Looking for info on ice conditions around the basin? I know it is still not fishable but just sitting at work dreaming of is what to come. Any news is good news. :(
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Looking for info on ice conditions around the basin? I know it is still not fishable but just sitting at work dreaming of is what to come. Any news is good news. :(
Take a look at the pictures on this web page. You an see it breaking up nicely at the Toledo shipping channel lighthouse.
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/metdata/tol2/
Hopefully clouds stay away this afternoon & we get a good satillite pic from Modis. Weather forecast sounds favorable for ice break up. Temps in high 40's, Rain, & South winds shifting to west and increasing. Hopefully current thaws out launches & gives some access. Don't need much this time of year.
If any lakeshore locals have a visible report on the ice I'm sure many folks here would love updates, including myself. Yes, the NOAA shipping channel light webcams show some open water and the ice has been moving around that lighthouse, but the latest Satellite photo without cloud cover still shows the Western Basin around 90% ice coverage. The cold temperatures this week have slowed the melt and maybe even increased the ice cover, or stabilized it.
One look at the latest Satellite image with the entire Lake at around 75 - 80% ice coverage means the Western Basin will probably be locked in for at least another few days. The water temperatures are still 33 degrees across much of the lake. Once the melt and breakup begins again it will probably take weeks for the ice to clear completely. It all depends on the temperatures and rainfall.
At this point I wouldn't plan on any safe open water fishing until at the earliest the week of April 07 - 13. Even if the ice has broken up and a lot of it has melted, one north or east wind could push flow pieces back into the Western Basin and make boating hazardous.
It's going to be a late start to the open water fishing season, no matter what.
:(
Was fun to see the icebergs flow thru the shipping channel, wont be long.
Not sure but I thought I saw Jignitis sitting on an iceberg jigging going past the camera, was that you Jiggy??? LOL.
I am heading up there in a few hours to drop some stuff off at the camper and plan on stopping at a few of the more popular launching sites. I will take my camera and see if i cant post a few pics for all to see.
Thanks that is nice of you!!Quote:
Originally Posted by branhamautomotive
I'm going up tomorrow and will be there on Friday. I'm just making a trip to check the house and boat. I should be able to get some photos of East Harbor from Channel Grove, and some from the Lakeside pier if anyone is interested in those areas.Quote:
Originally Posted by skipper9
-Matt
pic7 lighthouse towards kellies
pic8 lighthouse towards cedar point
pic9 ice pile at lighthouse
pic10 large ice pile north east of kellies
pic11 light towards kellies east side
pic1 portage river towards Catawba
pic2 channel grove gas dock towards channel.*** channel open looked to be about 8 or so inches of white ice around docks
pic3 channel grove back across east harbor
pic4 mazurik looking towards mouse island
pic5 mazurik towards Canada between put in bay and kellies
pic6 Marblehead to kellies
Thanks for the picture. I posted them for you..Quote:
Originally Posted by branhamautomotive
ok did the dumb dumb I took my wifes good camera and the files are too large to load here so anyone wanting to see email me at [email protected]. skipper9 is trying to get them resized to post on here for all to see.
but the report is lots of ice still. not an expert but I would guess be a couple more weeks before much of any safe boating will be able for most. unless we get a heat wave.
at the Marblehead there is a huge pile of blue ice I would guess 10 to 15 feet high a couple hundred yard deep. there is what looks like safe open water 400 or 500 yards off shore heading towards kelley's and towards cedar point. out towards the weather buoy north of vermillion looks open. there is a huge ice pile in area of kelley's sholes that from the lighthouse looks to be half as tall as the trees on the island. from mazurik the whole marina is locked up tights. lots of ice heading toward mouse looks like ice most of the way to south bass with a little bit of open water around katawba.
east harbor is open in the middle and channel but lots of ice right out the mouth. channel grove marina looks to have 8+ inches of white ice in the marina and gas docks. they had some pumps under the gas dock running so there was a good look at the ice thickness on the edge of the moving water there
There is open water between the bass island and kelley's. the portage rive is open and flowing but ice right out of the channel most of the way to katawba and south bass. looking west it all looks like sheet ice. there is an ice pile on the west wall of the portage river channel rock wall taller than the red channel marker beacon light that was not there a few weeks ago. so 12 to 15 feet or more high over the rock wall.
due to a our 11 month old daughter telling us she has been in her car seat for too long we were not able to go farther west but seeing that the farther west we went the more ice we got I would guess its all locked pretty tight.
so unless its open around huron area which looks like it might be possible not much going to happen on the west end.
the west side of the Sandusky bay is mostly locked in white ice. to the east side of rt 2 there is open water under the bridge towards cedar point, but looks like there is some fresher surface ice that is clear mixed in. might be able to launch from sunny's or Dempsey soon and be able to fish the east side of the bay sooner than almost any place we saw. we did not go to either but can see sunny's from the road
Yesterday's satellite view was pretty clear. Lots of ice in the western basin but it appears to be pretty cracked up. I think the next s.w. blow will open it up quite a bit. Unless we get a week of 50's there is going to be icebergs for several weeks yet.
I have been a stalker on this site for many years now, reading all the positive comments and very helpful info that you guys put on here to help the guys out that are week end warriors. For myself, I am a seasonal worker that has more time in the winter than summer and can not believe the info that was put out there for this years unbelievable ice fishing season.( Been ice fishing Erie for over 20 yrs when there was good ice.) For you locals and Capt's that put just enough info on here to at least get us guys in the right area. (lot of lake between Meinke's and Katawba) pat yourself on the back because it is appreciated by most. And your info on ice conditions will keep people safe. The ones that listen.......
Thanks for the great information on the ice conditions, I am from Wisconsin and we still have 30" of ice on Winnebago (My home lake) I have my first trip to Erie scheduled for the 1st week of May and I am getting both anxious and nervous because of the ice. I retired in January and fishing has now become my fulltime pastime. Also a special thanks to Skipper 9, year after year when I check this site for my upcoming trips, Jim is the first guy I look for and he's always there with good info. Thanks again, us out of staters, really appreciate you guys and this site.
Talk to someone thurs. 3-27-14 said they where still going out of put-in-bay.
sparky if your first trip is early may you will be all good to go. I cant imagine any way there would still be ice here by then
sat pics looks the ice is really working its way out of here wont be long now
Ice is slowly melting.
was in P.C yesterday open water far as i could see water was very dirty and rolling waves should help melt ice i would think
Clem, Earl and I wanted to say we’ve been ice fishing on Lake Erie in April, so we went ice fishing yesterday! Earl has a Kevlar bottom inflatable airboat, so we launched early morning from the Power Plant ramp and headed out to the Maumee Bay shipping channel light. Crossed open water until we got to the ice flow, rode it until we found a solid area and set up. Ice there was still pretty good, just under 7 inches thick. Caught 3 walleye, one 6 pounder, lost two, in three hours and headed back due to forecast strong west winds. Got back and Clem couldn’t find his camera. He sat in on the equipment bags so it probably bounced out of the boat and is resting at the bottom of the lake. Rats, no photos of the trip! You can see our boat light on the NOAA ship channel webcam - http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/recon/...t-webcam2.html - it’s the blue photo in the night photos at the bottom of the page, April 01, 7am. Can you believe it?!
;):rolleyes:
April Fools?