Ice Fishing this season?

[West Basin]

Long term forecast starting around January 20 has a few weeks of real cold night temperatures. If so, we might get an ice fishing season this year. Too early to know for sure, but at least the forecast is there instead of 40 degrees and rain. :-)

[West Basin]

Ice is forming on some near shore Lake areas, but the forecast has warmed a bit this coming week with two big wind events (Monday night / Tuesday morning, same Wednesday/Thursday). Even if ice does start to form, the wind events will probably break it up and move it around, making any ice thick enough to get on unsafe. Looks like the ice fishing folks will have to wait a week to see the early February forecast.

[Rog87]

Any thoughts on if the ice will get there or not?

[Gpettegrew]

Any thoughts on if the ice will get there or not?

With the temps next week, I think safe ice is coming.

[West Basin]

Current forecast through Sunday, from Accuweather and iwindsurf, for Port Clinton:

Temperature, day / night wind direction / speed mph(ave)
Tue 24 / 13 NNW / 7
Wed 21 / 14 NW-NE / 6
Thur 23 / 17 NE / 12
Fri 20 / 11 E / 18
Sat 16 / 0 E / 18
Sun 22 / -1 WSW / 25

Looks like plenty of cold temps and light winds through Thursday. Then deep freeze Friday through Sunday but with higher winds. Ice fishing most likely yes if you can get out through the pack ice. Weekend will be wind chill bone chilling cold if you do go.

[West Basin]

YES. I am NOT an experienced Lake Erie ice guy, or ice fishing. That said, the temperatures the next 10 days are forecast real cold, with some single digit nights and one single digit day. That's going to form a lot of ice and ice thickness. BUT - we have two big wind events the next few days, today and Thursday. Most of the ice that has already formed has been broken up and moved around by wind. So the question probably isn't going to be if we get real solid ice. The question is propably going to be access. All that jumbled up ice pieces will be a chore to travel on, around, and over. You'll probably have to get out aways to find newer smoother ice. Some of the locals on here can post what they see. Webcams in most places show ice made of frozen ice pieces / chunks. Not as safe and not nearly as easy to travel on as nice calm wind real cold temperature ice formation.

[West Basin]

It's started, at least at Put-in-Bay Harbor. One shanty and one person ice fishing 200-300 feet off the docks (near the Crews Nest). Now it's probably just a matter of someone, hopefully experinced locals, to check out the ice where they can get good access and a good path out.

[West Basin]

OK. Very few first hand or reliable second hand (person was certain of info) ice fishing reports. Anyone know why? Is there just very little activity? Is nobody with information posting it? Locals have to know the story, so why aren't we hearing much?

Cold temps have produced plent of ice. But has the wind the last rew weeks conbined with the snowfall made it too dangerous to go out very far and only in a few locations? Ice shove ridges and deep snow making it too difficult to travel on the ice? I know the deep snow insulates the ice from the real cold temps, diminishing the amount of new ice added to the thickness. Plus it covers up danger spots and cracks. Warmer weather starts next week (daytime temps in the mid 30's) so this coming weekend and early next week may be all we have left. If anyone can and will add some reliable information here, it would help a lot of people decide whether to go out or not this week and this coming weekend.

[Prkr314]

Guys went out of Catawba today. About a dozen trucks in the lot. Don't know how far the rest got, but could see 2 guys at least 1/2 mile out towards pt. Clinton.

[rscotfish]

air boats broke through 300 yards off shore couple days ago at wards canal they turned around and came back but it was -10 with calm winds last night