleyes said to be underway.

The following afternoon, most anglers thankfully heeded the advice offered by the Ottawa County sheriff that anglers stay off the ice January 26-27, due to the likelihood of shifting ice, which saved many from potentially needing to be rescued.

High winds that exceeded 40 knots from the southwest caused ice floes to begin drifting eastward, reopening the South Passage east of Mouse Island and from Starve Island to Ballast Island.

However, on the afternoon of Tuesday January 28, a man called the U.S. Coast Guard for assistance after the floe he and three other anglers were on about a mile off Catawba began drifting, preventing them from returning to shore.

If we get ice, the fish are in the lake!

Due to recent strong hatches of both walleyes and perch, fishing is good 12 months of the year with the same daily limits regardless of the season for these species.

The population of “catchable” walleyes going into the 2025 season was estimated to be 77.4 million, so after accounting for several million being removed by recreational anglers and commercial fishermen in Ontario, there are still plenty remaining.

Yellow perch fishing in the Western Basin was slow much of the fall of 2025, where the strongest population remains, so if anglers get on top of them this winter, there should be plenty left.

Call ahead

Do not assume that just because the calendar says it is winter that it has been cold enough to make ice.

Wind, rain, deep snow and above-freezing temperatures can cause ice conditions to deteriorate or impact travel on the ice.

It is best to call local bait shops for updates before making the trip to the lake, especially if it is a far drive. They might tell you to bring your boat instead of a snowmobile or ATV.

In the Port Clinton area, Bays Edge Bait and Tackle (419/635-6326), Hi-Way Bait & Tackle (419/734-3601), Herb’s Bait and Tackle (419/797-2455) and A-N-J Bait (419/635-4436) are open during winter and can provide bait, equipment, and updates for mainland ice conditions.

The Port Clinton airport can provide updates on island ice conditions and activity. The pilots at Griffing Flying Service (419/734-5400) or Island Air Taxi (419/573-2960) will relay what they are seeing as they provide transportation of passengers, mail, groceries, and other freight to all the islands.

Unfortunately, the Ohio Division of Wildlife no longer provides a list of licensed ice guides; instead, call a charter captain who lists ice fishing services on their website if in need of one.

If you enjoy ice fishing, you’ll find suggestions for locations and techniques in the winter issues of MidWest Outdoors, available by subscribing on our website.