Lake Erie fishing in December can include stretches of calm seas that allow anglers to launch their boats at ice-free ramps; stiff winds that muddy up nearshore zones and destroy chances for productive fishing; or even the chance to get out on fresh ice during colder years. 

The consensus of winter forecasts—local TV meteorologists, The Farmer’s and Old Farmer’s Almanacs, Accuweather, The Weather Channel, and NOAA’s National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center—are leaning toward cooler, wetter conditions in the lower Great Lakes and Ohio Valley. 

This could lead to a somewhat “normal” winter, which will allow some ice fishing in ponds, Ohio’s inland reservoirs, and in Lake Erie’s shallow bays, harbors, and coastal marshes.

Anglers in this latitude ensure that all their ice fishing equipment is in working condition ahead of unexpected Arctic blasts, just in case a chance arises to put their more recently, less frequently used winter outdoor toys to use. 

With climbing global temperatures, ice formation is not assured. and these days, to get any requires good timing. A heavy snowfall when a body of water is still in liquid form helps drop its surface temperature and speeds up freezing.

However, snow is unwelcome after a thin layer of ice has formed because it insulates it from additional frigid temperatures, which slows further thickening. 

A prime example occurred several years ago, when anglers were happily fishing on 8 inches of fresh ice around the Bass Islands, while mainland anglers were still launching boats from Catawba to Huron. 

Then, after a 10-inch snowfall followed by a stretch of very cold temperatures, 13 to 15 inches of ice from Catawba to Crane Creek formed over the following weeks. 

Meanwhile, during that same week-long period of time, with the heavy snow blanketing the 8 inches of ice that was in place around the islands, it only gained another inch; was hard to travel over with ATV’s; and deteriorated enough to become unfishable sooner than the mainland ice when air temperatures rose above freezing. 

So, I guess that we will find out when we find out what Mother Nature has in store for us this winter and know by March how much ice fishing we got to participate in during the opening months of 2026. 

2025 walleye hatch

Meanwhile, at the Ohio Wildlife Council’s October meeting, members were provided with a preliminary update on the 2025 walleye hatch from Ohio’s Division of Wildlife’s Lake Erie Western Basin August trawl sampling surveys. 

The trawls generally predict the future abundance of 2-year-old walleyes, and are put into a chart based on four categories:

• Low—less than 10 million fish

• Moderate—10 to 20 million fish

• Large—more than 20 million fish

• Exceptional—more than 20 million fish with the potential to be extremely large 

The 2025 hatch is being categorized by fisheries managers as “Exceptional” again this year, which will extend Lake Erie’s incredible walleye fishing for several more years as they are managed using a conservative harvest quota. 

Catch rates have been “historically good” for eight straight seasons. These fish will recruit to 15-inch legal keeper size by the summer of 2027, but be a mixed blessing nuisance during next season. 

Perch anglers were inundated with young-of-year walleyes, with many reports of double-digit landings of aggressive, fast-growing fingerling fish being caught on their perch rigs baited with shiner minnows. 

Minnow wholesalers who use lanterns on the lake at night to attract wild emerald shiners also must deal with baby walleyes mixed in with their catch. They will chow away at their profits if not promptly removed from their bait tanks whenever detected. 

The combined Ohio/Ontario walleye hatch index score is scheduled to be released in December after Ontario provides their data to their Ohio counterparts. 

At that time, the combined yellow perch hatch results will also be announced for the Western Basin and from Ohio’s side of the Central Basin, as Ontario doesn’t sample their side of the Central Basin for young-of-year fish. 

Derby days

At the time of this writing in mid-October, the two walleye derbies just began. I am curious to see if forward facing sonar was the winning method used by an angler skilled with its use. After all, some of the latest one and two-day tournaments have been won by using this technology.

With the first prize of a $150,000 boat, or cash prizes that pay $55,000 for third place down to $25,000 for sixth place, why wouldn’t people use it during the month-and-a-half period contest to catch a single, “winner take all” fish? 

If an angler enrolled in both the Fall Brawl and Walleye Slam catches the biggest fish entered in both contests, as has happened more than once, the winner earns two fully rigged fishing boats worth a combined retail price approaching $300,000!

This could represent the biggest walleye tournament payout since the 2001 RCL Wal-Mart tournament, when the winner purportedly earned $400,000. 

I signed up, not because I think that I will win, but because for anyone else on the boat to be eligible to submit a walleye to be entered into the contest, everyone on board must be entered in the derby. 

Invitations to join anglers who have an empty seat on a boat headed out fishing will usually not be extended to non-entered people—just in case a contender is netted. 

I am not mad enough at walleyes to want to go out in nasty weather, but I don’t want to miss chance of being able to fish during the tournament’s tenure anytime the weather remains suitable for boating throughout fall. 

Yellow perch also remain a possibility to catch close to shore if the wind cooperates for a few days in a row. Over the years, I have scored limits in mid-December from the Catawba area, off Anchor Point near the Toledo Water Intake, and around South Bass Island right up until the lake freezes. 

I prefer some degree of water clarity before trying for them, but I once caught a limit in water that was chocolate brown—at least on the surface. So, the answer to the question of, “When is the best time is to go fishing? is when you can. 

In December, it can be from shore, a boat or on top of the ice.