The Lake Erie Watersnake is closely related to the Northern Watersnake and the two can be misidentified or mistaken for each other. If you see the snake on one of the islands or shores near the islands, it's most likely a LE watersnake. The photo below shows the color variations.

They are excellent underwater hunters and eat a lot of gobies in Lake Erie, along with other species of fish. I've seen them in the water with a goby in their mouth. I also happened to film one underwater while it was hunting - pretty rare video. The video is on the videos page of the website www.ilakeerie.com.

They are plentiful around the Islands but still on the Ohio Threatened Species list (removed from the USFWS list).

Water Hunter - Water Snake-lewatersnakes-jpg

Notice the variety of colors and banding visibility.